Which period featured major advances in farming techniques in the 18th century, including crop rotation and selective breeding?

• A. Green Revolution
• B. Commercial Agriculture
• C. Food Security
• D. British Agricultural Revolution

Answer: (D)

The period in which farming saw major advances in techniques during the 18th century is the British Agricultural Revolution. This era brought systematic changes that boosted productivity, such as a four-field crop rotation that replaced wasteful fallowing with a sequence like crops, legumes, and grasses. This rotation kept soils fertile, reduced idle land, and supported larger harvests. The inclusion of crops like turnips and clover improved soil fertility and provided feed for larger livestock, which further increased overall farm output. Innovations also arrived in farming tools and methods, such as the seed drill, which improved planting efficiency, and improvements in livestock breeding, where selective breeding produced more productive animals. Together, these developments transformed agriculture in Britain and supported growing urban and industrial demand. The other options refer to different contexts or periods: the Green Revolution is a 20th-century movement focused on high-yield varieties; Commercial Agriculture is a broad practice rather than a specific historical period; Food Security is a policy objective, not a historical period of farming technique development.