> Middle Ages (c. 500–1500): 16 topics in the history of agriculture, from Qimin Yaoshu: agricultural knowledge in northern China to Coffee between Ethiopia and… Source: https://husfarm.com/history/era/middle-ages/ [Home](https://husfarm.com/)›[History of agriculture](https://husfarm.com/history/)›Middle Ages[All eras](https://husfarm.com/history/)[Prehistory](https://husfarm.com/history/era/prehistory/)[Antiquity](https://husfarm.com/history/era/antiquity/)[Middle Ages](https://husfarm.com/history/era/middle-ages/)[Early modern](https://husfarm.com/history/era/early-modern/)[Industrial era](https://husfarm.com/history/era/industrial-era/)c. 500–1500 # Agriculture in the Middle Ages Field systems, shared rules and new rotations that organised rural life in medieval Europe and beyond. 16 topics from c. 500–1500. Topics16 Time span540 CE – 1450 CE Regions5 Sources cited192 Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 19.164 · public domain ## In brief 16 topics from 540 CE to 1450 CE. Most of them come from Europe (6), Asia (5), Americas (3). The main subjects are land & water (6), trade & exchange (3), science & experiments (2). The earliest is Qimin Yaoshu: agricultural knowledge in northern China (c. 533–544 CE, Northern China); the most recent is Coffee between Ethiopia and Yemen (15th–17th centuries, Ethiopia and Yemen). [Prehistorybefore c. 3000 BCE13 topics](https://husfarm.com/history/era/prehistory/)[Antiquityc. 3000 BCE – 500 CE10 topics](https://husfarm.com/history/era/antiquity/)[Middle Agesc. 500–150016 topics](https://husfarm.com/history/era/middle-ages/)[Early modernc. 1500–18007 topics](https://husfarm.com/history/era/early-modern/)[Industrial erafrom c. 180054 topics](https://husfarm.com/history/era/industrial-era/) ## Topics in chronological order No topic matches your search. - [c. 533–544 CEMiddle AgesQimin Yaoshu: agricultural knowledge in northern ChinaSoil management, seed selection, livestock and processing in a major source for the history of Chinese farming. Northern ChinaScience & experiments7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/qimin-yaoshu-jia-sixie-chinese-agriculture/) - [Seventh century CEMiddle AgesTerra Preta: How Amazonian Communities Changed Their SoilsSettlement deposits, charcoal and organic inputs reveal how Amazonian communities created and used enduring fertile soils. Amazonia · BrazilLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/amazonian-dark-earth-terra-preta-agricultural-history/) - [8th–9th centuriesMiddle AgesTea in Tang China: From Cultivated Shrubs to a Taxed CommodityLeaf processing, monasteries, merchants and state taxation connected tea-growing households with urban culture in Tang China. Southern ChinaTrade & exchange7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/tea-tang-china-lu-yu-cultivation-trade-tax/) - [9th–11th centuriesMiddle AgesThree-field farming in medieval EuropeWinter crops, spring crops and fallow form a rotation that reshapes field organisation and the working year. Medieval EuropeLand & water5 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/three-field-system-medieval-agriculture/) - [Ninth–fifteenth centuriesMiddle AgesAngkor: Khmer Water Management and Agricultural LandscapesReservoirs and canals connected fields, settlements and temples. Their history encompasses labour, monsoon variability and gradual regional transformation. Angkor · CambodiaLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/angkor-water-management-rice-agriculture/) - [c. 900–1521Middle AgesChinampas in the Basin of Mexico: farming between fields and canalsThe history of fixed raised fields linking food production with water transport and the transformation of wetlands. Xochimilco · Basin of MexicoLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/chinampas-xochimilco-farming-history/) - [c. AD 985–15th centuryMiddle AgesNorse farms in GreenlandHusbandry and hunting formed an integrated provisioning system; settlement decline reflects overlapping pressures rather than a simple failure to adapt. Southern GreenlandEnvironment & crises6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/norse-greenland-farming-hay-livestock/) - [1012Middle AgesChampa rice and Song agricultural changeDisseminating planting material widened farmers’ options; outcomes depended on water, labour and local cropping calendars. Fujian · ChinaTechnology & breeding6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/champa-rice-song-agriculture-1012/) - [9th–11th centuriesMiddle AgesBali’s Subak: A Millennium of Cooperation over Water and RiceCanals, temples and farmers’ agreements formed a system in which water allocation depended on cooperation extending beyond a single field. Bali · IndonesiaLand & water7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/bali-subak-history-irrigation-rice-water-temples/) - [11th–12th centuriesMiddle AgesAgronomy in al-Andalus: Ibn al-Awwam and agricultural knowledgeTreatises, gardens and canals: medieval agricultural knowledge and the limits of historical reconstruction. Toledo and Seville · al-AndalusScience & experiments6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/al-andalus-agronomy-ibn-al-awwam/) - [12th–13th centuriesMiddle AgesCistercian Granges: How Monasteries Organised Farming EstatesCistercian houses linked fields, pastures, mills and resource rights into networks of farms. Organisation, diverse labour and market connections underpinned their economy. Yorkshire · EnglandLand & water6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/cistercian-granges-fountains-monastic-farming-estates/) - [1273–1836Middle AgesThe Mesta: Castilian flocks, roads and privilegesA livestock corporation connecting seasonal grazing grounds, protected drove roads and international wool markets. Castile · SpainSociety & land7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/mesta-1273-castilian-transhumance/) - [Twelfth–fourteenth