West U.s. Agricultural Development Policy Research

The western area of America is extensive in territory and abundant in resources. After independence, the American government adopted a series of policies accelerating development of agriculture, As a result, the western area of America had been exploited and utilized in less than one century. This article systematically expounds the policies of American government in developing agriculture in the western area from four parts as follows:Part I analyzes the formation, alteration of land policies and its historical role in agriculture development in the western area. Land is the material basis of agriculture production. In order to speed up exploitation and utilization of land resources, shortly after independence American government declared nationalization of western land and opening the western land to immigrants, which provided prerequisite for exploiting and utilizing land of the western area in the manner of pure capitalism. Thereafter American government successively implemented four kinds of respective policies which were sale, free distribution, conferment and reservation of land, attracting a large quantity of immigrants to settle down and cultivate land in the western area, which gave impetus to the rapid development of American western agriculture in American way.Part II emphasizes probing all kinds of policies by American government guiding the western agriculture to the commercial agriculture from self-sufficient agriculture and their functions. Transportation was a bridge for the western agriculture to market.On account of this, American government took many measures to stimulate transportation development, thereby promoting the western agriculture mechanization, regional specialization, and prosperity of American western agriculture. Meanwhile, The American government adopted a series of policies luring immigrants and funds to flow to the western area, by which solved the problems of labors and fund needed by the development of western agriculture capitalism, enabling the western agriculture to become not an isolate natural economy but an important part in domestic even international markets.Part III expounds a series of policies accelerating agricultural technology progress by the American government and their role in western agriculture development. At this point, the American government mainly took measures in three aspects: 1. Promoting technology innovation, laying material and technological foundation for increasing agricultural productivity; 2. Paying attention to propagation and application of agricultural technology in attempt to realize scientific farming; 3. Devoting major efforts to developing irrigation works to improve agricultural productive conditions. It was the development of irrigation works, the advancement of agricultural technology and the realization of agricultural mechanization that had accelerated the exploitation of the western area thoroughly and development of the capitalist agriculture.Part IV focuses on analyzing the policies adopted by the American government to intervene in agriculture economy. A series of policies by the American government to supervise the railroads, reform national bank and financial system to providemore loans of low interest for peasants, and protect natural resources, in an extent reduced the hazards in agricultural production and curbed the destructive exploitation of land to provide better conditions for the further development and utilization of the western resources.