Agricultural History Review, Volume 60 Part 2 (2012), pp. 214–240

Following a review of the policy and market background facing agriculture in England and Wales during 1921–38, the changes in the make-up of the industry and its financial performance are detailed. Then, the position of farming on the Berkshire Downs is discussed and various case-studies presented to show how farmers adjusted to the agricultural recession. Finally, it is shown that farmers there were much harder hit by the recession than their counterparts across the country because of the thin, poor chalk soils and a lack of moisture and nutrients, despite their strenuous efforts to adjust through changing land uses and diversifying into new enterprises. 

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