What were the agricultural improvements of the middle ages?

1st Answer None to speak of except crop rotation - the improvements in agrarian practice mainly came after the Middle Ages. The seed drill, mechanization, enclosure, fertilizer, drainage, selective breeding to name but a few. 2nd Answer But yes, I know there was some enclosure and drainage in the Middle Ages. 3rd AnswerImprovements in agriculture were among the most important things that happened in the Middle Ages. They increased agricultural production enormously, and made it possible for towns and cities to grow to the point that they had a far greater population than they had during the time of the Roman Empire.

Crop rotation was done in ancient times. The improvement was to go from a two field system to a three field system, increasing the amount of agricultural land in use by 37% from what it had been in ancient times.

The invention of the horse collar made it possible for horses to pull harder with less fatigue, which made it possible to till more land. It also made it possible for horses to pull newly invented heavy plows, which increased agricultural production.

Horse shoes were invented, and they prevented horses from getting hurt on stony land. This kept more horses in operation.

There were inventions that were useful beyond agriculture. The European style wheel barrow was one of these. Ancient Romans and people of the earliest part of the Middle Ages had hand barrows, which required two people to operate.

Wine presses were a medieval invention, and decreased the amount of labor needed for wine production.

Better agricultural tools were produced after the invention of the blast furnace in the 12th century, though I do not know if the improved steels were used for agriculture before the end of the Middle Ages.

Vertical windmills and mills powered by tidal action made it possible for millers to handle increased amounts of grain. The mills were also used to pump water, improving drainage and, in some places, reclaiming land from the sea.

Grinding wheels for sharpening tools were invented in the Middle Ages.

New spinning wheels and looms increased demand for linen fiber, providing new crops.

Other new crops were introduced by Arabs, but they were not inventions, of course.

Certain foods, such as caramel, were invented in the Middle Ages, and cane provided another new crop.

Distilled alcohol provided another new outlet for farm production, especially in Ireland and Scotland.

The inventions of new types of soaps meant new crops were raised for vegetable oils. And another use for oils was for paint, which was developed slowly from the eighth to fifteenth centuries.

There is a link below to the agriculture section of a Wikipedia article on Medieval Technology.