Agricultural output in Western Europe 1947-1951

As Western Europe's economies industrialized and expanded in the post-WWII years, agricultural output generally dropped in the years that immediately followed. Although this was adversely affected by the devastation of the war and often-rapid increases in urbanization, harsh winters in the late 1940s were the primary cause of poor harvests and food shortages in some areas of Europe. Only four of the 14 countries listed managed to match or exceed their pre-war agricultural output, and the countries most-devastated by the war were among those with the lowest output. For most countries, however, agricultural output rose above pre-war levels by the 1950s, due to more temperate weather and mechanization; agricultural growth, however, was at a much lower rate than industrial growth.