History of agricultural development

History of Agricultural Development History and Types of Agriculture Demand-based agriculture - production determined by economic demand and limited by classical economic supply and demand theory This approach became common during the industrial revolution Resource-based agriculture - production determined by resource availability; economic demand usually exceeds production This approach was the original type of farming 10,000 years ago Modern approaches are very high tech and somewhat more expensive History of Agriculture Agroecosystems • Ecosystem created by agricultural practices – characterized by low • Genetic diversity • Species diversity • Habitat diversity Agroecosystems Agroecosystems differ from natural ecosystems in five major ways: Farming attempts to stop ecological succession Species diversity is low a.farmers usually practice monoculture b.monoculture tends to ⇓ soil fertility Farmers plant species (crops) in an orderly fashion - this can make pest control more difficult Food chains are far more simple in agroecosystems Plowing is like no other natural disturbance a.plowing can ⇑ erosion b.cause more nutrient loss (which is replaced by fertilizer) World Food Supply and the Environment • Our current food problem is the result of our human population • Food production depends upon favorable environmental conditions • Agriculture changes the environment - such changes can be detrimental • Food supply can be adversely affected by social unrest that influence agriculture So what is agriculture? – The deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain – Intentional planting of crops and raising of domesticated animals ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE • Hunters and Gatherers • Invention of Agriculture HUNTERS AND GATHERERS • Before the invention of agriculture, all humans probably obtained the food they needed for survival through hunting for animals, fishing, or gathering • Hunters and gatherers lived in small groups • The men hunted game or fished, and the women collected berries, nuts, and roots Hunter & Gatherers • 99% of mankind’s existence on Earth has been as a HUNTER & GATHERER! • Hunting/gathering behaviors exist back million years to the dawn of man’s cultural evolution • Earth’s carrying capacity for huntergatherers estimated at 20-30 million • Do hunting/gathering societies still exist today? Transition • Transition from hunting/gathering to agriculture started in some areas (Zagros, Nile) as far back as 10-12 thousand years ago • Over time, it became more widespread; arose in many different areas, possibly independently AGRICULTURE TODAY… • Agriculture has been transformed into a globally integrated system • The introduction of new technologies, political concerns about food security and self-sufficiency, and changing opportunities for investment and employment are among the many forces that have dramatically shaped agriculture as we know it today • The industrialized agricultural system of today’s world has developed from – and largely displaced – older agricultural practices, including subsistence agriculture and pastoralism • Transformations in agriculture have had dramatic impacts on the environment, including soil erosion, desertification, deforestation, and soil and water pollution, as well as the elimination of some plant and animal species AGRICULTURE TOMORROW… • World population will grow from around billion people today to 8.3 billion people in 2030 • The number of hungry people in developing countries is expected to decline, but Sub-Saharan Africa is cause for serious concern • Much of future food production growth will come from higher productivity • The expansion of farmland for food production will be slower than in the past • At a global level there is enough water available, but some regions will face serious water shortages • Modern biotechnology offers promises as a means to improving food security • Climate change could increase the dependency of some developing countries on food imports Sustainable Agriculture Goals • Environmental Health • Economic Profitability • Social and Economic Equity Agroecology • Sustainable farming based on ecological principles: – – – – Diversity Interdependence Synergy Complex interactions • Science to improve not displace traditional farming • Low energy, capital costs Agroecology • Intercropping – Mixing annual and perennial crops • Crop rotations – Rotate cereals and legumes • Mixing of plant and animal production – Rice paddies with edible weeds, fish and rice • Not continuous production of one crop The Agricultural Revolution • Agriculture is the raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans • The practice of agriculture started in many different parts of the world over 10,000 years ago • The change had such a dramatic impact on human societies and their environment that it is often called the agricultural revolution The Agricultural Revolution • The agricultural revolution allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate • As populations grew, they began to concentrate in smaller areas placing increased pressure on the local environments The Agricultural Revolution • The agricultural revolution changed the food we eat • The plants we grow and eat today are descended from wild plants • However, during harvest season farmers collected seeds from plants that exhibited the qualities they desired, such as large kernels • These seeds were then planted and harvested again Overtime, the domesticated plants became very different from their wild ancestors The Agricultural Revolution • Many habitats