Evolution of Agriculture

Agriculture Defined The art, science, and business of managing the growth of plants and animals for human use.

Agriculture Defined Cultivation of the soil Growing & harvesting crops Breeding & raising livestock Packing, processing, and marketing

World Agriculture Began over 10,000 years ago Humans discovered the value of wild plants and animals and domesticated and bred them ◦ Cereals ◦ Meat animals ◦ Poultry, fish, milk, cheese, nuts, oils, fruits, vegetables etc

World Agriculture 50% world’s labor force employed in agriculture > 60% in Africa < 4% in USA and Canada ~ 7% in Western Europe

World Agriculture Agricultural income also comes from nonfood crops ◦ Rubber ◦ Fiber plants ◦ Tobacco ◦ Oilseeds for synthetic chemical compounds ◦ Animals for pelt

Where does rubber come from? Rubber comes from a milky white juice which some trees and plants have instead of sap. This liquid, called latex, can be found in the roots, stems, branches, bark, leaves, and fruit of over 400 different plants. Most latex, however, comes from the inner bark of the hevea, or rubber tree, of Brazil.

World Agriculture Everyone depends on agriculture for food, income, and raw materials Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the UN concerns itself with agricultural trade and policies

Crash course! N5s1I N5s1I

Four phases of Agriculture 1. Prehistoric 2. Historical/Roman period 3. Feudal 4. Scientific

Prehistoric Agriculture Started near 10,000 BC The main agricultural sites: ◦ southeast and southwest Asia (India, Iran, Iraq, Israel) ◦ Nile River in Egypt ◦ Europe

Prehistoric Agriculture This was the age of agricultural innovations as many new tools and practices were invented due to compulsion of planting, sustaining and harvesting the crops. Use of wooden and earthen tools Domestication of animals

The Stone Age of Taiwan

Prehistoric Agriculture Early centers of agriculture continued ◦ (China) Yellow River ◦ (India & Pakistan) Indus River ◦ (Mexico) Tehuacan Valley, NW of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec

Domestication Dates of domestication vary by regions Earliest may be ~ 10,000 BC

Domestication a primitive form of genetic engineering in which certain plants and animals are brought under human control, their objectionable characteristics eliminated, their favorable ones enhanced and in the case of animals, can be induced to reproduce in captivity.

Domestication Sheep 9000 BC (Iraq) Cattle 6 th millennium BC ( Iran) Goats 8000 BC (Iran) Pigs 8000 BC (Thailand) Horses 4350 BC (Ukraine) Llama & alpaca 3 rd millennium (Andes of S America)

Crops Crops Wheat & barley 8 th millennium BC (Middle East) Millet & rice 5500 BC (China & SE Asia) Squash 8000 BC (Mexico) Legumes 6000 BC (Macedonia)

Pastoralism Mixed farming, combining cultivation of crops and stock raising was a common Neolithic pattern Nomadic herders roamed steppes of Europe and Asia where the horse and camel were domesticated

Neolithic Farmers Lived in caves, sun-baked mud houses, reed or wooden houses Houses were grouped into small villages with surrounding fields Growth of cities was stimulated by production of surplus crops

Neolithic Settlements More permanent than camps of hunting populations Needed to move periodically ◦ Soils deteriorated ◦ Practiced slash & burn in Europe Nile settlements more permanent ◦ River kept soils fertile

Historical/Roman Period Roughly defined from 2500 BC to 500 AD Agriculture in ancient Rome was not only a necessity, but was idealized among the elite as a way of life. Wheat, vineyards, olives, milk, oxen, mules, sheep, goats, wide variety of vegetables & herbs

Roman Period Trade in wine and olive oil mentioned in Egyptian records Rye & oats in N. Europe Dates/figs important source of sugar in Near East Cotton spun in India Linen & silk in China

Roman Period Metal tools longer lasting & more efficient ◦ Ox-drawn plow (iron tipped) ◦ Horses for work

Roman Period Irrigation in China, Egypt, & Near East ◦ Allowed more land to be cultivated Introduction of fertilizers ◦ Animal manures ◦ Crop rotations

Feudal Agriculture The feudal age of agriculture ranges from 500 BC to 1700 AD, reaching its height near 1000 AD The usual practice of this age was of intensive agricultural throughout Europe, middle east and southeastern Asia.

