Question

(15 points) What factors explain the timing of the agricultural transition? What
consequences did the agricultural transition have for inequality, health, and long-run
economic development?

Answer 1

British agriculture has in many ways progressed faster than any other European nation. The increased agricultural production of the 18th century can be attributed to four interrelated factors: Increased farmland availability A favorable climate More livestock Improved crop yield The available farmland increased due to changes in landholding patterns spurred on by new cultivation methods. The open-field method had been popular prior to this. This scheme was problematic because it required part of the land to remain unplantated at all times so as not to deplete the soil. Since growing crops extract nutrients from the soil, a field has to be replenished to continue producing food.

One response to this problem was to shift crops on to different soils. In Great Britain this was not possible because a large percentage of available land was missing in the region. Farmers, then, started using barren soil by planting various crops, such as clover or turnips. Some plants have nitrogen-rich roots, a need for soil replenishment. Turnip cultivation was necessary as they could be left in the ground through the winter. In the end, this led to an increase in cattle, because these plants were also used for grazing. Livestock raise fundamentally changed much of Europe's diet.

When the Agricultural Revolution took place, the combination of human and domesticated animal overcrowding and transitioning to an unvaried cereal-and grain-based diet caused an array of health problems. On its face, it is patently ridiculous to argue that the Agricultural Revolution was evil. Owing to the Agricultural Revolution, modern society is possible and other scholars are quick to point out that the hunter-gatherer way of life was very brutal. The disparity between how miserable people were as early farmers and how miserable people were as hunter-gatherers is very small in comparison with modern life.

Because somebody had to have power over surplus food, separating society into positions that served this hierarchy became necessary. They created the positions of an administrator, a teacher, a priest and a soldier. The soldier was particularly important because farming was so unsustainable as opposed to hunting and gathering. Ironically, the fickleness of agriculture facilitated further movement to neighboring lands in search of more wealth and with neighboring groups to combat. It was also necessary to capture slaves because farming was hard work and more people were working in those new roles.