Farming Changes in History

Corey

Global 1R

5/25/10

Changes in Food Production Throughout History

            Throughout history, many changes have occurred in the way that food is produced.  During the Neolithic Revolution, the randomness of hunting and gathering was replaced with a stable supply of fruits/vegetables and meat.  The Mesopotamians had domesticated animals.  And, during the Agrarian Revolution, farming tactics in Britain changed dramatically.

            In Neolithic society, hunting for meat and gathering herbs and other plants was the main way to acquire food.  If there was a drought, and as a result, a famine, the early people wouldn’t have any food.  They would have to follow the animals and take down any structures that they had built during their brief period in that area.  They would then have to rebuild their “houses” again when they found a new area that looked promising.  It took a lot of time and effort just to re-settle an area and be prepared to hunt and gather.  When an early human wanted to eat something, he just needed to go out into his farm, pick something, bring it back to his hut, and eat it.  Now that people had a consistent supply of food, they were able to build more permanent structures because they didn’t have to move around as often.

            A little later, the Mesopotamians had domesticated animals.  Once they had cows, they could have enough milk and use some of it to make cheese or butter.  This made life better for the people living in the Middle East.  If they were thirsty, they now had an option to drink water or milk.  The Mesopotamians also would be able to sell the milk at market to people who didn’t have any.  They could also have a surplus of meat.

            In “modern” times, during the Agrarian Revolution, Britain experienced some major changes in their farming practices.  People began experimenting more with fertilizer, and tried to breed larger sheep and fatter cattle.  They were trying to get a lot more meat and produce while only spending a little more money.  By making fences, the crops of a good and hard-working farmer no longer suffered from the neglect of neighboring strips by bad and/or lazy farmers.  Poor farmers were now being forced out of business because they couldn’t compete with rich landowners who owned massive tracts of land.

            As people developed from being simple and primitive, they also needed to learn how to farm in order to progress.  Once they had done this, they were able to advance and create larger buildings and better use their resources.