History of Agricultural Development

Lecture 1

AGST 3000 Agriculture, Society and the Natural World

History of Agriculture

Hesoids Ages of Man (Greek poet, 8th7th century B.C.)

Man has been on this earth for over 2 Million Years I. Golden age (prehistory) A. Age of the hunter-gatherer99% of our existance B. Eden-like preagricultural

II. Silver Age (8,000 B.C.) A. Concept of work born B. Symbolized by the Yoke of Oxen III. Bronze Age (3,500 B.C.) A. Trade developed IV. Iron Age (1,500-600 B.C.)

Agriculture, Energy, and Civilization

Earths carrying capacity for huntergatherers estimated at 20-30 million. Today ? (6.7 Bil) Agricultural and the first cultural revolutions developed symbiotically. Solar energy (harvested through photosynthesis) fueled the agricultural revolution. Fossil fuels drove the industrial revolution.

Agriculture, Energy, and Civilizationcontinued

Use of these basic energy sources stimulated cultural, social, and civil development. Mechanization/fossil-fuels increased capacity to produce food while reducing labor, but also increased environmental degradation and social conflict.

Agrarian societies viewed children as economic assets (large families were necessary for survival).

Agriculture, Energy, and Civilizationcontinued

A Catch 22 developed:
A. B. C. More people require more food Requiring more intensive agriculture Requiring more energy to produce food

D.
E.

Leading to more environmental degradation (particularly soil erosion)

Leading to crop failure

F.
G. H.

Leading to starvation
Leading to migration to new lands Requiring more people to produce food

Agriculture, Energy, and Civilizationcontinued

Demographic transition rising population with shrinking resources. What about todaywhat are the resources that are shrinking?

Transition from Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture

Human population growth rate increased slowly: A. .0007-.0020 % /yr. Pleistocene age B. .1 % /yr. Neolithic C. 1-2 % /yr. Present day
Low birth rate attributed to lifestyle of huntergatherer not food scarcity.

Not ignorance of plant growth, but lack of need to practice agriculture prevented earlier development of agriculture.

Transition from Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture

Wild seeds were abundant, inexhaustible, and could easily be harvested

In Turkey, a person could harvest 2.2 lbs. of wild wheat (einkorn, which contains 57% more protein than current domestic wheat) in an hour In Mexico, an 11-day supply of wild corn (teosinte) could be gathered in 3.5 hours In Wisconsin, Ojibwa Indians could fill their canoes with wild rice in a few hours.

Transition from Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture continued

Man simultaneously developed agriculture worldwide 10,000 years ago, after the last Ice Agesuggests that climate changes contributed to the cultivation of plants.

 Hunter gatherers settled in small communities in the Fertile Crescent, a narrow band of land arcing across the Near East.

Indus Valley between India and Pakistan

India

Also South America, the tropical coast of Ecuador squash

and China rice on the Yangtze

Also North America and Mesoamerica (The Maya

homeland, called Mesoamerica, spans five countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Transition from Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture continued

New evidence suggests that people cultivated rye over 13,000 years ago, while continuing to hunt animals and gather wild plants in the Fertile Crescent.

Suggests this is a long development process and not an all or nothing scenario.
Hunter-gatherers turn to agriculture only as a last resort when population pressure forces them to acquire more food on available space.

Seed Culture in the Old World

I. Seed culture originated in drier subtropics of both hemispheres (8,00010,000 years ago) A. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Fertile Crescent) B. Indus River Northern India and Pakistan C. Huang Ho (Yellow River-Yangtze) Northern China

Seed Culture in the Old World continued II. Irrigation and long term food storage was required higher degree of social organization required.

III. Major civilizations built in regions of seed culture. A. Food was potentially abundant B. Great effort required to obtain food

Seed Culture in the Old World continued

VII. Seed culture developed most rapidly in ecologically diverse regions.

A. Earliest village farming community in western Iran (wheat, barley, and domestic animals) B. Provide a rich diversity of plant materials
VIII. Cultivation of grains pre-dated cultivation of fruits by several thousand years. A. More permanent settlement required due to long term nature of fruit crops.

Seed Culture in the Old World continued IX. As seed cultures moved from highlands to valleys A. Irrigation developed B. Tillage systems developed C. Selection of varieties improved X. Four species of beans - navy, kidney, lima, and peanuts XI. Squash first developed for edible seeds

Seed Culture in the Old World continued IV. Cereal grains were early crops A. Wet-dry season requirements B. Large seed(endosperm) to resist drought/support rapid growth during brief wet periods. V. Ancestral cereals were attractive weeds VI. Domesticated seed crops have shown a disability to compete with weeds.

Ancestral Wheat and Barley

Seed Culture in the New World

I. Earliest seed culture practiced in Tehuacan Valley- Southern Mexico A. Corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, peppers, avocados B. Semi-arid area surrounded by foothills and mountains with increasing level of precipitation

II. Corn was difficult to domesticate and there were no herd animals to domesticate.
III. Crops dictated cultural evolution?

Seed Culture in the New World continued

IV. Some people believe that the cultural gap between peoples of two hemispheres was due to adaptability of native plants and animals. V. Maize-bean-squash complex A. Corn-tall, first claim to moisture and sun B. Bean vines climbed up corn stalks, N-fixing C. Squash on ground, minimized weed growth

Origin of Vegeculture
I. Vegeculture probably began in the tropics, most commonly in lowland areas.

II. Early fisherman probably practiced first agriculture. A. Using plant substances to stun fish B. Fishing permitted a settled life. C. Settled life favored agriculture

Origin of Vegeculture continued

III. Early vegetables were rich in starch A. Sweet potato and yam B. Taro IV. Growing areas were incompletely cleared and burned forests: Swiddens
(temporary agricultural plots cut from primary and secondary forests)

V.

Early crops may not have been grown for food: most probably for fiber and ceremonial purposes.

End of Presentation.Journal