ABSTRACT
The largest landscape transformations before the mid-nineteenth century occurred in China and northwestern Europe, and water management was at the core of the transformation in both cases. The multifunctionality of water management was one additional reason to develop supraregional organizations. Local water management was managed locally, but we cannot stop there when considering large-scale water management. Political stability and economic predictability are always fundamental prerequisites for land investments, making the legitimate state a necessity for the large-scale investments treated. In Europe, muscle-driven pumps were not used at all for large-scale pumping, but in China such pumps formed the basis of the system. Water-lifting devices developed earlier in China than in Europe because the reliance on human labor meant that simpler technical solutions could be utilized. In Europe, north of the Mediterranean region, arable farming and animal husbandry were integrated on every farm in a mutual relationship between draft power, manure, hayfields, and pastures.
