Introduction
A society is a group of people living with a given geographical confine and sharing the same culture. Political institutions and commonality in ideas also form the larger framework of the concept of society. Societies have been described in terms of their technological abilities. Some societies command greater control of their environment whereas others rely on the changes of the environment. The later characterizes preindustrial society. These are societies that were small in size and earned their livelihood from immediate resources in the environment through farming. This paper will therefore discuss societal farming in the preindustrial era and proceed to offer a comparison with its industrial and post industrial counterpart (Cavaciocchi 471).
The earliest effort by man to sustain himself in preindustrial Europe was through hunting and gathering. The hunting and gathering communities depended solely on the environment for their consumption needs. The groups were tribal and based on kinship ties. Their main occupation consisted of hunting wild animals and picking wild fruits and plants to fend for them. This meant that once a particular area had been exhausted they moved to a different location that was unexploited. They were hence nomadic in nature. The evident rise in population across Europe however meant they had to find alternatives since they had exhausted the naturally growing plants and fruits. Examples of the hunter gatherer communities are the “aborigines” of Australia and the “bambuti” of the democratic republic of Congo (Cavaciocchi 475).
The rapid changes in the environmental conditions drove man to invent new means of survival. The hunter-gatherer societies evolved into the pastoral societies. The pastoralists were able to domesticate and breed animals for food and transportation. The cattle for example were a very important animal for the pre industrial society because of its versatility in terms of uses. Evidence shows that of the animals that were kept cattle formed the largest percentage. Apart from milk, meat and skin, cattle also provided manure for the farms which improved agricultural produce. The pastoral communities also moved around with their livestock in search of pasture (Pryor 170).
Horticultural societies also emerged in the advent of the pastoralist society. They were similar to the pastoralists except that they never moved from place to place. They traditionally settled in areas that had frequent rain and favorable conditions for stable agriculture. This means they also depended on the environment for survival. They therefore established permanent settlements in environmentally suitable areas. This stability meant production of more goods and food. This formed the basis for the revolution in the way the preindustrial man provided for himself (Pryor 171).
The next society that emerged was the agrarian society. This happed after a notable improvement in farming technology. The process was referred to as the “agrarian revolution”. This period was marked by the invention of tools for farming particularly the plough and other digging and cutting tools. The ploughs were used with animals to cultivate land. Farming became profitable because of the ability to produce in large scale. Crops were also rotated and fertilizers used. This improved yields and subsequently cities sprung up from market centers where trading in farm produce took place. The invention of tools was accompanied by craftsmanship and production of leisure objects and artistic work. This further led to the advent political organization and bureaucracy. Social stratification was also witnessed as people competed to control the arable land. There was also a growing need to preserve the resources for future use (Grigg 37).
During the agrarian revolution, land was fenced as a way to control it. The tools that were invented included the seed drill which enabled planting of corn uniformly. The threshing machine was also created to help in the separation of corn from stalks. Steam power was also used in plowing. Crop rotation and improved drainage was also observed. The cumulative effect of the technology was that more was produced at a cheaper cost. Less labor was used and this meant that the excess labor could be used elsewhere. This led to specialization a factor that would later contribute to industrial revolution (Pryor 178).
Feudal societies were later formed. In this system land was owned by a select few known as the lords. The land was cultivated by peasants who represented the lower class in exchange for little food and a place to stay. The resources were inherited down family lines. This means that one could be a peasant for the rest of his life if his parents were peasants. Similarly if one was born in the family of lords, he remained in that social class for life. The feudal society would later give way to capitalism (Grigg 30).
In the preindustrial era, farming was not a unique concept. It was part and parcel of the socio-economic framework. The agrarian revolution however led to specialization and division of labor. The horticultural and hunter gatherer societies had no specialization because the production was mainly for immediate consumption. Only food crops were cultivated during this period. During the agrarian revolution, other commodities like linen and wool were also produced. This venture into non-food crops and commodities was fuelled by the existence of relatively advanced transport and market system (Grigg 32).
Land and labor formed the backbone of preindustrial agricultural activities. There was need to control labor and benefit from it since it was established that the more labor applied on land the more the output. This led to the emergence of serfdom. However it reached a point where an addition of labor to a given land did not yield additional output. This meant that diminishing marginal return on labor had set in. this problem could be solved by advancing the agricultural technology (Grigg 36).
The agrarian revolution had both positive and negative impacts. Better land use was noted and land was owned by individuals. There was increased food production due to the improved farming methods. The land owners become more powerful in the society. Finally it improved the economy and development of cities and this set the stage for the industrial revolution. On the negative front, peasants became poorer because they could not afford to buy land. They subsequently experienced poor health and most of their children died young (Grigg 40).
A comparison of pre industrial society and industrial society reveals that in the later labor was engaged extensively in the farming activities. However due to lack of advanced technology, the production was low and since the population was growing rapidly, there was underemployment. The food was primarily produced for subsistence as opposed to the industrial era where production was in mass to be sold (Bell 125).
Pre industrial farming was characterized by use of physical strength whereas in industrial era, mechanical energy was used. The later consisted of high levels of specialization of labor and sophistication in technology. Machines replaced manual labor leading to unemployment. This is contrary to preindustrial era that experienced an upsurge in underemployment. The industrial era is concerned with the concepts of maximization and optimization in production. The industrial era has faced challenges stemming from the bureaucratic nature of governments and individualism of capitalism. These setbacks have compromised the quality of life in the industrial era (Bell 126).
The post industrial society is based on person to person relationship. It entails services that are offered by man to fellow men. Contrary to preindustrial times which were based on muscle strength, it is based on information. The main focus here is skill which is acquired through education and training. In the post industrial era, the quality of life is measured in terms of the services offered. Health care and education are viewed as the most important. This is because education provides the skill whereas health keeps the population active and able to offer their skills. The annihilation of disease and increase in life expectancy is the primary goal in the post industrial era (Bell 126).
Conclusion
It is evident that farming has greatly evolved from the preindustrial time to date. The history of human food production is epitomized by the agrarian revolution. This is because the event marked the beginning of new production techniques and gave way to industrial revolution which is responsible for the current capitalist society which exists today. Since the present is shaped by the past, anyone yearning to understand farming today should start by laboriously studying the farming in the preindustrial period (Crone 190).
Works cited
Bell, Daniel. The Coming Of Post-industrial Society. New York: Basic Books, 2008.print
Cavaciocchi, Simonetta. Economic and Biological Interaction in Pre-Industrial Europe from the 13TH to the 18Th centruries: Firenze University Press, 2010. Print.
Crone, Patricia. Pre-industrial Societies. Oxford, UK: B. Blackwell, 1989. Print.
Grigg, D. B. Population Growth and Agrarian change: A Historical perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980.
Pryor, Frederic L. Economic Systems of Foraging, Agricultural, and Industrial Societies. Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 2005. Print.
