The European Renaissance saw great changes in art, literature, education and even fashion. Another change came about in agriculture, which resulted in improved farming methods and increased crop yields. Farming during the Renaissance not only affected farmers, but also influenced cities, whose residents relied heavily on local food supplies for survival.
Changes in Agriculture
Thanks to the mild climate of most of Western Europe, successful farming experiments could easily be replicated in other areas, allowing agricultural advances to spread quickly. Two big changes that came about during the European Renaissance included the elimination of fallowing and the introduction of cross plowing. Fallowing was the practice of leaving a field unused for a season or more. Cross plowing, unlike plowing in parallel rows, plowed fields in perpendicular rows. This left more earth exposed for seeds and thus produced more food, or fodder for animals. In turn animals ate more, produced more manure, which was used to fertilize more land for crops. Alfalfa was used frequently for animal feed during this time. Known as Spanish grass, alfalfa contained nitrogen, which helped fertilize soil further. This cycle helped expand the availability of crops during the 16th Century.
Improved Farming Methods
Thanks to improved irrigation systems and new hydraulic machinery, land that was either too wet or too dry could now be farmed. This helped expand the amount of land for farmers, in turn producing more food for both animals and humans. During the 16th Century, especially in Italy, there was an increased look at farming and how to manage rural lands. Deforestation was already a problem in many areas and governments began to take action to preserve precious land for farming. Horticulturist Gabriel Alonso de Herrera published his Book of Agriculture in 1513, in which he insisted that regular supplies of water were more important than fertilizer for crops to grow. He based his observations on the advanced irrigation systems of Muslim farms in southern Spain.
Farms and Cities During the Renaissance
As cities grew during the Renaissance, the link between country farms and urban hubs became more and more important, since the farms provided all the food to the cities. Peasants grew food for their own consumption, rotating crops up to three times a year, depending on where they lived in Western Europe. Peasants working on large farms and estates also provided invaluable services repairing roads, delivering raw goods to markets and other day to day chores.
Agricultural Crops of the Renaissance
Just as it had been during the Middle Ages, grain was the mainstay crop for most farmers during the Renaissance. Wheat and rice were the most abundant grain crops. Thanks to new species of plants brought over from the Americans, there were many new crops grown on farms during the Renaissance included sweet potatoes and maize. Tobacco white potatoes were also grown, but only for medicinal purposes. Never for food. Tomatoes, also called love apples, were grown for ornamental gardens. They were believed to be poisonous and therefore never eaten.
The change from medieval farming techniques to the advanced methods of the Renaissance helped lay the foundation for modern farming methods that lasted well into the 19th century.
Sources:
Hart, Avery and Paul Mantell. Knights and Castles. Charlotte, VT: Williamson Publishing, 1998.
Sider, Sandra. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. New York: Facts on File, 2004.
Sonnefeld, Albert. Food: A Culinary History. New York: Columbia University, 1999.
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