A period of a few hundred years that saw the mechanization of agriculture, leading to increased crop yields and the worldwide diffusion of once-isolated crops. Occurred primarily during the 18th and 19th Century

The spread of new crops and agricultural techniques that accompanied the rise of the Arab world across Mesopotamia and North Africa. Approximately the 8th to the 13th Century

The prehistoric transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture. Earliest records date this period to approximately 10,000 BC

Also known as the "Green Revolution;" occurred during the latter half of the 20th Century and saw an increase in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Characterized by high yield crops and various environmental consequences

the diffusion of diverse agricultural products through globalization

agricultural labor performed by complex tools and machines

a large work force made up primarily of slaves and indentured servants

agricultural products developed with the assistance of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

increased productivity and reduced the need for human labor

increased the importation of slaves to North America

established the United States as the world's largest exporter of agricultural products

introduced new crops to Mesopotamia

Henry Ford

John Deere

Jethro Tull

Cyrus McCormick

Thomas Malthus

Walter Chrysler

reduced the time needed for farmers to plant their crops

reduced the time needed for farmers to harvest their crops

led to the worldwide diffusion of horses

reduced the importation of slaves to North America

Henry Ford

Walter Chrysler

Thomas Malthus

Jethro Tull

Cyrus McCormick

John Deere

increased the cost of manual farm laborers

established the United States as the world's largest exporter of agricultural products

gave farmers located in the interior of the continent easy access to port cities and trading hubs

replaced several different types of mechanized farming tools

easier access to distant markets

decreased the need for manual labor

increased crop yields

led to the development of refrigeration technology

Ontario

Quebec

Ohio

New York

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Northern and Western Europe

Caribbean

Southeast Asia

North America

Central Asia

Eastern Europe

unknown environmental effects and mass unemployment of farm labor, but dramatically increased crop yields and protection against insects

decreases the price of cash crops such as coffee and tobacco, but often comes from countries that lack fair labor standards

low crop yields but is fairly cheap

high crop yields but is very expensive

North Africa

Northern Europe

Mesopotamia

Southeast Asia

East Asia

North America

Middle East in the 1200s

Northern Europe in the mid 1800s

North America in the mid 1800s

The Caribbean in the late 1700s and early 1800s

Southeast Asia in the late 1700s

better diet led to an increase in the birth rate

better diet led to healthier people who work longer and better support a family

better diets led to longer life expectancy

increased food production led to fewer territorial conflicts, which resulted in fewer deaths

decrease in subsistence farming

increase in the total amount of farms

decrease in the trans-Atlantic slave trade

raised the price of mechanized agricultural equipment

increased the role of women in the agricultural labor force

provided avenues for social equality

led to increased participation in the political process

took their jobs

sheep

cheese

cattle

poultry

butter

milk

It added iron to the soil; iron was important to growing strong plants and increasing agricultural productivity

It increased a farmer's grain yields by a multiple of at least 10

It eliminated the need for the farmer to walk behind his horses, which pulled the farm equipment

It was instrumental in adding efficiencies and decreasing waste when farmers planted their crops

It increased efficiency by helping farmers prepare large fields for planting grain crops

Farm output increased because women expanded their cheesemaking to sell at regional markets instead of local markets

There was a sharp increase in garden plots, allowing subsistence farmers to compete with cash crop farmers at open markets

There was a decrease in farm output because of severe droughts that caused farmers to lose their farms

Crop diversity declined because farmers focused on growing grain crops to sell for cash rather than garden crops for the farm family

Large farm owners changed the farm output from production of food for off-farm sales to food production for family use only

Applying herbicide to the weeds

Planting seeds

Spreading fertilizer

Harvesting the crop

Plowing the ground

Subsistence farmers moved from producing for the farm family to producing for a regional market

Population in urban areas decreased when people moved to rural areas and bought farms

Farmers hired immigrant laborers to plant the fields and harvest the grain

Farmers moved out of the village and bought new farms closer to urban areas

Industrialized countries purchased surplus food from economically less developed countries

Farmers turned from cooperation between farms to competition for markets

Government subsidies provided for a university education for all members of a farm family

The size of farm families increased, and taxes were raised to provide more schools

Farm products were more diversified and sold for high profits at farmers' markets

Farm women increased sales of farm products, such as eggs and cheese, to the local market

The developments associated with the Second Agricultural Revolution were applicable only to farmers growing grain in temperate regions of the world.

Although new farm machines were developed during the Second Agricultural Revolution, many farmers continued to practice agriculture in traditional ways because of cultural taboos associated with the adoption of modern farming techniques.

The mechanization of farming in the Second Agricultural Revolution resulted in more reliable crop harvests and healthier populations in areas where the mechanization was adopted.

During the Second Agricultural Revolution, many farmers continued to use traditional farming techniques that were more suited to the tropical environments they lived in.

The introduction of machines during the Second Agricultural Revolution resulted in many farmers being pushed off their land, leading to famine and starvation in the countryside.

Innovations such as crop rotations and hybrid selection, facilitated by the technology shown in the images, made agriculture productive enough to support the growth of urban centers and led to the creation of modern civilization.

Genetically modified crops and ever-increasing levels of mechanization, as shown in the images, drove productivity up and made hunger a thing of the past.

The adaptation of newly introduced crops such as potatoes and corn from the New World, which were planted and harvested using the technology shown in the images, made European farms more productive, which led to better diets, longer life expectancies, and more people available for work in factories.

Technological innovations, such as the devices shown in the images, and increased agricultural productivity led to better diets, longer life expectancies, and more people available for work in factories.

The Second Agricultural Revolution is ongoing, as engineers continue to improve agricultural machinery and scientists search for crops adapted to the drier, warmer climates predicted for the coming decades.

An increase in chemical farming practices let to more food being produced by farmers and then processed in factories

The mechanization of farm work allowed many young people to migrate and join a growing urban industrial workforce

The domestication of plants and animals allowed for factory farming practices where workers made the first canned foods

The creation of sedentary societies, where farm work was done completely by machine, resulted in permanent settlements in town and cities

An increase in the rural farming workforce lead to higher farm productivity, which resulted in more food for urban industrial workers