The Industrial Revolution couldn’t have happened without the Agricultural Revolution that preceded and accompanied it, freeing up workers for industry.
In medieval times most of the population were farmers by necessity. In the UK, output per acre tripled and the proportion of the population in farming went from 60% to 20% in 1840. And the UK was still almost entirely self sufficient at this time, food imports only became substantial in the late 1800s.
Similar changes happened across Europe, though timing varied by country with the spread of industrialisation.
In medieval times most of the population were farmers by necessity. In the UK, output per acre tripled and the proportion of the population in farming went from 60% to 20% in 1840. And the UK was still almost entirely self sufficient at this time, food imports only became substantial in the late 1800s.
Similar changes happened across Europe, though timing varied by country with the spread of industrialisation.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Agricultural_Revolut...