2. Marshall conceptualized that technological advancements increase the mar- ginal productivity of labor, which offsets the effects of increasing land scarcity. Re- source economists have pointed out that agricultural technologies have increased the intensity of land use, thereby accelerating soil erosion and dependence on fossil fuels. In particular, substitution of machinery power for animal power increased soil erosion on cultivated land and boosted use of fossil fuel per unit of agricultural pro- duction. Do technological improvements delay the effects of land scarcity at the ex- pense of increased land degradation and higher energy use?