Abstract:

The broad purposes of this paper are: 1. To review governmental intervention in agriculture in terms of reasons, objectives and means, and comment on some forces which seem to be changing the frame of reference and focus in which such intervention has previously occurred; 2. to identify some of the gaps in knowledge which hamper policy formulation at present and where the development of consistent programmes for the future is dependent upon the conscious seeking out of a wider range of information than hitherto.