(i) Many peasants had tiny plots of land which could not provide work for all members of the household.
(ii) So when merchants came around and offered advances to produce goods for them, peasant households eagerly agreed.
(iii) By working for the merchants, they could remain in the countryside and continue to cultivate their small plots.
(iv) Income from proto-industrial production supplemented their shrinking income from cultivation. It also allowed them a fuller use of their family labor resources.
