They might learn to add more water, or to help create more fertile soil, and you can see how this process could have evolved over time. They might have observed that, over time, these sprouted new growth. As some groups gathered food, they likely dropped a few nuts or berries along the way. So how did we shift from hunting and gathering to staying in one place and growing the plants and animals ourselves? Agriculture developed independently in several different parts of the world and likely for a variety of different reasons. Figure 5.1: Members of the Hadza Tribe Practing Bowhunting (© Idobi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) Some members of the Hazda groups of eastern Africa, for example, still practice hunting and gathering (see Figure 5.1). For 90 percent of human history, this was how we obtained our food, and a few hunter-gatherer societies still exist in the world today, though their numbers have declined dramatically. Groups might intermarry, or have disputes over hunting zones, but in general the large tracts of land required to sustain bands of hunter-gatherers meant there was relatively little interaction between groups and violent conflicts over territory were rare since groups could simply shift their territory as needed. Hunter-gatherer societies were fairly isolated from one another. Furthermore, the ecological knowledge of plants and the nutrients they provided were critically important to hunter-gatherer diets and gave women an important role in ancient societies. It’s generally assumed that men were primarily hunters and women were primarily gatherers, but research actually shows that gender roles in ancient societies were not strictly defined. Our search for food could take a short time, or much of the day, depending on environmental conditions. We hunted for animals, fished, and gathered a variety of plants like berries, nuts, fruits, and roots. Why? Because if they lived in larger groups, they would quickly consume all food within walking distance. Hunters and gatherers lived in small groups – generally less than 50 people. So what was life like for us before we began deliberately cultivating plants and raising livestock? Until around 12,000 years ago, we were all hunters and gatherers. How did agriculture begin? “Cultivate” actually means “to care for” and this is the root of the term “agriculture.” Agriculture refers to the science, art, and practice of cultivating plants and livestock. 5.1 Origins and Diffusion of Agricultureīefore we dive into our modern food system, let’s go back in time. In this chapter, we’re exploring agriculture, the various food systems of the world and how food is grown. Furthermore, what we eat has changed considerably over the span of human history, and continues to change as we look to the future. Much of our food doesn’t even look like a plant or an animal, and this makes it even harder to discern what we’re actually eating. Does it look much like a plant or animal? Do you generally eat the same things for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or do you have a wide variety of dishes that you consume in a given week? Does what you eat connect with your own cultural, ethnic, and/or religious heritage? How did you acquire the food you eat? Did you shop at a supermarket, drive through a local restaurant, or make it yourself? And who grew the food you’re eating and where was it produced? Perhaps it was grown in your own backyard garden! In many developed countries, we’re often quite removed from where our food comes from and we don’t often stop and think about how it gets on our plates. Analyze the impacts of modern agriculture.Discuss the key innovations in agriculture.Compare the major forms of subsistence and commercial agriculture.Identify the various types of rural development patterns.Describe how agricultural originated and diffused.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |