Transcript History of Agricultural Development Lecture 1 AGST 3000 Agriculture, Society and the Natural World History of Agriculture.

History of Agricultural
Development
Lecture 1
AGST 3000
Agriculture, Society and the
Natural World
History of Agriculture
Hesoid’s 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-gatherer…99% 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
Earth’s 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 Civilization…continued
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 Civilization…continued
A Catch 22 developed:
A.
More people require more food
B.
Requiring more intensive agriculture
C.
Requiring more energy to produce food
D.
Leading to more environmental degradation
(particularly soil erosion)
E.
Leading to crop failure
F.
Leading to starvation
G.
Leading to migration to new lands
H.
Requiring more people to produce food
Agriculture, Energy, and Civilization…continued
Demographic transition –
rising population with shrinking
resources.
What about today…what are
the resources that are
shrinking?
Transition from
Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture
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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
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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
Age…suggests 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…
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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.
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End of Presentation….Journal