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

本研究考察了1900-1925年间北方大平原干旱农业前沿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、科罗拉多州、北达科他州西部、南达科他州和内布拉斯加州放弃旱地家园的程度和经济成本。该地区旱地家园明显普遍倒塌，是美国边境定居失败的少数例子之一。这一地区的农业边界与东部的农业边界大不相同，东部的降水量较高。为了适应新的条件，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，土地法限制了可用的农场规模。此外，对气候的了解很少。在世纪之交的北美，移民们所面临的信息问题包括为干旱地区选择适当的技术、作物和农场规模，这些问题还没有得到系统的研究。定居者可获得的信息的性质，它如何随着时间的推移而变化，以及定居者如何回应，以及宅基地失败的程度和所涉及的经济成本的大小是重要的问题，了解美国农业发展。更广泛地说，在这项研究中解决的适当的农业技术的问题也是相关的问题，在当代经济发展。农业前沿越来越多地转移到偏远地区，在那里，他们面对的移民条件与他们的家乡地区非常不同。移民面临着关于农业技术的信息问题，这与本世纪初北美边境的定居者遇到的问题类似。在发展中地区，如巴西亚马逊地区，人们对来自巴西南部的移民是否充分适应该地区表示关切。农场倒闭和环境破坏与不适当的做法有关。类似的信息问题是如何在本世纪早期解决的，成功和不成功，可能会提供对当前移民到农业边疆的见解。直到1900年，移民到美国北方农业边疆遇到类似的降水水平。充足的降雨量允许熟悉的作物和耕作方法，并形成了《宅基地法》规定的160英亩的小农场。定居者可以采用既定的做法而不作重大修改。然而，迁移到高平原的人首先面临的是更加干旱的环境。当时，人们对气候是否会随着种植而变化存在争议。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。但适应需要了解该地区的气候、适当的旱地耕作方法的性质、要种植的新作物的特性以及联邦土地法的变化。然而，这些要求中的每一项都涉及一个重要的信息问题。本研究探讨农民面对的资讯问题，以及如何解决这些问题。信息的来源，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，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。学习过程将继续进行。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识别成功适应干旱条件的农场的特征。将估计宅基地失败的程度和所涉及的经济成本。一个决策模型被用来作为一个框架，分析面临的干旱边疆农民的选择。

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.