Must-Know Agricultural Revolution Facts That Brought Major Changes

The British Agricultural Revolution was the unusual increase in the formation of agricultural production.

The Agricultural Revolution was the transformation period of the agricultural system in the 18th century. The complex and drastic transformation that continued till the end of the 19th century consists of many amazing facts in the fields of land ownership, machinery, farm practices like planting wheat and crops on farms, and breeding of livestock.

These are the agricultural revolution facts that you must know. So keep on reading.

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The British Agricultural Revolution History

The Agricultural Revolution was an unprecedented surge in agriculture due to the increase in labor and land productivity in Britain. There were a series of significant changes and developments that took place during this time in terms of agricultural output and in urban areas.

The majority of people think the Agricultural Revolution in Britain occurred due to land conversion, new farming practices, selective breeding, and private marketing.

The significant changes and new practices that were implemented in the Neolithic Revolution or the First Agriculture Revolution, later on, led to other revolutions like the Second Agricultural Revolution in Britain.

The Neolithic Revolution was a transition from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, making an increasingly extensive population possible. It took a few years for Great Britain and the rest of the world to see the changes that occurred during this agricultural period of history.

Increasing soil fertility and crop yields, along with livestock output that led to a surplus of labor, was also a major part of the British Agricultural Revolution.

Causes of The British Agricultural Revolution

The Enclosure Act is considered one of the major causes of the British Agricultural Revolution. The control of enclosed land by farmers led to more profit-making opportunities. They were making a profit from different crops, seeds, and livestock breeding, which ultimately led to an increase in labor supply. This labor supply was a causing factor of the Industrial Revolution.

The Enclosure Act is the process of ending the traditional rights of common land and it restricts land ownership. The restriction on using land, along with the other signs of the Enclosure Act, was one of the reasons the Agricultural Revolution started and a key factor in its paving the way for the Industrial Revolution.

Later on, in the '50s, the Third Revolution, or the Green Revolution, took place in Mexico.

Land conversion in agriculture is a term used for changing the purpose or the nature of largely agriculturally available land. During the Agricultural Revolution, converting pasture land into an arable area led to more productive use of the land being intensified.

Recovering fenlands and other pasture lands were also established from the conversion of pasture land. These land conversions improved and increased the arable land in Britain by 10-30%.

Some development also came from Flanders and the Netherlands. Due to the large and dense civilization in these lands, farmers were forced to use every piece of their own land for maximum productivity.

The Dutch were far ahead of the British when it came to canal building, land reclamation technology, soil restoration and maintenance, and soil drainage. The Dutch later brought these technologies to Britain, and they increased livestock yields and produced more milk, meat, hides, and manure.

Significance Of The British Agricultural Revolution

Norfolk four-course rotation, four-field rotation system, selective breeding, and property rights played a significant role in paving the way for the Industrial Revolution.

The Norfolk four-course rotation was a farming method that was heavily influenced by crop rotation during the British Agricultural Revolution. Wheat, turnips, barley, and under grass were the crops that were grown during the four-year period of the Norfolk four-course rotation.

Farming methods and cultivation were improved drastically between 1700 and 1850. Agricultural practices like Norfolk four-course farming, selective breeding, and an open field system were implemented on new crops during the Second Agricultural Revolution.

Four-field rotations also became popular in the system. Charles Townshend was a British agriculturist who put four field rotations into the limelight in the 18th century.

During the 18th century, Robert Bakewell and Thomas Coke used selective breeding as a scientific experiment. Arguably the most successful breeding done by Robert Bakewell was with sheep. He was able to quickly select fine-boned sheep that could create long and lustrous wool. Bakewell also introduced the breeding of cattle for the purpose of serving them as beef.

New farming techniques and selective breeding of livestock led to an increase in food production during the British Agricultural Revolution. It improved the overall health and population, with an enormous effect on labor in the 1780s' Great Britain.

New agricultural tools and improved versions of old tools were important for farming and breeding purposes. Mechanization and rationalization were performed with the help of a simple plow with a colter, moldboard, and plowshare. These tools were used for a millennium, but with continuous progress, changes occurred in the age of enlightenment.

Results of The British Agricultural Revolution

Private marketing was the result of the revolution between the 16th century and the mid-19th century for the implementation of marketing in the whole country. The majority of the agriculture production was for markets rather than the farmers and their families.

Trading, requiring merchants, credit, and forward sales were some of the other factors for the development of private marketing.

The Agricultural Revolution resulted in making Britain the most productive agricultural sector in Europe in the 19th century, with crop yields about 80% higher. The increased food supply also contributed to population growth.

The supply and demand of certain commodities decided the pricing and the continuous regulations of the national market. Farmers were also no longer dependent on local markets since transportation and infrastructure were improved.

It also allowed the farmers to decrease their prices in an oversupplied local market. These are the long-term effects of the Agricultural Revolution and the creation of the national market.

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