© 1973 Oxford University Press and the Foundation for the European Review of Agricultural Economics
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Report on the XVth International Conference of Agricultural Economists (Sao Paulo, 20–29 August 1973)
University of Nottingham
Summary
In this report on the XVth International Conference held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, from 20–29 August, the author at first comments on three of the themes which he considered common to the papers and discussions; firstly, technological change and its significance for agricultural development; secondly, the implications for agriculture of international specialisation and integration; thirdly, the role of prices in national and international agricultural policy.
Some changes of emphasis in the approach to familiar problems discernible at the Conference are mentioned; firstly, less concern with the problems of agriculture as a whole than with the problems of underprivileged individuals and groups in agriculture; secondly, consideration of disequilibrium rather than equilibrium as the normal situation and, consequently, looking upon policy-making as a continuous process of adaptation to change; thirdly, a shift away from analytical methods designed to optimize a single objective to incorporation of multidimensionality of economic goals. Finally, a conference discussion on the current world food situation is summarized.