Agricultural History Review, Volume 64 Part 2 (2016), p. 270

The National Farm Survey (NFS) of England and Wales, and its counterpart in Scotland, sought to address the state of farming during the Second World War. Following the formation of 61 County War Agricultural Executive Committees (CWAECs), an initial survey of farming was conducted in 1940. The government then launched, in 1941, the most comprehensive survey of agricultural holdings in British history. The surveys were implemented over the following two years, and would influence both wartime production and post-war planning. They aimed to record data for every farm concerning land-use and farming type, machinery and labour, condition of drainage and buildings, stocking of the farm, and standards of farm management. Such was the level of detail that the farm surveys are now a hugely important source of information for historians.

British Farm Surveys, the 354th volume produced by the List and Index Society, focuses on the summary report of 1946 and county tables of data rather than the individual surveys. The book and accompanying CD contain an abundance of quantitative and qualitative data relating to farming during the Second World War at both the national and county level. The book begins with an introduction by Richard Hoyle, which provides useful context for understanding the National Farm Survey, including its origins and objectives and an explanation of the intended uses of the survey at the time. Throughout the introduction are reminders of the significance of the data presented in the book and on the CD – most notably that statistical analysis of the NFS at both county and national level has so far attracted little in the way of attention.

Following the introduction by Hoyle, the book is subdivided into three parts. Part 1 is a reproduction of the summary report, which was originally published by HMSO in 1946. The preface states that whilst the survey had served its immediate purpose of increasing production, its significance would lie in post-war planning. The report provides and explains the definitions and classifications used, and notes that the results given in the report ‘are based on a random sample drawn from the total of nearly 300,000 records’ (p. 29). Data concerning types of holdings and types of farming, size of holding, economic type of occupier, rent, length of occupancy, convenience of layout, condition of farmhouses and farm buildings, management grade, infestation, water supply and electricity are tabulated; whilst the proportion of each county occupied by tenants, rent per acre, length of occupancy per county, number of farm cottages per 100 workers per county, holdings with piped water supply and electricity is mapped. This is accompanied by explanatory text guiding one though the data. The original appendix to the report is also reprinted, including documents concerning the farm survey sampling technique; descriptions of the main types of farming and agricultural regions; statistical tables per county; and a copy of the farm survey itself.

Part 2 of the book introduces the county reports, listing the 61 administrative areas for which a county report was produced and noting whether any data is missing for particular counties. The county tables were never published, and an attempt has been made to present them in the form it is assumed they would have taken based on the summary report. A sample county report, Bedford, is printed in the book. This section is accompanied by volume 2 of the book – a digital file on the CD with all the county reports. On loading the CD, the less digitally inclined may at first be daunted by the different files listed but it is worth persevering. There are two PDFs – one provides the reports county by county and the other is in table order, both of which allow you to browse through the tabulated data. The CSV files, again by county and table, can be imported into spreadsheet or database applications, and have infinite potential in terms of calculations. In fact, it is easy to appreciate the time and effort that has gone into inputting the data and providing an invaluable opportunity for historians to analyse the data in depth.

Part 3 is the final section of the book and deals with the Scottish material. It reproduces the abridged report of the agricultural survey in Scotland, beginning with an introduction that sets out the context for this survey and its aims and objectives. The report includes the questions asked and the instructions given, before providing some analysis of the data. This focuses on the potential of the land, factors impeding maximum production, crops and livestock, and different land type. There are also a series of tables with data for each Agricultural Executive Committee District in Scotland, and accompanying data on the CD.

British Farm Surveys is indeed a valuable source of information for historians, and this volume helps make a wealth of important data much more readily available for historical analysis and research. Despite the scepticism expressed at the time – and noted in the introduction of this volume – about the reliability of the data, the scale and scope of the project was huge and making it accessible to a wider audience is a commendable achievement. The qualitative and quantitative data encourages comparative work within and between counties. Such a volume has the potential to inspire the reader to consider the differences in data and approaches between England and Wales on the one hand and Scotland on the other; the comparative nature of farming in different counties; and to position individual farm returns in the context of the relevant county report. In essence, it paves the way for interesting and engaging historical enquiries, and raises the profile of previously neglected material.