Appropriate Agricultural Techniques: The Information Problems in Settling in the North American Arid Plains, 1900-1925

这项研究考察了1900-1925年大平原北部干旱农业边疆上的定居者所面临的信息问题。它还估计了1916年后蒙大拿州东部和科罗拉多州以及北达科他州和南达科他州西部以及内布拉斯加州的旱地宅基地被遗弃的程度和经济代价。该地区旱地宅基地明显普遍坍塌，这是美国经验中为数不多的边境定居点失败的例子之一。这一地区的农业边界与东部降雨量较高的地区有很大不同。为了适应新的条件，农民们试验了各种技术和作物。但他们往往有相互矛盾的信息来源，而且土地法限制了可用的农场规模。此外，对气候的了解也很少。对于干旱地区选择适当的技术、作物和农场规模的问题，这些问题构成了北美世纪之交定居者面临的信息问题，但没有得到系统的研究。定居者可获得的信息的性质、随时间的变化、定居者的反应，以及宅基地破坏的程度和所涉及的经济成本的大小，都是理解美国农业发展的重要问题。更广泛地说，这项研究中涉及的适当农业技术的问题也与当代经济发展中的问题相关。越来越多的农业前沿地区正在向偏远地区转移，在那里他们面对的移民的条件与他们的家乡截然不同。移民面临着有关农业技术的信息问题，这与本世纪初北美边境的定居者所遇到的问题类似。在发展中地区，如巴西亚马逊地区，人们担心来自巴西南部的移民是否充分适应了该地区。农场倒闭和环境破坏都与不适当的做法有关。类似的信息问题在本世纪初是如何成功和失败地得到解决的，这可能为我们了解当前向农业前沿的移民提供了洞察。直到1900年，美国北部农业前沿的移民遇到了类似水平的降雨量。充足的降雨使人们熟悉的作物和耕作方式得以实现，并形成了小农场，这一点得到了《宅基地法》160英亩土地分配的认可。定居者可以使用既定的做法，而不需要进行认真的修改。然而，迁徙到高原的移民是第一批面临更干旱条件的人。当时，关于气候是否会随着种植而变化的问题存在争议。归根结底，成功的适应需要采用新的农业技术、不同的作物和更大的农场规模。但适应需要了解该地区的气候、适当的旱地耕作做法的性质、将要种植的新作物的身份以及联邦土地法的变化。然而，这些要求中的每一个都涉及一个重要的信息问题。而修改土地法遇到了政治上的反对。本研究考察了农民面临的信息问题以及这些问题是如何解决的。信息的来源，包括政府机构(试验站、推广服务和其他美国农业部局)、铁路、土地开发商以及地方和州政府，将被分析，以确定它们如何不同以及它们如何随着时间的推移而变化。将查明有助于或阻碍适应的做法。将遵循学习过程。来自试验站、人口普查局、国家农业部和银行部门的记录将被用来识别成功适应干旱条件的农场的特征。将对宅基地倒闭的程度和涉及的经济成本进行估计。决策模型被用作分析干旱边疆农民面临的选择的框架。

This research examines the information problems facing settlers on the arid agricultural frontier of the northern Great Plains from 1900-1925. It also estimates the extent and economic cost of abandonment of dry-land homesteads after 1916 in eastern Montana and Colorado and western North and South Dakota and Nebraska. The apparent widespread collapse of dry-land homesteads in the region is one of the few examples of frontier settlement failure in the U.S. experience. The agricultural frontier in this region was quite different from that which existed to the east where precipitation levels were higher. To adapt to new conditions, farmers experimented with a variety of techniques and crops. But they often had conflicting sources of information, and the land laws limited the farm sizes that were available. Further, there was little understanding of the climate. The questions of the choice of appropriate technology, crops, and farm size for an arid region that comprised the information problems facing settlers at the turn of the century in North America have not been systematically examined. The nature of the information available to settlers, how it changed over time, and how settlers responded, as well as the extent of homestead failure and the size of the economic costs involved are issues of importance for understanding American agricultural development.More broadly, the issue of appropriate agricultural technology addressed in this research also is relevant for issues in contemporary economic development. Increasingly, agricultural frontiers are shifting to remote areas where they confront migrants with conditions that are very different from their home region. Migrants are faced with information problems about farming techniques that are similar to those encountered by settlers on the North American frontier early in this century. In developing areas, such as the Brazilian Amazon, concerns have been raised as to whether migrants from southern Brazil have adequately adapted to the region. Farm failures and environmental destruction have been linked to inappropriate practices. How similar information problems were resolved earlier in this century, successfully and unsuccessfully, may provide insights into current migrations to agricultural frontiers.Until 1900, migrants to northern agricultural frontiers in the United States encountered similar levels of precipitation. Adequate rainfall allowed for familiar crops and farming practices and the formation of small farms as recognized by the Homestead Act's 160 acre allocation. Settlers could use established practices without serious modification. Migrants to the high plains, however, were the first to face much more arid conditions. At the time, there was dispute as to whether or not the climate would change with cultivation. Ultimately, successful adaptation required adoption of new agricultural techniques, different crops, and much larger farm sizes. But adaptation required an understanding of the climate of the region, the nature of appropriate dry-land farming practices, the identity of new crops to be planted, and changes in the federal land laws. Each of these requirements, however, involved an important information problem. And changing the land laws encountered political opposition.This research examines the information problems facing farmers and how they were addressed. The sources of information, including government agencies (experiment stations, extension service, and other USDA bureaus), railroads, land developers, and local and state governments, are to be analyzed to determine how they differed and how they changed over time. Practices that were helpful or hindered adaptation will be identified. The learning process will be followed. Records from experiment stations, the census bureau, state agriculture and banking departments will be used to identify the characteristics of farms that successfully adapted to arid conditions. The extent of homestead failures and the economic costs involved will be estimated. A decision model is used as a framework for analyzing the choices facing farmers on the arid frontier.