How The Agricultural Revolution Changed The Way People

Farmed

By Group One

Farming Before the Agricultural Revolution

• Farming was essentially unchanged for centuries.

• Farmers sowed their fields by hand

• Fields had to be rested every four years to replace the nutrients

Advancements of the Agricultural Revolution

Seed Drill

• Introduced by Jethro Tull in 1701• Improved in 1782 with the addition of gears to the

mechanism• Wheeled vehicle with a box full of grain• Planted seeds in straight lines• It could be pulled by horse• Made sowing faster• Made weeding easier• Resulted in a greater crop yield• Fewer people were needed for farming

Crop Rotation

• Fields were divided into four sections

• A different crop was planted in each field

• The following year the crops were rotated

• It was previously used in Holland

• Charles Townshend introduced crop rotation in England

Turnips and Clover

• Turnips and clover were very important to crop rotation

• They returned nutrients to the soil

• Harvests increased• They were used to feed

livestock• With food available to feed

livestock over the winter, they no longer had to be slaughtered

• Livestock improved in quantity and quality.

How the Agricultural Revolution Affected the Industrial Revolution

Advancements made farming more efficient

Fewer laborers were needed on farms

Crop production increased

People started moving to the cities

More people were available to work in the new industries

People moved to the cities in search of jobs

More food was available to feed the growing population

SourcesAgricultural Revolution

• “The Agricultural Revolution” http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/agriculturalrevolution.htm

• “The Open Door Website” http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/001.html

• “A History of American Agriculture” http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/farm_tech.htm

• BBC – History – Agricultural Revolution in England. Retrieved 28 Feb 2008

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/agricultural_revolution_02.shtml>