The Agricultural Revolution

The Agricultural Revolution

There were three main developments during this Agricultural Revolution: the introduction of the four field system by Viscount Townshend ("Turnip" Townshend), the invention of the Seed Drill by Jethro Tull and the selective breeding of animals by Robert Bakewell.

Four Year Crop Rotation

From medieval times, peasants had used a system of three year strip rotation of crops. The peasants worked land which had been granted to them by a landowner, often a nobleman.

Between the 15th and 18th centuries there was a gradual increase in the amount of land being enclosed. Enclosed literally meant that a field was surrounded by a fence or a hedge. It also meant that the enclosed field was worked as a complete unit and no longer divided into strips. The reasons for the increase in land enclosure were varied. Soon after the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485), some noblemen sold their land because they were short of money. Later, during the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547), monastery land was taken by the king and sold. Traditionally, wool and woollen products had always been England's major export to Europe. As the profit made from the wool trade increased in the 15th century, more land was enclosed to graze sheep. In the 17th century, it was partly new farming techniques which forced land enclosure. When fodder crops, such as turnips, were grown in the open field system, communal grazing would benefit other people's livestock. Between 1700 and 1845, 600000 acres (2,4 million hectares) of land was enclosed in England.

The new landlords, either noblemen or the new landed gentry, turned the peasants off their land. This left many people homeless and with no means of making a living. Most were forced to beg in order to survive. The landowners, however, could now farm entire, enclosed fields.

The gradual enclosure of land, together with the four year rotation system, had two major effects on agriculture. The first was that the harvest increased in yield. In 1705, England exported 11,5 million quarters of wheat. By 1765, wheat export had risen to 95 million quarters. The second effect was that livestock, which no longer needed to be slaughtered before the winter months, increased in both quantity and quality.

The Importance of the Agricultural Revolution to the Industrial Revolution

Crop yield increased

• Enough food was available for people in the cities
• Falling food prices meant more money to spend on consumer goods
• Healthier population which meant decline in death rate, especially in infants
• In the 18th century, the population doubled from 5 million to 10 million

Wool yield increased due to better care of animals and selective breeding

• More wool was available for the textile industry and at less cost

1. Ready workforce available

• Peasants were turned off their land by enclosures
• Families moved into the cities
• There was much unemployment and many people were looking for work
• Labour was cheap 
  
  
  
  
   Add the mindmap of the Agricultural Revolution to the one created for the Industrial Revolution.