The modernization of agriculture in the Atlantic peripheries after the Second Wold War

Call for papers: THE MODERNIZATION OF AGRICULTURE IN THE ATLANTIC PERIPHERIES
AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR (14th SPANISH AGRICULTURAL HISTORY CONFERENCE)

14th SPANISH AGRICULTURAL HISTORY CONFERENCE (Sociedad Española de Historia
Agraria (SEHA) and Universidad de Extremadura), Badajoz (Spain),7th-9nh
November 2013
Session: THE MODERNIZATION OF AGRICULTURE IN THE ATLANTIC PERIPHERIES AFTER
THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Organized by:
Dulce Freire, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, dulce.freire
Bernardo Mueller, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, bmueller
Vicente Pinilla, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain, vpinilla
Henry Willebald, Universidad de la República, Uruguay,
hwillebald

Languages: Papers will be accepted either in English or in Spanish

Objectives:
The objective of the session is to make common ground among present research
lines into the evolution and modernization of agriculture on both sides of
the Atlantic, from 1945 until today. This period is fundamental, from our
point of view, since it has contained the greatest increase in agricultural
productivity in history, at the same time as the sector has suffered an
important loss of relative weight in economies, in both developing and
developed countries. This improvement of productivity demanded the
incorporation and diffusion of new technologies, especially the profound
mechanization of the agricultural sector, and also the use of a set of
techniques known as the green revolution, which included the use of new seed
varieties (hybrid seeds), pesticides, plaguecides or fertilizers. Research
centers located in developing countries, such as Mexico, played an important
role in this technological change.
This process of technical innovation and productivity enhancement coincided
with diverse attempts to change agricultural structures. Dictatorial regimes,
such as those of Spain or Portugal, impeded agricultural reforms which would
have redistributed land, but they promoted other policies of structural
change in agriculture. At the same time, in a considerable part of Latin
America, the theme of agricultural reform was strongly present in political
debate and some countries implemented attempts in this direction.
Finally, technical change in agriculture and the sharp increase of production
and productivity also meant the agricultural sector lost the energy
efficiency which had been characteristic of it and generated increasing
negative effects upon the environment.
The preferred geographic ambit of analysis is that of the countries of Latin
America and those of the European periphery, including analyses of regions
which despite being sited in advanced countries, we can consider as internal
peripheries. We are interested, consequently, in studying the agricultural
transformations described and their effects in countries which during the
period considered have experienced intense processes of growth, with varying
results. We are interested in both general studies of various countries and
comparative research among some of these, or national or regional case
studies.
Research lines:
- Analysis of the principal macroeconomic variables of the agricultural
sector, such as production and its composition, total factor productivity or
partial productivities, causes of growth of production and productivity,
foreign trade in agricultural products, evolution of prices and terms of
trade.
- Technological change in agriculture, role of research centers and the
establishment of national innovation systems, diversity of technological
trajectories and whether they were endogenous or exogenous processes, changes
in the productive use of land.
- Change in agricultural structures, agricultural reform processes, and other
types of technical reforms.
- Public policies of intervention in the agricultural sector, foreign trade
policies related to agriculture.
- Changes in patterns of demand for food and its impact on agricultural
transformations.
- Environmental implications of agricultural development processes,
agriculture in the process of socio-ecological transition, ecological
footprint and hydric footprint of agricultural changes, flows of energy and
materials.

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