During the ninety years until 1970, land-labor ratios increased in all countries, especially after 1950. These increases reflect the rapid declines in agricultural labor forces as people moved to industry and off the land. The United States, however, had an increase in agricultural land as well as a reduction in the agricultural labor force, so that differences in land-labor ratios between it and other countries increased.

Different crops vary widely, however, in the type of labor required-that is, in their power- and control-intensity. Harvesting of root crops is probably the most power-intensive, although it still requires significan control. At the other extreme, cotton, fruit, and vegetables require intensive control: in the case of apples, the threat of damage is so large that their harvesting has still not been successfully mechanized.

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