The Position of Agriculture

The position of agriculture follows quite unique global trends: The economic, political and social significance of agriculture reduces in line with increasing economic development. This is because agriculture is exposed to specific political and market conditions, which play a decisive role. The change in the position of agriculture is driven by a series of different internal and external conditions. Agriculture's share of total production, export, import, added value, employment, etc., is declining globally. Also the food industry becomes less important as economic welfare increases, even though this industry takes over a significant portion of the food processing that previously was performed on the farms or in the households. Overall, the development is characterized by resources being transferred from agriculture into other sectors, which means that agriculture is becoming less important.