Where Did Agriculture Originate Agricultural Revolution Neolithic Revolution

Where Did Agriculture Originate? • Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution) – 10, 000 -8, 000 BCE • The time when humans first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering was known as the agricultural revolution. • Agriculture originated in multiple hearths around the world: • Crop Hearths: • Southwest Asia: • Early crops: barley, wheat, lentil, and olive. • East Asia: • Early crops: Rice and millet.

3 Agricultural Revolutions • First Agricultural Revolution • 10, 000 year ago • The initial domestication of plants and animals • Second Agricultural Revolution • 250 years ago • Mechanization of agriculture with improved practices of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm produce. • Third Agricultural Revolution • In progress – Centered around development of Genetically Modified Organisms and chemical fertilizers

Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution) Primary effects: · Urbanization · Social Stratification · Occupational Specialization · Increased population densities Secondary effects: · Endemic diseases · Famine · Expansionism

2 nd Agricultural Revolution • Lasted from 1700 s to early 1900 s • Coincided with the Industrial Revolution – New technologies developed to improve crop yields • Produced surplus to feed factory workers

Developments of 2 nd Agricultural Revolution • New fertilizer and artificial feed • Selective breeding of livestock • Railroads decreased transportation time • New machines shrunk the number of farmers needed

Third Agricultural Revolution • Began in 1930 s in United States • Spread Mechanization outside of United States after World War II (Green Revolution • Machines get larger, more powerful, and more efficient

Where Did Agriculture Originate? • Comparing Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture • Subsistence agriculture is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer’s family. • Practiced primarily in developing countries • Commercial agriculture is the production of food primarily for sale off the farm. • Practiced primarily in developed countries. • Features that distinguish itself from subsistence agriculture include: lower percentage of farmers in labor force, highly mechanized, and larger farm size.

Developments in Third Agricultural Revolution Biotechnological Phase – Inorganic fertilizers and manufactured products replace manure and humus to increase soil fertility – Increasing use of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides to increase yields

Developments in Third Agricultural Revolution Growth of Agri-Business –a few large corporations own most of the means of agricultural production --increased importance of branding and labels

The Third Agricultural Revolution The Green Revolution • The diffusion of agricultural technologies and practices to less developed countries • Specifically Mexico and Asia (India) • First practiced in 1940 s in Mexico by Rockefeller Foundation IMPACTS • Increased food production in the third world • Changed traditional methods of farming negatively impacting indigenous practices—EX. In the last 20 years, nearly 300, 000 farmers have ended their lives by ingesting pesticides or by hanging themselves