Soru

In her seminal study of nineteenth-century agrarian economies, Dr. Vance challenges the prevailing view that peasant communities were inherently resistant to technological innovation. Traditional historians often characterized these rural populations as stubbornly traditional, clinging to ancient farming methods out of mere superstition. Vance, however, presents evidence demonstrating that farmers routinely adopted new instruments when such tools demonstrated clear economic utility. She argues that what earlier scholars interpreted as unyielding conservatism was actually a rational calculation of risk. Rather than rejecting progress outright, farmers merely demanded proof before committing scarce resources. Consequently, their initial reluctance to embrace unproven machinery served to husband their meager financial reserves until the efficacy of the new methods was indisputably established.

Based on the passage, what does the word "husband" in the final sentence most nearly mean?