Agrarian Revolution
AGRARIAN REVOLUTION
*INTRODUCTION: The term Agrarian revolution implies the great changes that took place in Agricultural methods of England during the second half of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century. In the course of this revolution: 1. The open field system disappeared 2. The rotation of crops was introduced 3. Scientific methods were applied to Agriculture 4. There was a series of new inventions and discoveries. This revolution not only changed the landscape of England but also the lifestyle of its people.
*THE CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION: There are five major causes that led to the Agrarian revolution. They are as follows: 1. Waste of land: The farmers were forced to allow one-third of their land fallow, since the soil couldn’t bear crops continuously. 2. Strip System: In this system, the farmer’s holdings were scattered and he had to walk a long distance from one strip to another wasting his time. 3. Cultivating Methods: The cultivating methods changed since Saxon times. 4. Open Field System: This system consisted of large, open fields with no fences. Each village was surrounded by such fields. 5. Scarcity: With the increase in population, there was a demanding need for greater production.
*THE CHANGES BROUGHT BY THE REVOLUTION: The Agrarian revolution brought about four main developments: 1. The Enclosure Act 2. Improved Methods of growing crops 3. Improved Methods of breeding livestock 4. Invention of new farm equipments 1. The Enclosure Act: As a result of this act, thousands of acres of land were enclosed to make compact fields. These enclosures were of two types, *Enclosure of common lands or waste lands. *Enclosure of open lands: This enclosure caused distress to the farmers as the lands were redistributed due to the lack of legal documents. The
*INTRODUCTION: The term Agrarian revolution implies the great changes that took place in Agricultural methods of England during the second half of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century. In the course of this revolution: 1. The open field system disappeared 2. The rotation of crops was introduced 3. Scientific methods were applied to Agriculture 4. There was a series of new inventions and discoveries. This revolution not only changed the landscape of England but also the lifestyle of its people.
*THE CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION: There are five major causes that led to the Agrarian revolution. They are as follows: 1. Waste of land: The farmers were forced to allow one-third of their land fallow, since the soil couldn’t bear crops continuously. 2. Strip System: In this system, the farmer’s holdings were scattered and he had to walk a long distance from one strip to another wasting his time. 3. Cultivating Methods: The cultivating methods changed since Saxon times. 4. Open Field System: This system consisted of large, open fields with no fences. Each village was surrounded by such fields. 5. Scarcity: With the increase in population, there was a demanding need for greater production.
*THE CHANGES BROUGHT BY THE REVOLUTION: The Agrarian revolution brought about four main developments: 1. The Enclosure Act 2. Improved Methods of growing crops 3. Improved Methods of breeding livestock 4. Invention of new farm equipments 1. The Enclosure Act: As a result of this act, thousands of acres of land were enclosed to make compact fields. These enclosures were of two types, *Enclosure of common lands or waste lands. *Enclosure of open lands: This enclosure caused distress to the farmers as the lands were redistributed due to the lack of legal documents. The