How the Agricultural Revolution Changed Everything

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“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” - Masanobu Fukuoka. That’s something people don’t understand about agriculture in the past, the present, and the future. Farming and agriculture is more than just planting a field and harvesting it, it’s a way of life. Generations molded and lived their life around farming. It’s a way to live, a way to make money, and a way to eat. So when you wake up in the morning and pour your cereal or throw your bread in the toaster, thank a farmer. For today, I’m here to talk about the Agricultural Revolution and how it transformed the way of life and triggered the Industrial Revolution. The start of the Agricultural Revolution was very important to forming into the Industrial Revolution. Ever since the Middle Ages, farmers planted the same crop and every 3 years would leave the crop to fallow. The start of the revolution was formed by a new crop rotation invented by Charles Townshend that included different crops like turnips and clover which kept nutrients in for other crops and replenished nutrients resulting in bigger yields. Also, clover and turnips provided excellent feed for animals like cattle and sheep. Also by having bigger yields, they were able to feed their livestock throughout the winter therefore resulting in more livestock and better meat yield. Inventions also drastically increased during the Agricultural Revolution to transport and make goods cheaper, easier, and more efficient. Things like ships, steamers, toll roads, canals, and railways help improve transportation of goods to more people so more people could eat and increased the population. Also Inventions like the seed drill made by Jethro Hull that all... ... middle of paper ... ...all that food? A farmer did. Works Cited Beers, Burton F. "Beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in Britian." World History: Patterns of Civilization. Scarborough, Ont.: Prentice-Hall Canada, 1989. 65-67. Print. "British Agricultural Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Aug. 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. Fukuoka, Masanobu. "The Ultimate Goal of Farming Is Not the Growing of Crops, but the Cultivation and Perfection of Human Beings." One Straw Revolution. New York: New York Review, 2009. 119. Print. "Per Capita Consumtion of Major Food Commodities." Http://www.ilfb.org/fff2012/47.pdf. N.p., 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. . "Persons Fed Per Farmer." N.p., 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. . "CropLife Canada." CropLife Canada. N.p., 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. .

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