Agricultural Revolution

The agricultural Révolution indicates, in a first meaning, the whole of the agricultural innovations to. Historians as Georges Duby show, on the contrary, that the modernization of agriculture began as of 10th century.

It generally agrees with the appearance of the agricultural Capitalisme which involves a new research of the Productivité. The process of the agricultural Revolution maintains in addition the links of Cause S for purpose, reciprocal and close, with the Industrial revolution and the demographic Transition. However some authors make a still unfinished process of them.

At the dawn of the 18th century, the Agriculture evolved/moved rather little since the Moyen-âge. The food shortages are frequent and the governments are worried only little the agricultural question. Only the United Provinces have a really concerned agriculture of the outputs because of the lack of ground and of the cost of the creation of the Polder S.

The expression “revolution agricultural” can lend to confusion, even with polemic. In its book the second agricultural revolution , Claude Laberge qualifies the agricultural revolution Neolithic, started here ten thousand years, of “first agricultural revolution”. And for him one still saw only the first steps of the “second agricultural revolution”. It refers to Pierre Chaunu: “For the moment, the Biotechnologie S are located in the immediate prolongation of this industrial revolution whose Chaunu recalls us that it is only one acceleration of the revolution of the Neolithic era. ”

Practices before the agricultural Revolution

Except for the Holland and Flandres, the peasants of Europe practice the three-year rotation (Northern and Is) or biennial (Mediterranean world). During a first year, the peasants sowed cereals of winter (Blé and Seigle), the second year of the Céréale S of spring (Orge, oats) and finally the ground left the place to the Jachère, i.e. the tillage and the renewal of its fertility. In addition, pieces being of low surface, and those in Fallow S being devoted to the Pasture, the fields were necessarily open (Openfield) in order to allow the movement of the animals. The practice of the open field implied a collective work.

Beginning of the agricultural Revolution

Evolution of mentalities

During first half of 18th, the landlords English are interested in the profits likely to get to them agriculture in a context of rise of the population. The English nobility gets informed of the techniques employed with the Netherlands and about the research carried out in France (for the court of Versailles: the Pot of the king). The English Jethro Tull publishes as of 1731 a work referring the whole of modern technologies of culture. The noble ones, expressing at the same time an interest for progress and enrichment, undertake to modernize their fields. In order to better emphasize their ground, the landlords assert the right to reserve the use and to enclose them of it, which grants the Parliament in 1727 ( Enclosure act ).

One is interested more in the techniques of breeding, and one starts to select the animals so that only the most productive races are preserved. Robert Bakewell crosses various races in order to obtain new specimens of sheep and bovines. In England, the average weight of beef cattle reaches 800 books in 1800, whereas it was only of 370 pounds one century earlier. One also works on the selection of the seeds.

This improvement of the performances of the breeding is made possible by new the Assolement S, in particular the rotation of Norfolk, which make it possible to replace the fallow by fodder cultures , and thus to support a greater number of animals per unit of area.

First rationalizations of the production

The three-year rotation is abandoned with the profit of a four-year rotation, where the seeds of fodder plants alternate with those of cereal plants. The development of the Livestock, permitted by the increase in the production of Fodder, provides in return to the agriculture of the significant amounts of manure, a natural manure which allows the suppression of the fallow. The animals also provide to the owners useful forces of traction. Other techniques aiming increasing the fertility of the grounds or at improving the techniques of ploughing spread. The English outputs, of less than 30 quintals to the hectare at the beginning of 18th, rise with approximately 50 quintals in 1800. France, although having many agronomists of talent (Of Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, Parmentier…) will not know such a revolution that at the 19th century.

In addition, more than one true change of the techniques, it is about a “wave of gadgets” according to the expression of T. Ashton. Indeed, progress is slow and is the result of older improvements. But it is included/understood well that in an agriculture with weak outputs extrêmements, the least improvement causes more an increase in the productivity than proportional.

Agricultural revolution and Industrial revolution

One often considers that the agricultural Revolution allowed the Industrial revolution, thanks to the new profits of agriculture, with the orders of material and the Rural migration (qualified intersector Déversement of the labor). She is regarded by W.W Rostow and of many other historians of the economy as the stage preliminary to the development of industry. However the influence of the two phenomena was reciprocal.

The increase in the product gross agricultural increases the profitability and the value of the grounds, and makes it possible to release from the financial possibilities for the investment. Those go towards means of mechanization which stimulate industry, and to a lesser extent the services. The capital element is that an agricultural worker can produce the subsistence of an increasingly large number inhabitants, who thus devote themselves to other sectors of the economy.

In addition the rise of the agricultural production is generally reflected on the Food industry (the agricultural raw materials being less expensive lend themselves more easily to a transformation into more elaborate products). The fall of the food prices makes it possible to the industrialists to preserve low wages (because the wages are still very related to the cost of the food) and thus to control their production costs.

Mechanical progress

Big industry quickly provides to agriculture new machines revolutionizing the techniques then in place. In 1834, the American industrialist Mac Cormick develops the first Moissonneuse-batteuse. In 1837 Mathieu de Dombasle invents a news Charrue…

Chemical progress

The use of the Fumier is supplemented by the importation of Guano coming from South America. In the Years 1840, the German industrialist Justus von Liebig creates the first Artificial fertilizer S.

Specialization

The flows of exchange permitted by progress of transport (Railroad, Steam engine…) allow the specialization of the areas according to their advantages. With the the United States, the North-East develops the Corn Belt (producing cereals) while the South specializes in the Coton, the most important raw material of the time for the British Industrie.

The agricultural revolution and its prolongations

Nowadays, the release of purchasing power created by the relative reduction in the farm prices (which however is not linear) benefits the unit from the other economic sectors. In addition of new industries appear, translating the fact that the agricultural food products are not used only for the Alimentation. After the phase of the natural textiles, today in retreat, appears from now on the industry of the Biocarburant S, in particular promoted by the Brésil (from now on first world producer of Sucre and ethanol) while the Europe is directed rather towards the Diester S.

Refer and notes

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