Origin Of Agriculture And Agricultural Revolution

Origin Of Agriculture And Agricultural Revolution

Agriculture is the most important means of food supply and a major occupation for man and it is likely to remain so. It is an important source of raw material for industries like textile, food processing, leather, and rubber.

Agriculture was the top employer until the Industrial Revolution but since then it has been losing ground. Today it's shared in the labor market is negligible in developed countries but it still holds an important position in the developing countries though, even there its importance is decreasing. In international trade, the share of agriculture is impressive but not dominating.

The Origin Of Agriculture Become A Way Of Life

Man has lived on earth for about two million years and was a hunter and a gatherer in the beginning. According to a liberal estimate, the origin of agriculture took place 20,000 to 25,000 years ago.

In other words, man has practiced agriculture for only one percent of his lifetime. Agriculture then was an art known only to a few individuals and small groups and was not generally practiced.

In 8000 BC agriculture became a way of life in the valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris, the Nile Valley, and the Indus Valley. Some scholars consider this development as the origin of agriculture and call this the agricultural revolution as it was a great step forward.

The origin of agriculture had taken place in the Mesolithic times.

Agricultural Revolution Brought A Great Change

The advent of agriculture in the valleys of the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, and Indus has been termed the agricultural revolution. This brought about great change in the crops grown in agricultural practices and in the way of life.

The gathering of fruits and roots was replaced by growing seed plants like wheat and barley and it became possible to grow surplus food to store. This was primarily achieved by the use of the plow and by irrigation. 

Before the revolution shortage of food was common and the gatherers working full time could hardly escape starvation. The availability of surplus food made it possible for some to do work other than food production.

People gradually acquired skills in other professions, becoming blacksmiths, potters, traders, medicine men, etc. These services were located in central places as villages developed. Amid several villages, towns developed and these were connected with roads.

To run this increasingly complex life, a government was established, and a professional army was raised. Thus the agricultural revolution brought about a complete revolution in the lifestyle of the people.