Agrarian labour and food production in a peripheral region Agricultural dynamics in the Anwerp Campine in the 'long' nineteenth century

摘要

This contribution examines the interaction between food supply, consumptive demand and agrarian labour in a peripheral rural area, the 19th century Antwerp Kempen. First the pattern of human consumption is traced, determining an "average" basic menu. Then, in a second part, the responses of the Kempen agricultural system to the changing consumer demands are studied. The focus is on labour input, both in crop growing and in stock breeding. Finally, the data on labour input are combined with agricultural yield and productivity figures. In the end, were the dynamics in 19th century Kempen agriculture not primarily internal rather than external ? Measuring agrarian labour and food production in a regional context permits the historian to observe the flexibility of rural income and survival strategies, especially in a period in which these strategies are subjected to growing pressure.