Nourrir le monde, fournir l’industrie : les agriculteurs sous le regard des commissions d’enquête sur le prix des aliments, 1915-1976

Abstract

This research note examines how five food price commissions of enquiry can be representative of farmers and intermediaries in the Canadian agri-food system. This preliminary analysis shows that from the 1950s onwards, farmers were increasingly seen as entrepreneurs who had to adapt to the new demands of food processing and trade, while the place of intermediaries was normalized and valued. But in the 1970s there was a break, when the Food Prices Review Board painted a negative picture of agricultural producers and the people who expressed sympathy for them.