In North America and Europe, the combination of advanced mechanization systems, agrochemical inputs and plant breeding has produced an increase in farm production of such proportions that ultimately quotas on production had to be imposed to prevent the accumulation of massive food surpluses. The lesson from this experience is abundantly clear.
Provision of a guaranteed profitable income to primary producers is a powerful but expensive food policy instrument. The poorest countries that typically have the highest population growth and the greatest need to produce more food are least well placed to afford such a policy. As such, the international community and its agencies could make a huge contribution to food security by investing heavily in a program of guaranteed profitable income for farmers based on food production. Such a policy presupposes individual ownership of the land or a tenancy beneficially linked to productivity increase.

Thus, huge savings in labor have accrued from engine-driven mechanization systems in the developed world, which in turn have been rapidly followed by rural depopulation. The societal impact of rural depopulation has not been adequately addressed. Using state-of-the-art technology, a well-maintained combine harvester operated effectively in a mature crop, can attain clean grain recoveries of 99 % – a remarkable achievement! Work rates in excess of one hectare (10 000 m 2 ) per hour are readily achievable with two operators, one to drive the combine, the other to drive a tractor-trailer or a truck into which the combine periodically empties its grain for transportation to the farm granary or direct to the local grain merchant or storage facility.

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