Agricultural Revolution

Agricultural Revolution Timeline

While the agricultural revolution is considered a "revolution" in terms of its sheer impact on human history, it does not refer to a single year or particular moment. The British agricultural revolution extended across multiple centuries, with multiple innovations occurring in one decade, followed by years of relative stagnation. Historians argue over the specific starting and end dates of the revolution. The simple timeline below offers an approximated progression of the agricultural revolution and its related dates.

• 10,000 BC: First Agricultural Revolution (the beginning of agriculture)

• 1650 CE: The estimated beginning of the British Agricultural Revolution.

• 1701 CE: Jethro Tull invents the seed drill.

• 1730 CE: The four-year crop rotation is implemented.

• 1773 CE: The Enclosure Act is passed

• 1837 CE: John Deere invents the steel plow.

• 1895 CE: Refrigeration is invented; the estimated end of the agricultural revolution.

Agricultural Revolution Characteristics

The agricultural revolution facilitated a massive increase in the human population. New farming methods yielded crops such as wheat and barley in vast quantities. The surplus of food allowed for more reproduction, and more time devoted to technological research. The new efficient methods and technologies in farming also caused societal changes that still mark our world today.

Fig. 2- Picture of a wheat field.

Technological Innovation in the Agricultural Revolution

Technological innovation does not only refer to the design and manufacturing of new tools. Perhaps the most important innovation of the British agricultural revolution was the implementation of the four-year crop rotation in 1730. For centuries, Europeans farmed using three-year crop rotation, growing different crops on two plots of land and leaving the other fallow so that it could replenish its nutrients. This method left about a quarter of the land untended and unused.

Fig. 3- 1762 schematic for a seed drill, invented by Jethro Tull in 1701.

With the implementation of the four-crop rotation, British farmers cycled their lands through wheat, oats, clover, and turnips. Crops such as turnips helped to replenish the land with nutrients, making the four-crop rotation system much more effective than past farming methods.

New machinery and tools helped shape the nature of agricultural production, such as Jethro Tull's 1701 seed drill and John Deere's 1837 steel plow. More efficient farming meant more people could work in factories to produce more equipment to make farming more efficient. Through the British agricultural revolution, the world was changing forever.

Societal Change in the Agricultural Revolution

In May of 1773, the British Parliament passed the Enclosure Act. The law "enclosed" plots owned by landowners, no longer allowing commoners to travel, farm, or graze animals where they pleased. The controversial law was a big step toward property ownership, civil liberties, and migration toward urban areas, all of which have shaped the modern world.

Fig. 4- Art depicting Scottish farmers on a wheat field.

The establishment of property rights led to a surge in market trading within Britain, dividing rich landowners from commoners. The British government passed a series of Poor Laws to support a growing lower class population during a period of great technological and societal change.

Importance of the Agricultural Revolution

The Second Agricultural Revolution stands as one of the most important events in world history. Over just a few centuries, the essence of living had changed dramatically over much of the globe. Many farmers exchanged their plows for positions in the nearest factory; food became more plentiful, allowing for increased reproduction rates (rates which have only increased exponentially since the inception of the Agricultural Revolution). In many ways, the Agricultural Revolution was a series of (very innovative) baby steps before the world leaped into its modern era.