Competition for Land in the American South (review)

70Southeastern Geographer that is more economic than social and in part from a smaller body of analytical literature from which to draw. Fite concludes that although many serious problems still confront the southern farmers, the problems are common to the nation's agriculture rather than regionally specific. The era of mules, sharecroppers, and the dominance of cotton is gone. Most modern southern farmers do not lament its pasing. Those of us who knew the old and witnessed the transformation would agree. Charles S. Aiken, Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916. Competition for Land in the American South. Robert G. Healy. Washington : The Conservation Foundation, 1985. xxxii and 333 pp., references , index, $17.50 paperback (ISBN 8-89164-094-0) "So distinctive have been the history and traditional culture of the South, so fascinating have been its human characters and its great social struggles, they have tended to obscure present-day conditions and the Souths future possibilities." (p. 315) Although this is a concluding remark by Healy, it is a succinct justification for his research. Framed within the context of policy issues facing the American South at the close of the 20th Century, Healy has attempted an analysis of present day southern land uses and trends that characterize the region circa 1980 and that are important in its future. An extremely readable book, it is of significance to land use decision makers, students of the South, and persons interested in the dynamics of southern rural land utilization . The author's stated purpose (p. xiii) is "to analyze simultaneously all of the alternative uses of rural land as they exist now and as they might develop in the future [in the American South]." He defines the South as an area extending from Virginia and Kentucky south and west to include the 54 eastern-most counties of Texas and Oklahoma. His approach is one of synthesis; an attempt to look at and to analyze alternative land uses in relationship with the environmental base, human needs, and the economic situation. As a rationale for this approach, Healy points out that many disciplinary specialists fail to recognize that the land they consider as "potential" for their particular use (be it crops, Vol. XXVI, No. 1 71 pasture, timber, or people) is also considered as "potential" for other, competitive uses. Organized around the theme of competition for land by crop agriculture, forestry, animal agriculture, and huirían settlement , Healy considers present land use distribution, problems of production , variability of the market economy, diversity of environmental and natural resources, unpriced values of the land and environment, and social ramifications of alternative land uses in identifying policy issues and arriving at postulates concerning the future of the Souths rural land base and potential productivity. Relying heavily upon authoritative sources (including geographers), Healy footnotes profusely. One of the major contributions of the book is the diversity of references found at the end of each chapter. Maps, tables and photographs are profuse, well composed, and nicely integrated with the text. Vignettes by the author and others that address specific problems and/or solutions supplement the author's discussion. Also included is an executive summary that delineates the policy issues raised in the text. Another major contribution of the book is the compilation of statistics on current land use distributions and productivity of the various land use enterprises. In presenting statistics, Healy is conscientious in giving sources and in citing variations in estimates. Historical trends in land use and systems of production are discussed as a prelude for the analysis of alternatives for future use. There are two overriding concerns expressed by the author relating to the future: (1) the physical base for growth of an activity and (2) the economic demand for the commodities produced on the land. Problems and issues such as soil fertility , demand for water, use of agrochemicals, national and international markets, consumer demands and preferences, and technological innovations are treated within the context of the future for each land use activity. Comparative and absolute advantages and disadvantages for production of specific commodities in the South lead the author to the conclusion that, if demand is there, expecially for exports, the South can meet...