We frequently assume that the Industrial Revolution is the source of all the current

advancements we see around us, but in reality, they can be traced back much further to the
British Agricultural Revolution, which took place in the lush grounds of early modern
England.

Britain had made significant technological advancements in agriculture by the Middle Ages.
However, as England reached the early modern age, important societal, economic, and
technological developments began to develop that made it much easier for an increase in
agricultural productivity.
National markets were able to thrive and internal market regulation was able to be
implemented as a result of the rise of private marketing in Britain between the 16th and 19th
century.

Increased fencing around open farms, or enclosure, allowed for more precise control over
the feed given to cattle and increased meat production. However, it also had the effect of
reducing the number of personnel needed to operate these farms, forcing those workers to
look for employment in denser metropolitan areas.

The introduction of the “Dutch plough” made ploughing easier, leading to greater production,
which in turn led to greater improvements in transportation infrastructure. The plough was
extremely successful on wet, boggy soil, but soon was used on ordinary land. The plough
was easy for a blacksmith to make and by the end of the 18th century it was being made in
rural foundries, and by that time, close to 86 plough models were being produced for
different soils.
Another important tool introduced for the mechanization of agriculture was the seed drill.
Before the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by broadcasting (evenly
throwing) them across the ground by hand on the prepared soil and then lightly harrowing
the soil to cover the seed. Seeds left on top of the ground were eaten by birds, insects, and
mice. There was no control over spacing and seeds were planted too close together and too
far apart. Alternately seeds could be laboriously planted one by one using a hoe and/or a
shovel. Cutting down on wasted seed was important because the yield of seeds harvested to
seeds planted at that time was around four or five.
In addition, the threshing machine or thresher was introduced. It was an equipment that
threshes grain: removes the seeds from the stalks and husks by beating the plant to make
the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, threshing was done by hand with
flails and was very laborious and time-consuming, taking about one-quarter of agricultural
labor by the 18th century. Mechanization of this process removed a substantial amount of
drudgery from farm labor.

Probably the greatest innovation was the “Norfolk for coarse crop rotation” where greater
yields of crops were gained, from improved soil fertility, and lesser need for fallow fields. The
result of these innovations was greater food supply, which led to a massive increase in
population growth in England and Wales - from 5.5 million in 1700 to around 9 million by
1801-.

The British agricultural revolution provided the background for the Industrial Revolution to
take place. Agricultural workers displaced by the enclosure system moved on masse to
urban areas greatly swelling their populations.
At the same time manufacturing technology was undergoing its own revolution, and required
its own workforce. The combination of new machines and an influx of workers resulted in the
first factories. With this increased labor force other inventions such as steam engines could
be mass-produced and sold internationally; and these machines relied on coal that was
mined by the same labourers displaced by enclosure. All of these things could not have
been achieved at such a frenetic pace had it not been for the record production of food that
the Agricultural Revolution made possible.
In making the industrial revolution possible, the Agricultural Revolution gave birth to our
modern world. Without the Agricultural Revolution it's quite possible that everything that
happened after it would have happened anyway, albeit at a much slower pace.

The invention of the "Dutch plough" simplified plowing, increased productivity, and
subsequently, promoted infrastructural improvements in transportation. The plough was
quite effective on soggy, wet soil, and then was quickly utilized on regular ground. It was
simple to build by a blacksmith, and by the end of the 18th century, rural foundries were
producing close to 86 different plough models for various soil types.
The “seed drill” was yet another crucial addition to the mechanization of agriculture. Prior to
the seed drill, seeds were typically planted by broadcasting (evenly throwing) them by hand
across the prepared soil and then lightly harrowing the earth to cover the seed. Birds,
insects, and mice all ate the seeds that were left on the surface of the ground. Seeds were
planted too close together and too far apart since there was no control over spacing.
Alternatively, you might use a hoe and/or a shovel to patiently plant each seed one at a time,
but this was too laborious.
In addition, the threshing machine -sometimes known as the thresher- was also developed.
It was a piece of machinery used to thresh grain, which involves pounding the plant until the
seeds fall out and separating the seeds from the husks and stalks. Prior to the invention of
such tools, threshing was done by hand with flails and was extremely time-consuming and
labor-intensive, accounting for nearly a quarter of agricultural work by the 18th century. Farm
labor was significantly reduced in drudgery as a result of this process' mechanization.

The "Norfolk four-course crop rotation" was probably the most significant invention since it
increased crop yields while reducing the need for fallow areas due to better soil fertility.
Greater food availability as a result of these advances contributed to England and Wales'
rapid population expansion, which increased from 5.5 million in 1700 to over 9 million by
1801.