The intensification of agriculture as basis for feeding the human population has been regarded as progress for centuries, since the fewer people of a population are needed to produce the necessary food for all people, the more human resources are available for industrial and cultural progress. This platitude has been true as long as the food supply has been staying behind the demand for plenty and high-quality food for everybody, but this societal consensus is almost abruptly changing, when there isan oversupply of food, even if this is only perceived by the affluent parts of the population in question: agriculture, and especially producing food from and with animals is increasingly questioned and criticized.This very rough pattern of agricultural development and the change of its societal acceptance can be exemplified by the relatively short period from World War II until today. Regarding the area of agriculture and food supply, three phases of the post-war development can be differentiated: "Shortage", "Risks" and "Guilt".
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