History
The Three-Field Crop Rotation System in Medieval Agriculture
Quick fact
The three-field system could increase crop yields by as much as 50% compared to the older two-field system, simply by changing which fields were planted each year.
Why this is interesting
If you lived in the Middle Ages, you’d probably eat a lot of potatoes—but they didn’t exist yet. So how did farmers feed everyone without modern technology? The surprising answer involves a clever agricultural trick that changed history.