AbstractThe fuel value of food consumed is given a low rating in the energy budget of most countries. Georg Borgstrom argues that, when this budget is adjusted to take account of the fuel requirements of agricultural machinery, fertilizer and irrigation, food emerges as a far more dominant factor than is generally recognized.Industrialized food production is already so costly that it is simply beyond the reach of the poorer countries. Entirely new approaches are now needed to attain higher productivity in agriculture.