Feudal Agriculture Irrigation extended in Egypt & Spain Grain production was sufficient in Egypt to sell wheat internationally Irrigation from mountain streams increased vineyards in Spain Spain - silkworm was raised

Feudal Agriculture Manorial system ◦ 900 to 2000 acres ◦ Self-contained community ◦ Large home for the lord ◦ One or more villages as part of the manor ◦ Peasants were the actual farmers  Raised crops and livestock and paid taxes to the lord ◦ Large mill for grinding grain & vegetable gardens

Feudal Agriculture ◦ Woolen garments from sheep ◦ Linen textiles from flax and the oil also ◦ Food served in feudal castle varied according to season & hunting ability ◦ Hunting done by the lord ◦ Castle residents ate meat from poultry, cattle and etc produced by peasant farmers

XWZfHo&feature=results_video&playnex t=1&list=PL B05DA2 XWZfHo&feature=results_video&playnex t=1&list=PL B05DA2

Scientific Agriculture By 16 th century populations were growing This led to exploration of new methods and practices in agriculture. It also resulted in commercial agriculture that was based solely on profit than subsistence purposes.

Scientific Agriculture Agriculture trade assumed global proportions and many new economies thrived on specialized production of one or other agricultural products.

Scientific Agriculture Colonial agriculture ◦ Produce cash crops & feed home country ◦ Cultivation of sugar, cotton, tobacco, tea, animals for wool and hide etc ◦ From 15 th to 19 th centuries slaves were used ◦ Slaves worked in Caribbean on sugar plantations & in N America

Scientific Agriculture Scientific revolution occurred from the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment in Europe ◦ Plant breeding ◦ Breeding cattle & sheep ◦ Crop rotations ◦ Drainage brought more land into cultivation

Scientific Agriculture Livestock breeding in 1700s Limestone on soils in late 1700s Cast-iron plow Seed drill in early 1700s Reaper by Cyrus McCormick in 1831

Scientific Agriculture By late 1800s steam power replaced animal power in drawing plows and operating threshing machinery Science and technology developed for industrial purposes in agriculture ◦ Resulting in agribusinesses of the mid-20 th century Poisons for pests developed in 19 th century Improvements in transportation (19 & 20 th )

Scientific Agriculture After World War II (1945) ◦ Green revolution  Selective breeding of crops  DNA technology  Intensive cultivation methods ◦ Machinery development

Agriculture in USA 20 th century ◦ Steam, gasoline, diesel, electric power ◦ Chemical fertilizers manufactured ◦ Loss of soil combated ◦ Selected breeding of plants & animals  Hybridization of corn in 1930s ◦ Improvements in storage, processing, transportation & marketing ◦ Chemical control of pests

Agriculture in USA In 1980s high technology farming ◦ Hybrids for many crops ◦ Better methods of soil conservation ◦ Irrigation systems improved ◦ Growing use of fertilizers ◦ Genetic engineering of many crops

Modern inventions The modern inventions in biotechnology and genetics that have completely changed agriculture production. New variants of seeds and plants are manufactured in laboratories and genetically modified to suit consumption and commercial needs. This has enabled the world to meet the food demands of for a population that is crossing 7 billion mark.

voOL80&feature=related voOL80&feature=related

P9WzZ3ZGF4&feature=related P9WzZ3ZGF4&feature=related KOGHg&feature=related KOGHg&feature=related Israel Agriculture 9G_H8&feature=related 9G_H8&feature=related