Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World: The Diffusion of Crops and Farming Techniques, 700-1100 (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization) [Hardcover]

Andrew M. Watson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 052124711X | ISBN-13: 978-0521247115 | Publication Date: December 30, 1983

This study describes and explains the revolutionary changes which transformed the agricultural life of the Islamicized world in the four centuries following the early Arab conquests. Professor Watson discusses eighteen crops - from sorghum and rye to the watermelon - which spread through the Near East and North Africa during this period. Their origins, diffusion and uses are reviewed. The book investigates the mechanics of diffusion, the routes by which plants spread, and the processes by which they were acclimatized in their new environment. The social and economic history of agriculture in the medieval Islamic world is assessed in a review of wide importance. Professor Watson sets out to refute the view that the early Islamic period was one of agricultural decline in the Near East. He shows that, in contrast to the late Roman and Sasanian periods, it was a time of agricultural and demographic expansion. Agricultural innovation in the early Islamic world will be of interest to economic, social and agricultural historians and to those concerned with Islam and its effect on Africa and Asia.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This study describes and explains the revolutionary changes which transformed the agricultural life of the Islamicized world in the four centuries following the early Arab conquests. Professor Watson discusses eighteen crops - from sorghum and rye to the watermelon - which spread through the Near East and North Africa during this period.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 30, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052124711X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521247115
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,920,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Islamic Exchange, January 11, 2004

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Chimonsho (Turtle Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World: The Diffusion of Crops and Farming Techniques, 700-1100 (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization) (Hardcover)

This is a book-length version of Andrew Watson's groundbreaking 1974 Journal of Economic History article. There he noted a fundamental transformation preceding "The Columbian Exchange" described by Alfred Crosby. Islam unified much of the Middle East and Asia, enabling the transfer of valuable plants and farming techniques within the Muslim world. Some crops, such as sorghum from Africa, traveled farther east. But many others came west to enrich the diets and economies of the Mediterranean, Europe and ultimately the Americas several centuries later. These included most citrus fruits, mangos, Asiatic rice and especially cotton and sugar cane, which both led to major changes in economy, population distribution and vegetation cover. Knowledge and technology transfer included a variety of sophisticated irrigation methods and new forms of land tenure. Watson's article deftly outlined the process; the book is not a complete transition to the fuller genre and resembles an extended essay, but adds detail in cataloging crops and techniques. What he first called "the Arab agricultural revolution" is more properly dubbed Islamic here, since many non-Arabs contributed to the innovations. Overall, Watson identifies a crucial development in world history that is still neglected---perhaps because the book was not in print very long.