The Role of Agriculture in the Industrial Revolution

Introduction

• The Industrial Revolution transformed Britain and provided a blueprint for the modern world.
• Population growth and agricultural advancements were vital for this transformation.

Population Growth in England (1750-1850)

• Population increased from 5.7 million to 16.6 million.
• Previously, population growth was limited because farms could not sustain more people.
• Agricultural productivity improvements enabled this population boom.

Advancements in Agriculture

Key Factors

• Improved Soil Fertility:
  • Major advancements in soil cultivation practices.
  • Arable land doubled due to new land cultivation.
  • Phasing out of fallow land—20% in 1700 to just 4% by 1851.

Four-Crop Rotation System

• Crops included: Wheat, Barley, Clover, and Turnips.
• Benefits of Clover and Turnips:
  • Ideal for animal feed, leading to increased livestock.
  • More dung produced for fertilizing the soil.
  • Clover enhanced nitrogen transfer, improving soil fertility.

Impact of Increased Food Supply

• More livestock and better breeding resulted in greater meat availability.
• Lower food prices contributed to the population boom, allowing more people to live and work in industrial cities.

Land Management Innovations

Parliamentary Enclosure

• Simplified the legal process for landlords to enclose land.
• Transition from open-field systems to specialized farming.
• By 1851, 80% of farmland consisted of estates over 100 acres.

Consequences of Enclosure

• Shifted to a polarized rural society:
  • Large landowners and tenant farmers emerged.
  • Loss of common lands for laborers (grazing, foraging).
• Resulted in social unrest: petitions, protests, and riots.

Technological Innovations

• New technologies (seed drills, threshing machines) played a role but had a delayed adoption.
• Majority of agricultural work remained labor-intensive with man and horse power.
• Hand tools innovations (sickle to scythe) were more impactful.

Conclusion

• The combination of turnips, land management, and hand tools contributed to an agriculture revolution.
• Enabled more Britons to live in cities and contribute to the modern industrial world.