Then and Now: Re-positioning the History of Agriculture within the History of Science and Technology

Abstract

Twenty years ago, the history of agriculture was the Cinderella of the history of science and technology. Historians interested in scientific and technological developments were reluctant to engage with agriculture, a field whose scientific boundaries are ambiguous and where research does not take place only in a controlled laboratory environment, but also in open fields. Today the situation has greatly changed and a rich scholarship on the history of agriculture is emerging within the history of science and technology. This scholarship has repositioned the history of agriculture at the intersection of debates on science and technology, food and the environment, politics and society. The paper will highlight what has been achieved so far and sketch possible developments.