Agriculture: Engineering and

Technology

From the Middle Ages to Now

Review

What is technology?

What is engineering?

Technology is almost anything created to solve a problem or meet a need. It can be a thing, system or process.

Engineering is the use of creativity to design something to solve a problem.

What is agriculture?

The term agriculture is generally used to describe the science or the practice of growing plants and animals for food and other products.

So what is an agricultural engineer?

Did they have agricultural engineers during the Middle Ages?

Agricultural Engineers . . . • They design, manage and develop systems and equipment that

produce, package and distribute the world's food supply.

• They develop equipment and techniques that preserve and protect our natural resources.

• Their activities range: 1. from aquaculture (raising food, such as fish, that thrive in water)

to land farming and forestry2. from developing bio-fuels to improving conservation of resources3. from planning animal environments to finding better ways to

process food.

Let’s looks at 10 improvements or inventions. How did these changes improve

life for people living during the Middle Ages?

Crop Rotation• The improvement was to go from a two field system to a three

field system.• Crop rotation means growing different things in your fields

each year. • Farmers rotate the crops so that the plants don't use up all of

the nutrients from the soil.

http://mg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sary:Crop_Rotation.gif

The Horse Collar • Made it possible for horses to pull harder and longer.• Made it possible for the horse to pull newly invented heavier

plows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harness_(PSF).png

Tandem Harnessing

• Connecting more than one work animal meant that more work could be done.

Courtesy of: http://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/00-app1/rthdbike.htm

Horseshoes

Protected the horse’s hooves.

Courtesy of: Microsoft Clip Art

Wheelbarrow• Improvements to the wheelbarrow meant more work could

be done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Modeles_brouettes.jpg

More Efficient Wine Press

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:29-autunno,Taccuino_Sanitatis,_Casanatense_4182..jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wine_press_from_16th_century.jpg

Method before . . . Method after . . .

Grinding Wheels • Used to sharpen metal tools and other metal objects.

Courtesy of: http://www.larsdatter.com/grindstone.htm

Spinning Wheel• The Great or Jersey wheel was invented in 1350, and was the

first improvement to cotton spinning.

Courtesdy of: http://www.newyorkcarver.com/inventions3.htm

Pick 3 . . .

Pick three of these technologies. For each of your choices, tell how the new technology affected or improved life in the Middle Ages.

Technology Effect on Medieval Life

1.

2.

3.

Now the BIG Question . . .

What do you think was the effect of new technology on Medieval Europe?

Farming Now . . .

Agriculture and Water: A Case Study of Villwock Farms

Watch this video on modern farming in the United States.

As you watch, keep a list of the “technology” you see in the video.

Geography Teaching with the Stars: (http://www.geoteach.org/teacher_resources/agriculture_and_water/index.php