Title: A Look Back at the Last 250 Years of French Agriculture
Headings: A Look Back at the Last 250 Years of French Agriculture
A Look Back at the Last 250 Years of French Agriculture
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, AN AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
19TH CENTURY MODERNIZATION OF AGRICULTURE SPARKS INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
THE 20TH CENTURY: MORE SPECIALIZED AGRICULTURE TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY AND A BASE FOR EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION
THE 21ST CENTURY: A NEW STEP TO PRODUCE MORE AND BETTER FOOD, WHILE PRESERVING THE QUALITY OF OUR ENVIRONMENT
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Content: All these factors led to the rural exodus. Today, only 3% of the active population works in agriculture. After WWII, self-sufficiency became the major concern in agriculture. The Marshall Plan, the creation of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) and two important agricultural bills passed in 1960 and 1962 provided investments to technologically improve every aspect that could impact the yields. The creation of INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research) in 1946 helped a great deal raising yields as well as the development of tractors and other farm machinery. Traditional farms were slowly replaced by science-based, business-like farms. Those policies were so successful that overproduction later became a problem leading to a change in agricultural policies. CAP is today more concerned with environmental cross compliance, and ensuring decent revenue for farmers. In the second half of the 20th century, French farmers, especially young farmers, started a movement to redefine agriculture. For them, farming was to be considered as a job like every other and therefore required specialization, education and should provide the same income as an urban job.