A Static World. The Agricultural Product Per Capita in the Upper Douro, 1580–1800

Abstract

What variation did the agricultural product per capita experience between the end of the 16thcentury and the late 18th century? This is the main question that this paper tries to answer, focusing on the high basin of the river Douro. Two indexes are used for this purpose: the first one of grain production, based upon tithing data, and the second one of population, elaborated from series of baptisms. The results suggest that, even with cyclical variations, which are not to be overlooked, the agricultural product per capita was fairly stable during the whole period analyzed. This stability probably has to do with the existence of effective mechanisms for adjustment between population growth and the available resources. Some features of agriculture in the area, such as the poor links to urban and foreign markets and the predominance of small family farms —whose main production objective, if not the only one, was to ensure their own subsistence— could be relevant factors with respect to this question.