Nobody knows exactly when or where agriculture began. But scientists now believe that it began 8,000 years ago or more when people discovered that the wild grass seeds that they threw away along with other garbage in waste piles grew well and produced many more seeds to fill people's stomachs. This may seem like a small thing to modern people, but for primitive people it was a truly revolutionary discovery. Up until then they had depended for their lives on their luck in hunting, fishing and finding wild plants that they could eat. Being able to grow a part of their own food meant that starvation was no longer such a danger.
As early people learned about raising crops, they came to depend more and more on farming and less on hunting to keep themselves alive. In addition to wild grasses, from which our present-day grain came, these early people learned to grow many other plants, the early forms of today's vegetables.
Primitive farming methods were very simple. Seeds were planted in little holes in the ground made with a sharp stick. Grain was harvested with stone knives or stone-edged sickles or sometimes pulled up by the roots. The invention of the spade and the hoe made it possible to cultivate the ground by loosening the soil and keeping down weeds. At first the work in the fields may have been done by women, while the men watched the animals, hunted occasionally, and defended the village against its enemies.
Domestic animals were first kept for hunting (such as dogs) or food (such as cows, sheep, and pigs). Eventually animals could be used to carry loads or pull plows which were little more than forked sticks used to loosen the soil. They were inefficient, but they made it possible to cultivate more land with less work than with hand tools.
The Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, American Indians and the Chinese developed advanced systems of agriculture. They knew the value of fertilization, irrigation, and drainage, and they developed improved varieties of plants and animals by choosing the best ones.
Advances were made in 18th-century England where horse-drawn farming machines, improved systems of crop rotation and fertilization, and better breeds of sheep and cattle were developed.
Meanwhile, Europeans were exploring the New World. They returned home with crops previously unknown in Europe ---- white and sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkins, and tomatoes. One plant, the potato, was found to grow well in cold, damp climates and on poor soils. It soon became an important food item in northern Europe.
In the 20th century the major advances were in three areas ---- chemistry, breeding, and technology. Modern farming depends heavily on chemical fertilizers and insect control. Other chemicals control plant diseases and weeds.
One of the biggest research findings has been the development of new strains of wheat and rice. Scientists in every continent have adopted the new types of rice and wheat.
Breakthroughs may soon lead to another big change or "revolution" in agriculture. Scientists are changing living things by altering their genes.Through "gene-splicing", nature itself can be changed quickly. Food plants may be improved to do a better job of fighting off insects and weeds, with fewer pesticides. Plants may become better able to reproduce themselves each year. Changes in genes can also make grains and other plant foods better. These changes would make farming easier and more productive.
Perhaps the most important effect of the new revolution in genetics is that all people may benefit from it, not just those in highly developed nations. Countries that cannot afford tractors, fertilizers, and other expensive aids to modern agriculture may be able to use these things in a simpler, sustainable agricultural system.
There are still many things to be done. We must find ways to produce our food with fewer chemicals. One way is to find natural biological controls to do the same things chemicals do now. Such "miracles" have happened before, and they have helped agriculture become one of the most progressive, efficient industries in the world.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Egyptian
Indian
Mesopotamian
alter
breakthrough
breed(bred,bred)
cultivate
domestic
drainage
explore
fertilization
forked
gene
genetics
hoe
inefficient
irrigation
loosen
occasionally
pesticide
previously
primitive
progressive
reproduce
revolutionary
rotation
sickle
spade
splice
starvation
strain
weed
fight off
up until
little more than
As early people learned about raising crops, they came to depend more and more on farming and less on hunting to keep themselves alive. In addition to wild grasses, from which our present-day grain came, these early people learned to grow many other plants, the early forms of today's vegetables.
Primitive farming methods were very simple. Seeds were planted in little holes in the ground made with a sharp stick. Grain was harvested with stone knives or stone-edged sickles or sometimes pulled up by the roots. The invention of the spade and the hoe made it possible to cultivate the ground by loosening the soil and keeping down weeds. At first the work in the fields may have been done by women, while the men watched the animals, hunted occasionally, and defended the village against its enemies.
Domestic animals were first kept for hunting (such as dogs) or food (such as cows, sheep, and pigs). Eventually animals could be used to carry loads or pull plows which were little more than forked sticks used to loosen the soil. They were inefficient, but they made it possible to cultivate more land with less work than with hand tools.
The Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, American Indians and the Chinese developed advanced systems of agriculture. They knew the value of fertilization, irrigation, and drainage, and they developed improved varieties of plants and animals by choosing the best ones.
Advances were made in 18th-century England where horse-drawn farming machines, improved systems of crop rotation and fertilization, and better breeds of sheep and cattle were developed.
Meanwhile, Europeans were exploring the New World. They returned home with crops previously unknown in Europe ---- white and sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkins, and tomatoes. One plant, the potato, was found to grow well in cold, damp climates and on poor soils. It soon became an important food item in northern Europe.
In the 20th century the major advances were in three areas ---- chemistry, breeding, and technology. Modern farming depends heavily on chemical fertilizers and insect control. Other chemicals control plant diseases and weeds.
One of the biggest research findings has been the development of new strains of wheat and rice. Scientists in every continent have adopted the new types of rice and wheat.
Breakthroughs may soon lead to another big change or "revolution" in agriculture. Scientists are changing living things by altering their genes.Through "gene-splicing", nature itself can be changed quickly. Food plants may be improved to do a better job of fighting off insects and weeds, with fewer pesticides. Plants may become better able to reproduce themselves each year. Changes in genes can also make grains and other plant foods better. These changes would make farming easier and more productive.
Perhaps the most important effect of the new revolution in genetics is that all people may benefit from it, not just those in highly developed nations. Countries that cannot afford tractors, fertilizers, and other expensive aids to modern agriculture may be able to use these things in a simpler, sustainable agricultural system.
There are still many things to be done. We must find ways to produce our food with fewer chemicals. One way is to find natural biological controls to do the same things chemicals do now. Such "miracles" have happened before, and they have helped agriculture become one of the most progressive, efficient industries in the world.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Egyptian
Indian
Mesopotamian
alter
breakthrough
breed(bred,bred)
cultivate
domestic
drainage
explore
fertilization
forked
gene
genetics
hoe
inefficient
irrigation
loosen
occasionally
pesticide
previously
primitive
progressive
reproduce
revolutionary
rotation
sickle
spade
splice
starvation
strain
weed
fight off
up until
little more than