August '24

In the year 1245, the population of England was about four-and-a-quarter million. Exactly five centuries later, it grew by about one and a half million, which translates to a growth of six per cent per century. The following hundred years tripled the population, to sixteen million.

The sickle was truly the hero of the late Middle Ages. It was enough to extend the blade and handle to create a scythe – a tool that multiplied the efficiency of a sickle.

That is why most of the British kingdom transitioned from sickles to scythes in the seventeenth century, increasing agricultural yield. Why the sickle later became so popular with the comrades of the 19th and early 20th century still eludes us.

This increase in diversity was the greatest factor fuelling the yield of the August harvest. Just as a black sock would quickly bore the human eye, so would constantly harvesting the same crops. Luckily, nature bestowed upon us a broad selection of produce. Replacing a boring monoculture with a thought-out mix of various plants and crops will introduce eye-catching diversity and improve the health of the ecosystem.