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

本研究检视1900-1925年间，美国北部大平原干旱农业前沿地区移民所面临的资讯问题。它还估计了1916年以后在蒙大拿州东部和科罗拉多州以及北达科他州西部和南达科他州西部和内布拉斯加州放弃旱地家园的程度和经济成本。该地区旱地宅基地的大面积崩塌，是美国为数不多的边疆定居失败的例子之一。该地区的农业边界与东部降水水平较高的农业边界有很大不同。为了适应新的环境，农民们试验了各种技术和作物。但他们的信息来源往往相互矛盾，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。在一个干旱地区，选择合适的技术、作物和农场规模等问题构成了世纪之交北美移民所面临的信息问题，但这些问题尚未得到系统的研究。定居者可获得的信息的性质、随时间的变化、定居者的反应，以及宅基地失败的程度和所涉及的经济成本的大小，都是了解美国农业发展的重要问题。更广泛地说，本研究解决的适当农业技术问题也与当代经济发展中的问题有关。越来越多的农业前沿正在向偏远地区转移，在那里，他们面临着与移民家乡截然不同的条件。移民面临着农业技术方面的信息问题，这与本世纪初北美边境的移民所遇到的问题类似。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已经充分适应了该地区。农业失败和环境破坏与不适当的做法有关。在本世纪早期，类似的信息问题是如何成功或失败地解决的，这可能会为当前向农业前沿迁移提供一些见解。直到1900年，移民到美国北部农业边界的人遇到了类似的降水水平。充足的降雨使熟悉的作物和耕作方式得以实现，并形成了《宅地法》规定的160英亩分配的小农场。定居者可以使用既定的做法，而无需进行重大修改。然而，迁徙到高平原的人首先要面对更加干旱的环境。当时，关于气候是否会随着种植而改变存在争议。最终，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。但是适应需要了解该地区的气候，适当的旱地耕作方式的性质，要种植的新作物的特性，以及联邦土地法的变化。然而，这些需求中的每一个都涉及到一个重要的信息问题。修改土地法也遭到了政治上的反对。本研究考察了农民面临的信息问题以及如何解决这些问题。信息来源，包括政府机构（实验站、推广服务和其他美国农业部局）、铁路、土地开发商、地方和州政府，将被分析，以确定它们是如何不同的，以及它们是如何随时间变化的。将确定有助于或阻碍适应的做法。学习过程将被遵循。来自实验站、人口普查局、州农业和银行部门的记录将被用来确定成功适应干旱条件的农场的特征。将估算宅基地失效的程度和所涉及的经济成本。利用决策模型作为框架，分析了干旱边疆地区农民面临的选择。

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.