Reading Practice 6

[1] The Agricultural Revolutions occurred between 2000 and 6000 BC. It is believed that due to climate change, people moved from animal hunting to gathering and agriculture. About 10,000 years ago, some human groups began to raise animals and cultivate domesticated plants. Over the next thousand years, most people became food producers, although hunting and gathering were ongoing. The Agricultural Revolution is the period in history when food production was prevalent in human activity. It occurred over a period of time as food gathering led to food production over several generations. We believe the process began when foragers started to scatter seeds and clear weeds to grow crops they enjoyed using for food. It’s possible that non-settled groups behaved in this way, although some families probably settled permanently to produce this food in the long term.

 

[2] The discovery of specialized stone tools indicated the new food-producing practices: polished or ground stone heads to work the soil, sharp stone chips embedded in bone or wooden handles for cutting grass, and stone mortars for grain production. Early farmers used fire to clear fields of shrubs. Trees were burned to make clearings and the ashes were used as a natural fertilizer.

 

[3] Over time, gatherers selected the highest-yielding strains of plants for food cultivation. The earliest proof of agriculture lies in the Middle East, where it was noted that wheat and barley were cultivated by 8000BC. Farmers began to alternate the cultivation of grains and pulses, such as lentils and peas, to maintain fertility. Gradually, domesticated plants spread from the Middle East to other regions and there was some exchange of crops and techniques. However, it is believed that agriculture developed independently in most countries.

 

[4] The oldest traces of food production in North Africa date back to 8000 BC in Easter Sahara. Wheat, barley, goat, and sheep cultivation are evident and a move of farming activities to the Nile Valley is evident when the climate became drier by 5000BC. Farming began in Greece in 6000 BC and agriculture appears to have started in Central Europe around 4000 BC. Agriculture spread even further in Europe over the next thousand years as more forested areas were cleared and the climate changed. By 2600 BC, ox-drawn plows were used in Central Europe. It appears that the Mediterranean region boasted many crops and agricultural techniques. South Sahara favored domestic grains and in eastern Africa, Wheat, and Barley. In the Middle East and equatorial West Africa, yams became an early domestic crop. The cultivation of domestic rice began in China and Northern India sometime between 10,000 and 5,000 BC, as the climate favored the development of this crop. Cultivation of hyacinth beans, green and black grams originated in India by 2000 BC.

 

[5] The cultivation of corn started in the Tehuacán Valley of Mexico after 8000 B.C.E. as there was a shift from hunting to food production. In Peru, food production of potatoes and quinoa began, and in other parts of America, there was the cultivation of tomatoes, peppers, squash, and potatoes. The root crop manioc became a staple food after 1500 BC and spread to the Caribbean. Around this same era, we note the domestication of animals both for hunting and the supply of milk and energy.

 

[6] After 7000 BC, there was a decline in animal hunting as shown by the decrease in the number of gazelle bones discovered in the Middle East. However, people continued to consume meat as sheep and goats replaced gazelles. People gradually began to cultivate specific breeds of animals not only for their meat but also for their coats and milk production. Animal droppings were used as fertilizer. Prior to 3000 BC, domestic animals began to evolve from wilder species, such as cattle, donkeys, buffalo, and Zebuo in India, horses, and camels as well as chickens and pigs. Tamed animals became vital for the agricultural cycle of grain farmers. In America, llamas provide meat and wool; turkeys and guinea pigs provided meat.

 

[7] In conclusion, the gradual adoption of food production changed several parts of the world. Agriculture caused a gradual population increase, perhaps to 10 million by 5000 B.C.E., and then a further escalation to about 50 million and 100 million by 1000 B.C.E.