Making Green Revolutions: Kansas Farms, Recovery, and the New Agriculture, 1918-1981

Area of Science:

• Agricultural History
• Environmental Sociology
• Demography

Background:

• The Dust Bowl era is often characterized by mass migration from the Great Plains.
• Recent research indicates greater farm population resilience than commonly depicted.
• The processes of recovery and postwar agricultural development remain less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the resilience and recovery patterns of farm populations in the Great Plains.
• To analyze the adjustment of farm households to post-World War II agricultural changes.
• To utilize historical agricultural statistics for a detailed examination of community and farm-level histories.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of linked, longitudinal farm-level household survey data from Kansas (1873-1981).
• Examination of residential and land-use histories within three specific Kansas communities.
• Utilizing records from a long-standing state-run agricultural statistics program.

Main Results:

• Farm populations demonstrated significant tenacity during the Dust Bowl drought years.
• Detailed farm-level data reveal adaptation strategies employed by households.
• The study illustrates the transition and growth in agriculture during the post-World War II period.

Conclusions:

• Farm populations exhibited greater resilience than the iconic Dust Bowl narrative suggests.
• Historical survey data provide crucial insights into agricultural recovery and adaptation.
• Understanding past resilience offers valuable context for contemporary agricultural challenges.