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Agriculture 1916-1921

A woman pupil at an agricultural college in 1917.

A woman pupil at an agricultural college in 1917.
©Imperial War Museum HU91978

Until 1916, food production essentially remained in its pre-war form - unregulated and uncontrolled. Germany's submarine warfare resulted in massive losses of food imports to Britain. Combined with international factors, this meant food shortages became commonplace in Britain from 1915.

Related documents

Loss of imports and food supply

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Food Production at Home. 13 December 1916 (PDF, 0.483MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Report by the Food Controller on Bread, Meat and Sugar. 11 January 1917" (PDF, 1.388MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 7. Food Supplies: Statement in the United States of America. 2 February 1917 (PDF, 2.795MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 5. Submarines. 8 February 1917 (PDF, 2.044MB)

War Agriculture Executive Committees and productivity

Cabinet Memorandum. Food Supply and Production. Memorandum by the Earl of Selborne. 2 March 1916 (PDF, 0.667MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The Food Supply of the United Kingdom. Memorandum by the Earl of Selborne. 16 March 1916 (PDF, 1.882MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Food prospects in 1917. Memorandum by the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. 30 October 1916 (PDF, 1.064MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Food supplies. Note by Secretary of State for War. 10 November 1916 (PDF, 0.316MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Agriculture: Guaranteed Prices for Wheat, Oats and Potatoes. 14 February 1917" (PDF, 1.326MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Agriculture: Guaranteed Prices for Wheat, Oats and Potatoes. 17 February 1917" (PDF, 0.973MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 18. Increased Cultivation. 15 March 1917 (PDF, 2.995MB)

Cabinet Conclusions 2 & 3. Agriculture Policy & Guaranteed Minimum Price. 20 October 1919 (PDF, 0.926MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Shortage of Breadstuffs. Memorandum by the Food Controller. 22 November 1917 (PDF, 2.267MB)

Cabinet Conclusions 15 & 16. The Food Situation & The Agricultural Programme and Food Production. 12 December 1917 (PDF, 2.243MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 6. Food Imports. 1 October 1918 (PDF, 1.999MB)

Labour shortages and the position of women

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Agriculture. 23 January 1917 (PDF, 3.771MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Man-power: Agriculture. 25 January 1917 (PDF, 0.937MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 6. Manpower: Agriculture. 23 January 1917 (PDF, 2.791MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 4. Women Volunteers on the Land: Minimum Age. 14 March 1917 (PDF, 0.816MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Manpower: Tenth Report of the Director-General of National Service. 13 July 1917 (PDF, 1.205MB)

Search using Women's War War Agriculture War Labour

Further reading

Howkins, A., The Death of Rural England, A Social History of the Countryside Since 1900 (London: Routledge, 2003)
Whetham, E., The Agrarian History of England and Wales Vol. 8, 1914-1939 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978)

Content

Agriculture 1916-1921
Transformation of food production
Labour shortages and the position of women

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