Inventions & Discoveries · Farming and food
Three-field system
The three-field system is a crop rotation in which a field bears one set of crops in the first year, another in the second, and lies fallow in the third; it was first used in China in the Eastern Zhou period. It arose independently in medieval Europe, where it replaced the two-field system, which left half the land fallow, between the 9th and 11th centuries. Legumes such as peas and beans restored nitrogen to the soil, and its introduction coincided with the adoption of the mould-board plough.
On the inventions tree
- First known
- 771–256 BCE
- Where
- China
- Credited to
- Zhou dynasty
Also arose independentlyEurope (9th–11th centuries)
Built onPloughc. 2800 BCE
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Three-field system. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/three-field-system
- MLA
- “Three-field system.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/three-field-system. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Three-field system.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/three-field-system.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Three-field system’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/three-field-system (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