Arroz - History Lab

Evolution between Andalusian and feudal hydraulics in Valencia, 8th-18th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

Obtaining water for cultivation has always been one of the social and economic concerns of farmers. From the late medieval water systems to the end of the Ancien Régime, the techniques and forms of irrigated agriculture evolved fruitfully. The resource shows the evolution of “Andalusian” and “feudal” approaches, giving them a distinct chronological space for both (13th-13th centuries for the former, and 13th-18th centuries for the latter). It was not only technological progress that had an influence; also the administration of irrigated land, the morphology of the market gardens, the mechanical priorities, the social use of water and hydraulic management favoured the development of the extension of irrigated cultivation in the Valencian countryside. With the increase and improvement of soil irrigation, horticultural crops and Valencian rice were able to expand.

The post Evolution between Andalusian and feudal hydraulics in Valencia, 8th-18th centuries first appeared on History Lab.

Evolution of the irrigated surface area in the Kingdom of Valencia, 13th-19th centuries

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:46 +0000

During the Modern Age, the Kingdom of Valencia experienced strong agricultural growth. Agricultural intensification was a more important technique than the mere increase in the cultivated area. It was based on the expansion of irrigation and, consequently, crop substitution. Fallow land was eliminated and a combination of tree crops on the margins of plots and cereal and vegetable rotations were introduced. In short, the area under irrigation increased threefold during the Ancien Régime. Of the Valencian areas, the Ribera del Júcar grew from 1,250 hectares in the 13th century to 29,900 hectares in the 19th century. The reason for this was the greater technical complexity: the rickety and disjointed irrigation system of the first half of the 13th century was replaced by the construction of irrigation channels in the second half of the century, which allowed the irrigated area to increase, formulas which continued to be applied during the beginning of the Valencian modernity and which were subsequently increased in both capacity and extension, leading to a strong irrigation culture. With this improvement in the system, the crop that required a large amount of water was increased: Valencian rice.

The post Evolution of the irrigated surface area in the Kingdom of Valencia, 13th-19th centuries first appeared on History Lab.

Rice prices in Valencia, according to the mercantile correspondence of the delegates in the city of the Tuscan company of Francesco di Marco Datini (1393-1395)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:27 +0000

The Valencian rice product has enjoyed great international popularity. Its commercialisation was an important source of income for the fields of Valencia and surrounding areas, as well as for traders. The value of the product for the economy meant that special attention was paid to its commercialisation, establishing the supply routes to the Valencian centre, although not intervening in the regulation of prices. However, despite the general stability of food and industrial prices, and the aforementioned attention to supply, between 1395 and 1398 there was a downward trend in the price of rice. What could be the reasons for this? Variable demand, heavily influenced by the purchases of foreign merchants and a lack of political intervention caused the price of rice to fall in sueldos (Valencian modena) per load of rice. The causes also include the possibility of an abundant harvest that increased supply in the face of variable demand, causing prices to fall; likewise, marketing negotiations could have an influence (even more so among foreign merchants whose international destinations could be immersed in local crises). These dynamics were maintained at the dawn of modernity throughout the 15th century.

The post Rice prices in Valencia, according to the mercantile correspondence of the delegates in the city of the Tuscan company of Francesco di Marco Datini (1393-1395) first appeared on History Lab.