British Agricultural Revolution

Quick Facts: Who was British Agricultural Revolution?

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British Agricultural Revolution

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A period of massive agricultural growth in Britain, enabling the Industrial Revolution.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The British Agricultural Revolution, or Second Agricultural Revolution, was an unprecedented increase in agricultural production in Britain arising from increases in the productivity of labour and land between the mid-17th (or earlier) and late 19th centuries. Agricultural output grew faster than the population over the hundred-year period ending in 1770, and thereafter productivity remained among the highest in the world. This increase in the food supply contributed to the rapid growth of the population in England and Wales, from 5.5 million in 1700 to over 9 million by 1801, though domestic production gave way increasingly to food imports in the 19th century as the population almost quadrupled to over 35 million. From 1700 to 1850, agricultural productivity per labourer increased by a factor of 2.5. The rise in productivity accelerated the decline of the agricultural share of the labour force, adding to the urban workforce on which industrialisation depended: the Agricultural Revolution has therefore been cited as an enabling factor for the Industrial Revolution.

Career & Major Achievements

However, historians continue to dispute when exactly such a "revolution" took place and of what it consisted. Rather than a single event, G. E. Mingay states that there were a "profusion of agricultural revolutions, one for two centuries before 1650, another emphasising the century after 1650, a third for the period 1750–1780, and a fourth for the middle decades of the nineteenth century". This has led more recent historians to argue that any general statements about "the Agricultural Revolution" are difficult to sustain. One important change in farming methods was the move in crop rotation to turnips and clover in place of fallow under the Norfolk four-course system. Turnips can be grown in winter and are deep-rooted, allowing them to gather elements unavailable to shallow-rooted crops.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Clover fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form of fertiliser. This permitted the intensive arable cultivation of light soils on enclosed farms and provided fodder to support increased livestock numbers whose manure added further to soil fertility. Called "British", the term implies that the revolution began in Britain, not that it existed solely in Britain. Other countries in Europe (including France, Prussia (Germany), and Russia), East Asia and North America followed suit in the next two centuries. The Second Agricultural Revolution was much like the Neolithic Revolution in that it occurred in many regions across the world in a short span of time.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1650: 1650 Milestone — Mingay states that there were a "profusion of agricultural revolutions, one for two centuries before 1650, another emphasising the century after 1650, a third for the period 1750–1780, and a fourth for the middle decades of the nineteenth century".
2. 1700: 1700 Milestone — 5 million in 1700 to over 9 million by 1801, though domestic production gave way increasingly to food imports in the 19th century as the population almost quadrupled to over 35 million.
3. 1770: 1770 Milestone — Agricultural output grew faster than the population over the hundred-year period ending in 1770, and thereafter productivity remained among the highest in the world.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: British Agricultural Revolution

True or False: “The primary innovation that allowed for intensive arable cultivation on light soils was the replacement of fallow periods with nitrogen-fixing crops like clover.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): Clover fixes atmospheric nitrogen into a usable fertilizer form, which significantly boosted soil fertility and crop yields.

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Frequently Asked Questions about British Agricultural Revolution