centuriesMiddle AgesMedieval English Wool: Sheep, Monasteries and TradeSheep farming connected rural work with textile markets, merchant credit and royal revenue. The year 1275 marks an important stage in export taxation. Yorkshire · EnglandTrade & exchange7 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/medieval-english-wool-sheep-trade-1275/) - [From the thirteenth centuryMiddle AgesKūmara in Aotearoa: Māori Gardens and Winter ReservesMāori adapted Polynesian crops to a seasonal climate through soil modification, storage and detailed knowledge of local environments. Aotearoa · New ZealandTrade & exchange6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/kumara-aotearoa-maori-horticulture-storage-history/) - [1315–1317Middle AgesThe Great Famine of 1315–1317: Rain, Grain and Vulnerable FarmsHarvest failures exposed the dependence of farms on weather, reserves, prices and access to land. Warfare and a subsequent cattle epidemic deepened several regional crises. Northern EuropeEnvironment & crises6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/great-famine-1315-1317-europe-agriculture/) - [15th–17th centuriesMiddle AgesCoffee between Ethiopia and YemenArabica’s African origins, Yemen’s mountain farms and commerce through Red Sea ports together shaped the early coffee economy. Ethiopia and YemenCrop exchange6 min read](https://husfarm.com/history/coffee-ethiopia-yemen-cultivation-history/) ## Where it happened [24Northern China](https://husfarm.com/history/qimin-yaoshu-jia-sixie-chinese-agriculture/)[25Amazonia · Brazil](https://husfarm.com/history/amazonian-dark-earth-terra-preta-agricultural-history/)[26Southern China](https://husfarm.com/history/tea-tang-china-lu-yu-cultivation-trade-tax/)[26Southern China](https://husfarm.com/history/tea-tang-china-lu-yu-cultivation-trade-tax/)[27Medieval Europe](https://husfarm.com/history/three-field-system-medieval-agriculture/)[28Angkor · Cambodia](https://husfarm.com/history/angkor-water-management-rice-agriculture/)[29Xochimilco · Basin of Mexico](https://husfarm.com/history/chinampas-xochimilco-farming-history/)[30Southern Greenland](https://husfarm.com/history/norse-greenland-farming-hay-livestock/)[31Fujian · China](https://husfarm.com/history/champa-rice-song-agriculture-1012/)[32Bali · Indonesia](https://husfarm.com/history/bali-subak-history-irrigation-rice-water-temples/)[33Toledo and Seville · al-Andalus](https://husfarm.com/history/al-andalus-agronomy-ibn-al-awwam/)[33Toledo and Seville · al-Andalus](https://husfarm.com/history/al-andalus-agronomy-ibn-al-awwam/)[34Yorkshire · England](https://husfarm.com/history/cistercian-granges-fountains-monastic-farming-estates/)[35Castile · Spain](https://husfarm.com/history/mesta-1273-castilian-transhumance/)[36Yorkshire · England](https://husfarm.com/history/medieval-english-wool-sheep-trade-1275/)[37Aotearoa · New Zealand](https://husfarm.com/history/kumara-aotearoa-maori-horticulture-storage-history/)[38Northern Europe](https://husfarm.com/history/great-famine-1315-1317-europe-agriculture/)[38Northern Europe](https://husfarm.com/history/great-famine-1315-1317-europe-agriculture/)[39Ethiopia and Yemen](https://husfarm.com/history/coffee-ethiopia-yemen-cultivation-history/)[39Ethiopia and Yemen](https://husfarm.com/history/coffee-ethiopia-yemen-cultivation-history/) Points mark approximate areas, not exact sites or the borders of ancient cultures. Base map: Natural Earth, public domain. ## Browse by era [Prehistory 13](https://husfarm.com/history/era/prehistory/)[Antiquity 10](https://husfarm.com/history/era/antiquity/)[Middle Ages 16](https://husfarm.com/history/era/middle-ages/)[Early modern 7](https://husfarm.com/history/era/early-modern/)[Industrial era 54](https://husfarm.com/history/era/industrial-era/) ## Browse by region [Asia 20](https://husfarm.com/history/region/asia/)[Europe 34](https://husfarm.com/history/region/europe/)[Americas 29](https://husfarm.com/history/region/americas/)[Africa 5](https://husfarm.com/history/region/africa/)[Oceania 4](https://husfarm.com/history/region/oceania/)[Intercontinental 8](https://husfarm.com/history/region/global/) ## Browse by subject [Domestication & settlement 11](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/domestication/)[Land & water 17](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/land-and-water/)[Food processing 3](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/food-processing/)[Technology & breeding 15](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/technology-breeding/)[Science & experiments 16](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/science-and-experiments/)[Trade & exchange 9](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/trade-and-exchange/)[Environment & crises 11](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/environment-and-crises/)[Society & land 16](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/society-and-land/)[Crop exchange 2](https://husfarm.com/history/topic/crop-exchange/) ## Questions and answers ### Which is the earliest topic in this era? Qimin Yaoshu: agricultural knowledge in northern China: c. 533–544 CE · conventionally c. 540, Northern China · the Yellow River plains. ### Which is the most recent? Coffee between Ethiopia and Yemen: 15th–17th centuries · cultivation, drinking and trade, Ethiopia and Yemen · Red Sea trading routes. ### Which regions are covered? Europe (6), Asia (5), Americas (3), Oceania (1), Intercontinental (1). ### Which subjects are covered? Land & water (6), Trade & exchange (3), Science & experiments (2), Environment & crises (2), Technology & breeding (1), Society & land (1), Crop exchange (1). ## Agriculture today on Husfarm From history to the present: prices, shows and the companies that shape farming now. 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