Official statistics show how deep and long-lasting the technical
and economic changes affect agriculture. Despite the growth in
farm production in the 20th Century, and the importance of farming
for the province, the rural population actually shrinks compared
with the urban population after the Second World War.
To the stagnation of rural demographics can be added the sharp
decline, starting in the late 1960s, of the rural population working
directly in the agricultural sector. The increased productivity
of agricultural work explains the subsequent decrease in the number
of farmers.
Although farming remains a unique way of life for Manitoban families,
fewer and fewer of them actually share the life, with all the
consequences that it entails for rural communities, especially
for the future of rural Francophones.
