Agricultural Improvements

Just before the Industrial Revolution, in the early 1700s, an agricultural revolution resulted in increased productivity. Crop rotation (rotating different crops in and out of a field each year) and the seed drill (a device that efficiently places seeds in a designated spot in the ground) both increased food production. Also, the introduction of the potato from South America contributed more calories to people’s diets. As nations industrialized, their populations grew because more food was available to more people. And because of improved medical care, infant mortality rates declined and people lived longer. With these demographic changes, more people were available to work in factories and to provide a market for manufactured goods.