ABSTRACT
Diversified yeoman family agriculture was developed in the western countries based on family needs first, and secondly the application of family resources in the production of goods for sale. Colonization by the European countries in the developing areas of the world changed the traditional structures of agricultural production. It would be very difficult to consolidate tracts of land to produce for export, even if the initial force came from the local government. An attempt in the Cerrado region of Brazil during the 1980s to establish large areas of soybean production for export to Japan, in spite of financial support from the Japanese, produced little success. In examining land consolidation the researchers' attention was called to the significance of levels of farm mechanization. In the older societies of the world agricultural lands have generally been fragmented so that one family has several different plots around the community. A factor of increasing importance, related to land consolidation, is employment.
