1,721,023 research outputs found
From the hungry 1840s to the dear 1850s : the case of Belgium's food price crisis, 1853–56
Full text linkThis paper investigates the 1853–56 food crisis in Europe. It argues that this was not a classic famine
triggered by a far-reaching decline in food availability. Instead, it was one of the first instances of a
‘food price crisis’ on an international scale: a crisis instigated by high prices obstructing access to food
for large parts of the population. This crisis stemmed from new forms of vulnerability resulting from
the internationalization of supply chains, the proletarianization of labour and the commercialization
of goods and services. As such, it mainly affected market-dependent urban populations. We conclude
by drawing parallels with the contemporary global food system
Alternance d’effets de ciseaux dans l'espace rural de la Flandre intérieure, xviiie-xixe siècle
No full textAlternance d’effets de ciseaux dans l'espace rural de la Flandre intérieure, XVIIIe-XIXe siècl
Seasonal patterns in food markets in North-West Europe around the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Transactions at periodic markets in France, England, and Belgium (1820-1850)
No full textThis article explores seasonal patterns in grain markets in England, France and Belgium between the 1820s and 1840s. More particularly, the magnitude and regularity of seasonal cycles are investigated for the trade in wheat, rye, oats, and barley. It is found that the grain trade followed a seasonal cycle in all the areas investigated. Usually, the volume traded was largest in the months following the harvest and smaller during spring and summer. The magnitude of these cycles tended to be larger in the English and smaller in the French areas considered, while the regularity of seasonal patterns was often more pronounced in the Paris basin. We explain these patterns by evoking technical constraints (availability of labour, labour-saving technology, demand by the processing industry, demand for fodder, storage
techniques, and the conditions for transport) as well as social and economic constraints (payment of rents, consumer preferences, and the degree of economic specialization)
Stocks, seasons and sales : food supply, storage and markets in Europe and the New World, c. 1600-2000
No full textNo abstract availabl
Les mercuriales du XIXe siècle : le contrôle et la surveillance des prix et de l’offre de grains en France et en Belgique, 1789-1914
No full textLes mercuriales des grains dans lesquelles étaient enregistrées les quantités et les prix des blés en France et en Belgique au xixe siècle constituent l’une des sources essentielles pour l’étude de l’intégration des marchés du blé durant cette période. Nous nous intéressons prioritairement au fonctionnement de l’administration dans les deux pays et aux buts qu’elle se fixait en collectant ces données. Nous examinons les méthodes parfois surprenantes qui étaient adoptées pour fixer les prix et le comportement des agents impliqués dans la collecte des prix. Nous étudions enfin le problème de la manipulation des prix. Nous concluons en nous interrogeant sur le rapport ambigu que les mercuriales entretiennent avec les marchés qu’elles prétendent décrire : la rédaction des mercuriales s’efforce d’être le reflet exact des échanges de produits agricoles, mais, dans le même temps, leur publication influe sur le commerce. On peut donc se demander si la production et la publication des mercuriales ne sont pas l’un des facteurs qui contribuent à l’intégration des marchés
From home food production to professional farming : the social and geographical continuum of urban agriculture : nineteenth-century Oudenaarde and Kortrijk, Belgium
Full text linkWe explore the geographical and social continuum of food production in and around towns in nineteenth-century Belgium. We do so by using household-level data for two Flemish towns, Oudenaarde and Kortrijk, which allow us to reconstruct variation in agricultural activities depending on the location and profession of the households. We find a sharp distinction between households living in the town cores and those living outside the agglomeration, as well as between those reporting agricultural and non-agricultural professions. Outside the town walls, production strategies differed little from the surrounding countryside. In contrast, the focus in the urban cores was on high-yielding vegetables and potatoes, and on specific livestock production. Only a small minority of ca. 10 per cent of urban households occupied agricultural land. Those who did were able to cover much of their subsistence needs for vegetables and potatoes, but not for cereals.We explore the geographical and social continuum of food production in and around towns in nineteenth-century Belgium. We do so by using household-level data for two Flemish towns, Oudenaarde and Kortrijk, which allow us to reconstruct variation in agricultural activities depending on the location and profession of the households. We find a sharp distinction between households living in the town cores and those living outside the agglomeration, as well as between those reporting agricultural and non-agricultural professions. Outside the town walls, production strategies differed little from the surrounding countryside. In contrast, the focus in the urban cores was on high-yielding vegetables and potatoes, and on specific livestock production. Only a small minority of ca. 10 per cent of urban households occupied agricultural land. Those who did were able to cover much of their subsistence needs for vegetables and potatoes, but not for cereals
Introduction : stocks, seasons and sales
No full textIntroduction to the volume: stocks, seasons and sales
A case study of corn sales:Harston Manor’s corn book 1823-42
Full text linkWe analyse the Corn Book from Harston Manor in Cambridgeshire, containing data on wheat sold from the harvests of 1823-42. Annual sales averaged 1000 Bushels. Wheat was sold throughout the year, necessitating considerable intra-year storage; almost a quarter of sales took place one year or more after harvest, generating significant inter-year storage (carryover). New and old wheat exhibit no systematic price differential. Most sales were to a single miller in Harston, leaving little rôle for corn merchants. Observed trades and prices are thus likely characterised by a strategic and cooperative relationship between farmer and miller, rather than a spot market
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