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Why did farmland go out of cultivation after the Black Death?

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Medieval illustration of Brotherhood of the Cross flagellants in robes and pointed hats walking in procession, some carrying a crucifix and banners, during the Black Death. — Black Death Flagellants in the Netherlands scourging themselves in atonement, believing that the Black Death is a punishment from God for their sins, 1349.

Farmland went out of cultivation following the Black Death primarily due to a drastic reduction in the available labor force caused by the pandemic, which killed an estimated one-third to one-half of the population in various regions of Europe.123

With so many laborers dead, there were simply not enough people to work the fields. This widespread mortality led to the abandonment of many established settlements and the total disappearance of approximately 1,000 villages in England alone. The resulting labor shortage forced landowners to change their economic practices, often substituting wages or money rents for traditional labor services in an attempt to retain the surviving tenants. In many areas, the lack of manpower meant that arable land was left uncultivated, leading to a significant agricultural recession that persisted until the population began to recover in the 16th century.13452