The precursor to the industrial revolution was the

The precursor to the industrial revolution was the agricultural revolution and its major elements were the enclosure movement, new crops, and scientific agriculture.

Jethro Tull Charles “Turnip” Townshend Robert Bakewell Arthur Young crop rotation open-field enclosure movement

 The Agricultural Revolution is the

process of commercializing farming.  It first began in 16th and 17th centuries in the Low Countries and spread across the channel to England by the 18th century  New crops (potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, clover, sunflowers) enriched the European diet and also provided ways to restore nitrates to the soil

 Better tools and innovations: iron plow,

seeding by drilling, crop rotation,  Use of such restorative crops and crop rotation eliminated the need for leaving land fallow.  About 1/3 more land was under cultivation as a result of ending the practice of leaving land fallow  Selective breeding of animals and crops reflected scientific and empirical approaches.

 Goal was to enclose the common fields that

traditionally were open to tenant farmers and laborers to graze their animals, gather firewood, and so on.  It began in the 17th century and was nearly complete a century later  Enclosure allowed landowners to experiment with new crops and new production techniques  The point was to produce crops for market rather than use  It resulted in an increase in the number of landless peasants and poor agricultural workers