At present, it is claimed, Germany produces about 83 per cent. of her own food. This is, however, but an average figure. For instance, she grows more rye than she needs for bread, while her home-produced fats cover less than 50 per cent. of the needs. But population is increasing by 470,000 per year, while the augmented earning power resulting from the decrease of unemployment brings about a continuous increase in food consumption, particularly of food of animal origin like meat, butter, lard, milk and eggs. These Germany is least able to produce for herself because they involve the importation of fodder.
The remedy is either to increase the area under cultivation or to increase the yield from the soil. Since 1933, Germany has increased her arable area by about 755,000 hectares, but the loss of land through the building of motor-roads, aerodromes, factories, barracks and parks is far greater.
Furthermore, there are natural limits to any process of increasing the yield per aci apart from the fact that the more intensive the checked because more and more workers are wanted to carry out ihe Four-year Plan, Under these circumstances, Herr Darre sees no hope of coping with the problem except by the mechanization and rationalization of agriculture—cost what it might. It is proposed to minimize the flight from the land by providing better housing, employing married workers, lightening field work by the use of machines, minimising domestic labour by the use of electrical appliances, improving technical instruction at country schools, installing radio sets in every fam stead and giving the worker ihe chance to own his own land.
To provide the farmers with the resources to execute this programme the Government will shortly decree an increase in controlled food prices. It is estimated that between 400,000 and 500000 small tractors will be installed on peasant farms in the ext few years.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.