From Dearth to Plenty

During the fifty-year period from 1936–86 the modern agricultural revolution occurred, in which, for the first time, science was properly harnessed to the improvement in agricultural productivity. The authors of this 1995 book quantify this improvement and identify the work of scientists which was seminal to the scientific and technological advances on which the revolution was founded. The topics covered include the advances in animal nutrition (in which the late Kenneth Blaxter was an acknowledged pioneer), animal and plant breeding, soil fertility, weed, pest, and disease control, veterinary medicine, engineering (including innovations in tractor design by Harry Ferguson), and statistical measurement. In addition, this book describes how these innovations were integrated into the practical business of food production and discusses the importance of the Government in setting the scene for scientific advance.