Iceland was settled around 874 and in the following decades and centuries a great number of people moved to Iceland. Agriculture has been important to the islanders’ livelihood ever since the settlement. Population patterns formed mostly in the areas where conditions were good for cultivation and keeping livestock. In the latter part of the 19th century, Icelanders were among the poorest nations in the world. Agriculture is, naturally, sensitive to environmental fluctuations. Therefore, extended periods of cold weather or natural disasters often led to famine. The largest part of the population lived in the country and the farm was the centre of the community.
