Output and technical change in twentieth-century British agriculture

Previous estimates of British agricultural output in the twentieth century have covered the period before the Second World War, or after it, but not b oth. This paper reconciles the differences between previous estimates and g oes on to calculate changes int he volume of output between 1867 and 1985. As a result, it is suggested that output grew more rapidly between 1945 and 1965 than during any period before or since. Some of the reasons for this rapid growth are then examined, and it is suggested that the rapid adoption of pre-existing technology was of greater significance than the technical innovations of the period.