What came first? Industrial Revolution or Agricultural Revolution? Agricultural Revolution must occur before an Industrial Revolution can take place Industrial Revolutions involve massive growth in terms of population To feed a growing population improvements in agriculture are essential

The Formula Agriculture Improvements = Agricultural Efficiency Agricultural Efficiency = fewer farmers are needed to grow more food Fewer farmers = more people are available to be employed in industry in the cities

Agricultural Revolution After 1700, in England, the ways of growing food and the number people needed to grow them, changed dramatically The whole nature of what constituted a farm changed Small farms were replaced with large farms

Out with the old -- Middle Age Strip Farming Methods In the Middle Ages, strip farms were in vogue Lords would divide their land amongst serfs saving a portion (demesne) for themselves Serfs would farm their strips giving up part of their harvest in payment to the lord

An Inefficient System Strip farming was a subsistence farming Individual serfs would grow a variety of crops hoping to reap enough to feed their families Any crop left over after feeding their families and payment to their lord, would be sold to help pay for other needed items or amenities But with England’s population growing rapidly this form of subsistence farming would not provide England with the food that was needed

Needing a different system During Tudor times, the English government came to realize that a new, more productive system of farming was needed Small strip farms needed to be replaced with larger farms Small farmers needed to be replaced with rich, gentleman farmers The question was how to dismantle and remove the strips farm of England

Common Land – The key to the Strip Farming System The answer to this problem lay in the Common Land It was the central pillar to the strip farming system This was public land that could be used by anyone Small peasant farmers would take their small herds of sheep and cattle to feed on the commons They would also collect wood and fish in the ponds Without the Common Land the whole strip farming system would come crashing down

The Solution - The Enclosure Movement So to accomplish this the government undertook a policy known as “Enclosure” The government began to fence off or “enclose” off the common land It was then put up for sale Although the common land could be purchased by anyone, the small farmer did not have the resources to make such a large purchase Hence …..

The End Result Small farmers now had no where for their small herds of cattle and sheep to graze Hence they could no longer subsist as farmers They were forced to sell their farms at rock bottom prices to some powerful nobleman Their only option was to move their families and meager belongings to the city in search for work

A Different Type of Farm Small, inefficient farms were consolidated into large farms These farms used all the modern technology available More food was grown and less people were needed to grow it

Different Farm, Different Farmer Small subsistence farmers were replaced with rich gentleman farmers These farmers were not worried about putting food on the table, they were worried about making a profit They had money to use modern technology This money provided them the fertilizer to make their soil more productive They also had the money to irrigate their lands Furthermore they did not grow a variety of crops like the peasant farmers before them, they specialized in one or two crops and grew them very well

City Bound The Agriculture Revolution changed what people did for a living and where they lived It involved a mass migration of people from the farms to the city This mass migration of people to the cities continues today

Why City Life – Advantages? What advantages does city life provide today? Employment opportunities Educational opportunities Entertainment Social Networking Better access to government programs and services