6. Agriculture Flashcards
(4 cards)
What changes in agricultural techniques occurred?
Population stagnation in the mid-17th Century drove some farmers to become more efficient via new techniques along with new crops. These included:
. Water meadows to enhance grazing - each year meadows were flooded with a few cm of water to protect from frosts and thus increase grass crops
. Improved drainage - e.g in the Fenlands of East Anglia 4,000 Dutch drainage experts were employed
. Better rotation of crops
. Extensive use of manure and fertilisers
. Selective breeding of livestock
. Use of root crops like potatoes, carrot, turnips, mangel-wurzels
. An increase in the amount of land farmed
. Better farm equipment
. New ideas and techniques from the Netherlands
What is an example of these techniques in action?
The use of turnips as a fodder crop and clover as a new breed of grass helped overcome the shortage of fertilisers and manure. These crops could be stored for winter animal feed, and their introduction in East Anglia turned areas of chalk and heath into land suitable for grain. These changes helped farmers to maintain large numbers of animals throughout the year. As a result, from 1670, England ceased to be a net importer of grain and became an exporter.
What is the link between specialised farming and the growth of urban employment?
This meant that specialised farming had to be developed to increase production with less farm labour. E.g Market gardens, enclosures, larger more commercial farms, wider range of crops. The growth of London increased demand and spurred a more specialised regional farming and commercialisation that helped develop a national market.
How was regional specialisation used?
The north and west focused on pastoral farming whereas the south and east focused on arable farming. Within this, there was further specialisation based on local climate or soil e.g north-west Norfolk was arable while the south-east was wood pasture.
