There has been a movement in production since the end of World War Two toward cereal

crops coinciding with a reduction in traditional crop rotations. These changes were in part

driven by the 1947 and 1957 agriculture acts. (see Agriculture in post war Britain)

The amount of tenanted land has decreased since 1997. This coincides with several local

Councils selling their tenanted farms.

The total area of rural land lost to urban use between 1945-1990 was 705,000 hectares – an

area the size of Greater London, Berkshire, Herefordshire and Oxfordshire combined.  The

loss of agricultural land to development is continuing with about 11,000 hectares developed

from 2001 – 2009 (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2011)

This loss of rural land may reduce the long-term capacity to produce food in an

environmentally sustainable way and compromise the ability of the countryside to produce

environmental goods, such as landscapes, natural habitats and tranquil areas. 

The government plans to build 4 400 000 homes by the year 2016, the Council for the

Protection of Rural England maintain that 75% of these could be built on previously

developed land. i.e. brownfield sites.