Late 20th Century
In the latter part of the 20th Century, British farming methods changed radically to allow more intensive production. The country’s levels of food self-sufficiency reached 75%.
government Policies
Government policy supported increased productivity. This was only possible by putting more land into intensive production, with the increased and unsustainable use of energy and chemicals.
Mechanisation
Greater mechanisation allowed more land to be tilled and harvested with fewer people. Cheap subsidised fuel and subsidised fertilisers allowed more energy to be expended to achieve higher yields.
Hedgerow removal
Large fields were more efficient so hedgerows were often removed and farms grew in size. As farms grew bigger, the number of farms decreased and the number of those employed in agriculture dropped
Some 200,000 UK farms have been lost in 50 years (average 11 a day).
Fall in agriculture employment
In nearby Brightwell cum Sotwell village there were 169 inhabitants involved in agriculture around 1900, but less than 20 around 2000.
Improved crop varieties and more use of fertilisers and products to control weeds, disease and pests, greatly increased crop yields:
New crops
New crops were introduced, such as oilseed rape (for cooking oil and animal feed) which is now the second most important crop by acreage in Oxfordshire.
