Until the second half of the 19th century, agriculture in Ireland was barely mechanised. As a result, the increase in yields associated with this process was unable to remedy the catastrophe of the Great Famine. It was only when the rural population was bled dry by starvation and emigration that the mechanisation of agriculture was… Continue reading Agricultural Engineering with Irish Roots
Blogs
Agricultural Museums: Essential Respondents to a Global Challenge
AIMA Secretary General’s Message by Debra A. Reid Agricultural museums are well positioned to draw attention to a current threat to survival – Global Warming. These museums actually span the spectrum from helping the public understand how agriculture can support life and how agriculture can threaten it. The cultivation of crops such as cotton, linen,… Continue reading Agricultural Museums: Essential Respondents to a Global Challenge
From Garden Cities to Industrial Canteens
Feeding the European New Towns between 1920 and 1960 Dr. Albena Shkodrova, Institute for Social Movements – Ruhr University of Bochum As the twentieth century advanced through waves of food shortages, which were brought upon by World Wars and economic crises, European states increasingly focused on modernizing food production, trade and consumption. The concept of… Continue reading From Garden Cities to Industrial Canteens
The Austrian Agricultural Museum (ÖLM) Europaschloss Leiben
The market town of Leiben founded the museum in 1991, two years after purchasing the castle from the Austrian Forest Authority. The founding act itself created a museum, but the people and associations in the background bring it to life. On four floors, visitors will learn a lot about agriculture and agricultural machinery. The major… Continue reading The Austrian Agricultural Museum (ÖLM) Europaschloss Leiben
Report on CIMA 2023, AIMA’s first congress in India.
AIMA is pleased to share the rich content of CIMA 2023, the first Congress held in India. Attendees saw the rich and varied landscape of northeast India as they traveled by train and bus between two host institutions – 13-15 October 2023 at Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences (near Solan, Himanchal Pradesh) and… Continue reading Report on CIMA 2023, AIMA’s first congress in India.
Draft Animal Conformation
A Veterinarian’s Viewpoint. by Barbara Corson Of all the many tools that have shaped human cultures, harnessing* systems for domestic animals are among the most important. (*Note: Some people differentiate between harness and yokes, but in this article, harness is used in the sense of capturing or transmitting power, as one would “harness the energy… Continue reading Draft Animal Conformation
Risen from the Ruins with All-Wheel Drive – The Jeep in Agriculture
by Albert Kühnstetter The jeep in agricultural engineering after World War 2 – developments derived from it. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, and in the weeks and months that followed, many Jeeps landed on the European continent. The Jeep was the prototype of the off-road vehicle par excellence – a comparatively high speed on the… Continue reading Risen from the Ruins with All-Wheel Drive – The Jeep in Agriculture
Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future
Virtual Conference 8-9 May 2021. “Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future” was piloted by AIMA President, Claus Kropp, now taking up the challenge of a world-wide effort to bring together draft animals users. The congress was virtual, and hosted by Lauresham Laboratory for Experimental Archaeology at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kloster… Continue reading Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future
Jackstock Mules – a Presidential “Stomp” of Approval
Spotlight on Local Breeds This is the first in a series of articles contributed by Jeannette Beranger, of the Livestock Conservancy During the history of the development of livestock breeds in America, not many can claim its origin began with the vision of an American President. The American Mammoth Jackstock is one such breed. It… Continue reading Jackstock Mules – a Presidential “Stomp” of Approval
The Vallus, a 2000-year-old Gallo-Roman Harvesting Machine
Malagne, the Archeoparc of Rochefort, in Belgium (between Brussels and Luxemburg city), is an interpretation centre for rural Gallo-Roman civilization especially designed to highlight an important villa active in the early centuries of the Christian era in Northern Gaul. Malagne’s special mission is heritage protection, scientific research and mediation of this listed site and archaeological… Continue reading The Vallus, a 2000-year-old Gallo-Roman Harvesting Machine
Harvesting with a cart: Pliny’s vallus and Palladius’ vehiculum
An on-going saga in agricultural innovation. How can you harvest with a cart pushed backwards? This idea proposed by farmers in northern Gaul is original and unparalleled in the Roman era: it suffices to combine two implements, a cart (vehiculum) and a hand tool for cutting or stripping-off. The idea seems simple enough, but the… Continue reading Harvesting with a cart: Pliny’s vallus and Palladius’ vehiculum
The Amazing Impact of Furry and Feathered Interpreters
Jeannette Beranger joins us again for an article on her experiences in the United States in using animals as the star performers in audience contact. For nearly 20 years, I was in charge of a Heritage breed farmyard exhibit within a facility that enjoyed over a million visitors a year. It never ceased to amaze… Continue reading The Amazing Impact of Furry and Feathered Interpreters
The Ethnology of the Old Ways
Travels in Scotland c. 1720-1830. The Hunterian Museum in the University of Glasgow organized an exhibition in the summer of 2020, under the title ‘Old Ways and New Roads: Travels in Scotland c. 1720-1830’, presenting the results of a lengthy research project based in Glasgow University under the leadership of Professor Nigel Leask, Dr John… Continue reading The Ethnology of the Old Ways
How Much is a Banker Horse Worth?
Jeannette Beranger points out that a sad incident led to precise evaluation of the “value” of the Banker horses that attract millions of visitors a year to the islands off the eastern coast of the United States. American Livestock Breeds Conservancy staffers Alison Martin, Steve Moize, and Jeannette Beranger headed to the North Carolina (United… Continue reading How Much is a Banker Horse Worth?
“The Wagon Walk”
“The Wagon Walk” at the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) in Reading. Wagon enthusiasts will have much to see and enjoy at The MERL. The strength of collections, whether objects, books, records or photographic archives, is outstanding, fully deserving of their Designated Status. Very rarely do objects and related archives come together quite so… Continue reading “The Wagon Walk”