Agricultural Rev Europe Was Still

Agricultural Rev

Europe was still largely feudalistic society before the 18th century, and small-scale farm production remained the norm. Before the agricultural revolution that took place in the 18th century, Northern European farmers "produced just enough surplus to purchase manufactured goods from the local town, so that town and countryside were in a symbiotic relationship," (Rosner & Theibault 307). However, several social, political, and economic factors created a push toward greater farming surpluses. Urbanization was becoming a budding trend. Farmers were looking to increase land yields to provide for the shifting economy. A demand for "more exotic produce" in urban centers also changed the ways farmers were using their land by the end of the 17th century (Rosner & Theibault 307). The feudal system was also showing signs of wear, and the political revolutions of the 18th century motivated major changes in the concept of labor and especially farm labor. A population explosion, combined with increasing poverty among peasant farmers, was creating social unrest and the desire to emigrate to the New World as well (Whited 92). The 18th century agricultural revolution affected mainly Northern Europe, altering the quantity of crop growth, the methods used to produce crops, and the modes of distribution.

Whited notes that the agricultural revolution "was a slow and piecemeal fight against the odds," (91). Farmers did not already have at their disposal the knowledge of new farming practices that would increase yields. In England, changes in land use meant increasing numbers of farm enclosures increased productivity and increasing the size and scale of farms in general (Rosner & Theibault 308). As a result, many peasant farmers began abandoning their fields to seek work either in urban centers in Europe or in the New World (Whited 92).

Throughout northern Europe, crop rotation practices also changed: as farmers became more and more aware of the ways some plants altered the nutrient content of the soil to make way for the next one in the rotation. Prior to the 18th century, crops were rotated in a three-year cycle. During the 18th century, a four-year rotation cycle was introduced. The potato and the turnip became some of the most important crops during the 18th century agricultural revolution, because the potato could feed large amounts of people and the turnip could also be used for animal fodder. The greater amount of animal fodder increased farm animal yields. Farm technologies also improved: such as the mechanized seed drill.