Explore the Agricultural Revolution, its inventions, and impacts on the environment. Recognize both the positive and negative outcomes of the revolution.
Before the Industrial Revolution, agriculture workers labored six days a week, from sun up to sun down, just to keep their crops growing.1 Certain seasons were more demanding than others, specifically the plowing and harvest seasons.2 Because of the intensity and necessity of agricultural labor, it was the largest employment source in Europe.3 Men, women and children worked side by side to feed the country. Often if the father was a farm owner and worker, his entire family labored alongside him. Working in agriculture was not just a job it but often a lifestyle for families.4
Though the labor was difficult, agricultural work became the largest source of employment because of the ‘self-supply’ benefit, which is the ability to stock their own food stores through their own work. Another attractive aspect was the constant high demand of their products.5 The ever rising demand for food provided farming families with a fairly steady income, although there were exceptions because of the uncertainty of crop success.
Because of the difficulty of agricultural work, it became necessary to innovate the agricultural industry, thus beginning the Agricultural Revolution which arguably started in the mid-18th century.6 The Agricultural Revolution helped bring about the Industrial Revolution through innovations and inventions that altered how the farming process worked.7 These new processes in turn created a decline in both the intensity of the work and the number of agricultural laborers needed. Because of the decline in need for agricultural workers, many worked industrial jobs, further fueling the Industrial Revolution.8 At the beginning of the Agricultural Revolution farm hands chose to migrate to the city to work industrial jobs; however, as the decline in need for agricultural workers grew, many were forced to look for work in the industries.
Though there were many contributing aspects to the Agricultural Revolution,the innovations and inventions were one of the largest factors that helped bring about the Industrial Revolutions. This page will focus specifically on five major inventors whose inventions allowed for more people to move to the city for industrial work. Thus allowing the Industrial revolution to begin.
Positive and Negative Effects
Although the Agricultural Revolution had many positive impacts, there were also negative aspects as well. For starters the number of new inventions and methods of production that the Agricultural Revolution brought meant that changes would be made in organization, management, finance, marketing, and transportation in order for these new techniques to become more effective. Another negative that came from the Agricultural Revolution was the necessary conditions needed for efficient farming, such as; adequate farm buildings, access of roads, drainage of wetlands, transport facilities for marketing, and sources of finance for farmers.These were negative effects seen across Europe by many who joined in the Revolution. Some examples of negatives specific to the inventors mentioned in this page can be seen in both Bakewell’s and Townshend’s inventions. Robert Bakewell’s inbreeding methods had many failed “improved breeds” in his process, possibly as many failed breeds as there were successful breeds. At the same time, Lord Townshend introduced the turnip crop, which is highly susceptible to failure because of the heavy labor requirements for its success.18
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The Impact of the Revolution
Today you can walk into your local grocery store and fill your shopping cart with a variety of fresh produce. Then, with no more effort than it takes to push your cart, you can head to the cereal aisle to pick out your favorite boxes of breakfast cereal before ending your shopping trip in the bread aisle, where you grab a couple of loaves of bread for your lunchtime sandwiches.
What you probably don't realize is that these conveniences that you experience today, could not be a reality if it were not for the Agricultural Revolution that took place hundreds of years ago. In this lesson, we will take a look at how advancements in farming techniques and equipment that happened during the Agricultural Revolution changed our lives, and how they have impacted our environment.
Agricultural Revolution
The Agricultural Revolution got its start in Great Britain in the early 18th century and spread throughout Europe and America by the 19th century. This was a period of significant agricultural development marked by new farming techniques and inventions that led to a massive increase in food production. The Agricultural Revolution brought about experimentation with new crops and new methods of crop rotation. These new farming techniques gave soil time to replenish nutrients leading to stronger crops and better agricultural output. Advancements in irrigation and drainage further increased productivity.
Inventions of the Agricultural Revolution
It was also during this time that inventions were created that greatly increased efficiency. The Agricultural Revolution saw the invention of the plow, which is a device that contains blades that effectively break up the soil. Plows created cuts within the soil for the sowing of seeds. Before the invention of the plow, and another device called a seed drill, seeds were sown by hand, which was inefficient and led to many seeds failing to grow. A seed drill is a machine that plants seeds in uniform rows and then covers them.
Jethro Tull was an 18th-century agriculturist who invented the seed drill. You may be familiar with the band by the name of Jethro Tull that was popular during the 1960s and 70s. This band got its name from a booking agent staff member who was also a history enthusiast; he suggested the name and the name stuck.
Now, the Agricultural Revolution also saw the invention of the reaper, which was a machine for cutting and harvesting grain. An American inventor named Cyrus McCormick is credited with mass production of the reaper, which saved many back-breaking hours of labor in the fields. These inventions, and others, made farming easier, less time consuming and made large-scale agricultural production possible. These agricultural changes created a ripple effect that spread throughout society, with one of the more notable results being a rapid increase in population.
The Agricultural Revolution was also instrumental in the early development of cities. Because fewer workers were needed on the farms, and there was sufficient agricultural production to support life away from the farm, people were now able to move off of the farms and into cities. Along with these changes came an increased demand for non-food items, such as clothing, and non-essential items designed to improve the comforts of life. New technologies were invented to meet the growing demand for non-food products, which led to the first industrial factories.
Impacts on the Environment
The Agricultural Revolution was a major turning point in history and brought about sweeping changes on society. This revolution also put demands on the environment in ways that could not be seen at the time.
