The Portuguese Agriculture, 1703-1820: Extensive Growth and Market Expansion.
Chapter in: Dulce Freire and Pedro Lains (eds), An Agrarian History of Portugal, 1000-2000: Economic Development on the European Frontier. Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2017 (e-book 2016), pp. 132-171
30 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2017
Date Written: 2016
Abstract
The thesis sustained in this essay is that – while it is true that there were some crises, problems and blockages, and that development was by no means the same across all regions, sub-sectors and periods – Portuguese agriculture actually performed quite well in the 18th century, even when observed in a comparative European perspective. Extensive growth and an increasing market dependence were the two dominant aspects of that performance. These results can be explained, firstly, by a significant change in market conditions; secondly, by the ability of economic agents to adapt to new conditions; and thirdly by some effective economic policies. The market, the farmers and the government form the three sides of a triangle that proved to be reasonably virtuous for most of the period considered.
Keywords: Economic History, Early Modern History, Eighteenth Century History, Agriculture, Portugal (History)
JEL Classification: N00, N5, N53
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation