The Start of Agriculture

It is common knowledge that agriculture is fundamental in any modern society. However, it wasn’t a clear concept for our ancestors. It wasn’t like they just woke up and decided, “okay, we need food so we shall plant some seeds.” Rather, it was more of an accident. Hunter-gatherers unintentionally changed the characteristics of plants by gathering them and what they left behind. Only around 12,000 years ago is when they could finally understand the concept of farming and domestication to where they could consciously practice it. Really, it was pretty much inevitable since the hunter-gatherer lifestyle was not sustainable with growing populations.

In other words, the start of agriculture (Neolithic Revolution) is the foundation of where we are today. It means that people could settle down rather than constantly moving from place to place. It also means that we could form early complex societies, and see specialized roles, trade, and surpluses of food/goods.

It is all about continuity and change. We as humans are always changing, whether it be self-interest, goal-oriented, or just out of necessity. Change is present in how we switched from hunter-gatherers to farmers. It is present in how we went from tribes to complex societies. Change is always constant in some form. But continuity is how things have stayed the same. For the most part, some plants are specific to a certain location. We still have weather and seasons. We still need food and water. You get the point. There will always be this balance, but too much change could prove destructive.