Major Themes 1900 to 1950 FOOD PRODUCTION In the early 20th century, agricultural outputs soared, even though the number of people engaged in farming declined precipitously in industrialized nations Famines became less common but still took the lives of millions Processed and convenience foods gained in popularity, while urban elites became more adventurous in their eating habits, adopting cuisines from an array of nations In poorer countries, most agriculture was still based on traditional methods Food variety and supply remained scant, and meat was a luxury for most, reserved for holidays and feasts Producing Food North America enjoyed several “golden” seasons of farming between 1910 and 1914 On the Great Plains of both Canada and the United States, bountiful wheat harvests were exported to many parts of the world and briefly attracted more farmers With agriculture disrupted in Europe by World War I, North American farmers received government incentives to increase production and enjoyed record prices At war’s end, the good times ended for many small farmers In 1900, 41 percent of the U.S population was engaged in agriculture; by 1945, just 16 percent made their living on the land Farming was soon in decisive decline across the industrialized world Yet farm productivity grew dramatically, thanks to new machinery, chemicals, and education The 19th-century promise of farm machinery was fulfilled as more versatile internal combustion engines, manufactured by Henry Ford among others, replaced bulky steam-powered farm implements As the number of farms and farmers decreased, both the size of farms and the number of tractors, combines, and other specialized machinery soared In 1900, American farmers owned 21.6 million work animals, mainly horses and mules In Canada there were 22 human farmhands for each tractor or combine By 1950, the numbers of both animal and human workers were comparatively tiny In industrial nations, agricultural productivity was also fostered by crop specialization related to potential markets, as well as climate and soils Plant geneticists developed improved seed stocks and varieties Research into grains including wheat, corn, and rice helped poorer countries and would lead to a “green revolution” later in the century African-American agricultural chemist and botanist George Washington Carver (1864–1943) introduced soil-enriching crops like sweet potatoes, peanuts, and soybeans in southern U.S states, and engineered useful products made from these crops, as xxxi