Toward Better Use of Human Resources in Agriculture

Abstract

During the last twenty years this country has seen the sharpest decrease in farm population in our history. However, American agriculture is still overstaffed. What can be done to alleviate this oversupply of labor in agriculture? Public action in several areas will be needed. A more rapid growth of the total economy would attract substantial numbers of people out of agriculture. Educational opportunities for rural people in primary and secondary schools should be en larged and reoriented to provide better training for nonfarm occupations. Farm people should be aided in analyzing and evaluating nonfarm employment opportunities of various types. Likewise, they should be provided with more adequate informa tion pertaining to nonfarm jobs, and a loan program to enable farm boys and girls to obtain specialized training for nonfarm work would be helpful. In many areas of chronic rural poverty the needed redevelopment programs should aim at: creating nonfarm jobs in these areas through industrialization; assist ing some people to move out of the areas; and providing liberal credit and farm planning assistance for those who remain in agriculture. The results of public programs of these kinds would be an increase in the efficiency of the national economy and improved incomes for the farm as well as nonfarm popu lation.