During the Little Ice Age, the climate became cooler in most of Europe, and the growing
season
shortened with a decline in the harvest of crops, which resulted in a general decline
in living
opportunities. However, the findings of the present study reveal that the situation
in the Carpathian
Basin was somewhat different. The results of our research suggest that Transdanubia,
the most
western one of the four macro-regions in the Carpathian Basin, was undoubtedly the
greatest
beneficiary of the wet climate of the Little Ice Age. The agricultural production
of the Upper
Hungary and the Great Hungarian Plain, as reflected by the indices I was using, was
moderately
positive. However, in Transylvania, the yields of grain and hay were below contemporary
expectations. The diverse landscape certainly helped the Transdanubian macro-region
to achieve
excellent adaptability. The reason for its success may be that the lack of precipitation
is the most
critical bottleneck in the agriculture of the Carpathian Basin. The essential feature
of the climate
change brought about by the Little Ice Age in the Carpathian Basin was the increase
in precipitation.
Our findings show that it was the Little Ice Age, and especially its wet climate,
that on average
provided relatively favourable conditions for the balanced performance of agriculture
in the
Carpathian Basin in the long-term, in the Transdanubian region in particular. The
wet climate
played a crucial role in the low frequency of crop catastrophes in the 18th and 19th
centuries.
Moreover, the mosaic structure of traditional agriculture (arable and grazing land,
orchards,
vineyards, meadow farming and fishery) improved the resilience of the local and regional
economy
in the Carpathian Basin. This diverse system characterized agriculture in the study
area until the
mid-19th century, making it more resilient than modern agriculture.
