How were farmers economically and socially affected by advancements and industrialization in urban areas? They had many resources taken from them and used in urban areas to make towns and cities better and larger. They moved to the city, abandoning farms and leaving the farmers that stayed behind without neighbors or resources. Their social and economic status fell as society's resources and advances focused on improving cities more than rural areas. They had higher taxes placed on them by the government in an effort to fund growing and more popular cities.