AGRI 31 - History of Agriculture

Agricultūra (Latin root)

from ager (a field) and cultūra (cultivation); the origin of the word "agriculture."

Agriculture (etymological definition)

the systematic raising of useful plants and livestock under the management of man.

Agriculture (systems definition)

the entire system that links the producers and consumers of food and non-food agricultural products.

Provision of agricultural supplies and services

the technical assistance and inputs (fertilizers, packaging materials, pesticides, seeds, irrigation systems, etc.) that support crop and livestock production.

Changing environments (in agriculture)

urbanization and other land-use shifts, decreasing amount of arable land, and a decreasing number of people engaged in agriculture.

Changing global climate

shifts in weather patterns causing droughts, floods, tsunamis, and flash floods that affect agricultural production.

Glacial Maximum

a geological period (roughly 110,000–75,000 years ago, lasting about 25,000 years) used as a reference point for when agriculture began.

Origins of Agriculture (guiding questions)

the questions of when, where, why agriculture started, and what types of plants were first used.

Theories on why agriculture started

(1) agriculture as a divine gift, (2) agriculture as a discovery, (3) agriculture as a result of stress, (4) agriculture as an extension of gathering.

Independent centers of origin of agriculture

agriculture arose independently in several regions: China, India, Central Asia, Near East, Mediterranean, Ethiopia, Mesoamerica, and South America (Andes of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay).

Evidences of the origins of agriculture

archeological finds (pottery), literature, and living plants/history used to trace where and when agriculture arose.

Characteristics of early cultivated plants

plants that thrive in disturbed (open) areas, have a short life cycle, and possess high competitive ability.

Elements needed to start agriculture

plants, man, and environment.

Hunting and Gathering

the pre-agricultural stage in which humans obtained food by hunting animals and gathering wild plants.

Cultivation

the encouragement of plant growth by humans.

Domestication

the selection of particularly useful plants (or animals) by man for continued cultivation/breeding.

Cereals

plants cultivated primarily as a source of energy (e.g., grains).

Legumes

plants cultivated primarily as a source of proteins.

Center of origin

a geographic region where a particular crop (or group of crops) is believed to have first been domesticated (e.g., India/Indochina/Pacific Islands, China, Near East, Africa, Mesoamerica, South America).

Endemic/indigenous Philippine plants

plant species found only in, or native to, the Philippines.

Abaca

scientific name: Musa textilis.

Pili

scientific name: Canarium ovatum.

Kapa-kapa

scientific name: Medinilla magnifica.

Jade vine

scientific name: Strongylodon macrobotrys.

Mussaenda

scientific name: Mussaenda sp.

Waling-waling

scientific name: Vanda sanderiana.

Lubi-lubi

scientific name: Ficus pseudopalma.

Duhat

scientific name: Syzygium cumini.