Why were new farming methods important to the Agricultural Revolution?

Can someone please tell me what exactly are "Traditional Farming Methods"?

• Is this farming without fertilizer, or with inorganic fertilizer? I've looked ALL over the internet, and not ONE site can tell me what traditional farming methods actually are ...show more

• Answer:

  traditional generally means the way it has always been done, which the previous poster covered pretty well. Reading the second paragraph of your question you seem to be getting at traditional vs organic. I've normally seen it in this sense referred to as conventional. Which in this case means using non-organic methods. This can include the use of commercial fertilizer, chemical pesticides, biotech seed, using antibiotics on livestock, etc. Organic producers are basically limited in fertilizer to using manure, compost, and plant material. The sprays they can use must be natural such as bacteria or vinegar. The seed selection must be bred naturally, and sick animals must either receive alternative treatments or be sold. In short traditional or conventional agriculture my use any legal technology to produce their crops and livestock, while organic is considered a niche where the crops and livestock may only be raised in a certain way in order to receive the certification to be sold as such. And yes all plants need nutrients to grow which usually means fertilizer (plant food) must be added to the soil for optimum growth. The soil does have some natural fertility, however to continue to grow any crop profitably you must ensure there are the necessary nutrients to support such growth.