THE TRANSFORMATION OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture also has transformed!!

PRE-HISTORIC ERA TO MIDDLE AGES PRE-HISTORIC ERA MIDDLE AGES MODERN AGRICULTURE

Three-age System  Stone Age  Bronze Age  Iron Age

Hunter-Gatherer  Nomadic  Pre-historic era or Paleolithic.  > 1millions years ago.  Major climatic change occurred – affect the evolution of humans – End of Ice Age  Human evolution spread from savanna of east Africa to the rest of the world.  Food source: Lots of protein, little dairy or carbohydrates. (Picture source:

 BC  Start metalworking (melting copper and tin) from naturally occurring ore then alloying those metal to cast Bronze.  Better tools for agriculture (Picture source: age_weapons_Romania.jpg) (Picture source:

 BC  Development of steel tools and weapons whose main ingredient was IRON (+ carbon)  Actually transition started middle bronze age  Iron cheaper, commonly found  Easy to sharpen and reforge  Technique of smelting iron: in Anatolia (turkey) (Picture source: photo.com/search.asp?a=1&kc= A2&kw=AGRICULTURE%3ACEREALS&p =15&ipp=6

 History began about 7000 years ago in the Tigris- Euphrates valley  Grain crops : wild rye, barley, wheat, peas and beans were cultivated  Western Asia- Turkey (Asia Minor), Iran, Iraq (Fertile Crescent of Tigris-Euphrates), Israel, Jordan and Syria  The Nile Valley, Europe (Danube River & Macedonia), Indus Valley, Yangtze & Yellow River valleys of China, Tehuacan valley of Central Mexico  Wheat was the first crop to be grown and harvested using sickle on a big scale

Map of the Tigris-Euphrates drainage basin (left) & the Euphrates river near Halabiye Syria (right) (Picture source: The Tigris basin full with agriculture activities in Diyarbakir Turkey (Picture source:

 Advancement made by the Muslims during golden era of Osmaniah (early 9th century) -  Near East, North Africa and Spain  Extensive irrigation and cultivation knowledge  Started the agricultural revolution based on 4 key areas:

1.Irrigation system with machines, dams & reservoirs -Built canals from rivers to their dry land. -Used farm animals to turn water wheels that powered flour mills and brought water to the higher canals. -Animals also turned wheels that brought water out of wells.

Animals power were used to turn a wheel to lift water during the Middle Ages (Picture source: like-romans.html) Agriculture activities in the Middle Ages (Picture source: urse1/kcln/7/4.htm) Fossa Carolina in Europe is the first artificial canal constructed during the Middle Ages (Picture source:

2. Adopted scientific approach to farming with improved farming techniques (manuals published) made possible raising of crops and animals away from place of origin. 3. Incentive driven approach land ownership, laborer’s rights, financial rewards (wages) commensurate with efforts.

4. Introduction of new crops & plant varieties & new cultivation techniques derived from research.  Developed a process called "grafting". A branch from one fruit tree can be cut off and transferred to another tree. The branch of a green apple tree, for example, can be grafted into the trunk of a red apple tree. The green branch will still give off green apples. The same is true with grapes on grape vines, and with some other fruit trees. New crops, plant varieties and cultivation technique were introduced in the middle ages The grafting process (Picture source: Tools/Tools-of-the-Grafting-Trade.aspx )

By the 14th century, plants and animals were shuffled across the Atlantic from the old world to the new world. Wheat and cereals from the Old were added on to maize, tomatoes and potatoes. At about this time the concept of agribusiness was introduced resulting from large scale cultivation of commodities like linen and silk for export.