were destroyed as grasslands, forests, and wetlands were replaced with farmland • Replacing forest with farmland on a large scale can cause soil loss, floods, and water shortages The Agricultural Revolution • The slash-and-burn technique was one of the earliest ways that land was converted to farmland • Much of this converted land was poorly farmed and is no longer fertile AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS • First Agricultural Revolution – Dating back 10,000 years, this achieved plant domestication and animal domestication • Second Agricultural Revolution – Witnessed improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm produce • Third Agricultural Revolution – Currently in progress, its principal orientation is the development of Genetically Modified Organisms FIRST AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION • Believed that agriculture would only flourish in a land of plenty • Key area: Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers (Fertile Crescent) SECOND AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION • Coincided with the Industrial Revolution • Surpluses of food needed to feed those working in factories • New technologies developed to improve crop yields • Supported by governments of Europe – Enclosure Act of Great Britain – enforced the increase in the size of farms; created large scale farms THIRD AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION • Also known as the Green Revolution • Dates back to the 1930s • Manipulation of seed varieties to increase crop yields • 1960s – focus of the Green Revolution turned to India • Crops impacted: corn, wheat, rice • Decreased famine in numerous areas • “Hunger Areas” greatly impacted [...]... production of food primarily for sale off the farm – Five principal features distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture: • purpose of farming; • percentage of farmers in the labor force; • use of machinery; • arm size; • (and) relationship of farming to other businesses LABOR FORCE IN AGRICULTURE • A large proportion of workers in most LDCs are in agriculture, while only a small percentage of workers... changes contributed to the cultivation of plants THE INVENTION OF AGRICULTURE • Agriculture evolved into two types of cultivation – Vegetative Planting – Seed Agriculture TWO TYPES OF CULTIVATION • Over thousands of years, plant cultivation apparently evolved from a combination of accidental and deliberate experiment • The earliest form of plant cultivation, according to Carl Sauer, was vegetative planting,... lifestyle of hunter-gatherer – not food scarcity Were children an asset?? • Not ignorance of plant growth, but lack of need to practice agriculture prevented earlier development of agriculture 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. .. rotations – Rotate cereals and legumes • Mixing of plant and animal production – Rice paddies with edible weeds, fish and rice • Not continuous production of one crop The Agricultural Revolution • Agriculture is the raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans • The practice of agriculture started in many different parts of the world over 10,000 years ago • The change... that agricultural advances in Ethiopia did not diffuse widely to other locations Ancestral Wheat and Barley DIFFUSION OF SEED AGRICULTURE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE • Two independent seed agriculture hearths originated in the Western Hemisphere: southern Mexico and northern Peru • Agricultural practices diffused to other parts of the Western Hemisphere • This diversity derives from a unique legacy of. .. integrated system • The introduction of new technologies, political concerns about food security and self-sufficiency, and changing opportunities for investment and employment are among the many forces that have dramatically shaped agriculture as we know it today • The industrialized agricultural system of today’s world has developed from – and largely displaced – older agricultural practices, including... the elimination of some plant and animal species AGRICULTURE TOMORROW… • World population will grow from around 6 billion people today to 8.3 billion people in 2030 • The number of hungry people in developing countries is expected to decline, but Sub-Saharan Africa is cause for serious concern • Much of future food production growth will come from higher productivity • The expansion of farmland for...HUNTERS AND GATHERERS • This division of labor sounds like a stereotype but is based on evidence from archaeology and anthropology • The group traveled frequently, establishing new home bases or camps • The direction and frequency of migration depended on the movement of game and the seasonal growth of plants at various locations Hunter-Gatherers • Hunter-gatherers are... agriculture started in many different parts of the world over 10,000 years ago • The change had such a dramatic impact on human societies and their environment that it is often called the agricultural revolution The Agricultural Revolution • The agricultural revolution allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate • As populations grew, they began to concentrate in smaller areas placing increased... perhaps a quartermillion people, or less than 0.005 percent of the world’s population, still survive by hunting and gathering • Contemporary hunting and gathering societies are isolated groups living on the periphery of world settlement, but they provide insight into human customs that prevailed in prehistoric times, before the invention of agriculture Transition from Hunting-Gathering to Agriculture