Agriculture's Place in General Economic Policy

• Published date: 01 October 1977
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9701.1977.tb00561.x
• Author: T. E. Josling
• Date: 01 October 1977

S

Agriculture’s Place in General

Economic

Policy

T.

E.

Josling

OARING food prices ended, for a time, agriculture’s long period in the

political wilderness.

No

longer are ministries of agriculture the only

departments of government demonstrating an active interest in the complex

measures usually referred to

as

the agricultural policies of the advanced

economies. Ministries of finance, trade and consumer affairs

-

in those

advanced economies -are wanting to know what is happening as well, for

their political masters are having

to

respond

to

electoral expressions of

concern.

In the Tokyo Round of multilateral trade negotiations, and in such bodies

as the International Wheat Council, efforts are again being made to establish

more orderly conditions in international trade in temperate-zone agricultural

products. Similar efforts were made in the mid-1960s during the course of

the Kennedy Round negotiations. But

it

was realised then that for progress

to

be made

it

would be necessary for governments to demonstrate a greater

readiness to adapt domestic farm-support policies to the changes, both tech-

nological and economic, that were taking place in agricultural production.

Agricultural policies have proved remarkably adaptable since their devel-

opment in the

1930s.

Their future depends on the extent to which, first,

they can escape identity with the interests of

a

small and diminishing section

of the labour force and take their place in the orchestra of instruments of

policy which are used in managing a modern mixed economy and, second,

can

be

consistent with overall commercial policies. This article explores the

place

of

agricultural policies in general economic management and, in

addition, it discusses the reverse side of the coin, the increasing importance

of other policies to the economic conditions of agriculture, before dealing

with the issues

of

international trade.’