24. Origins of Food Production

When was the earliest agriculture?

12,000 years ago.

How much percentage of our evolutionary history were as foragers?

90%

Why is food production so significant?

Food production was a major change in our way of life. Our health conditions were getting worse. Our population was increasing but our diet was poor. Status of gender was lower for women as a result of food production.

What’s it like in a hunter-gatherer society?

They have high mobility, but half the kids die. These societies have very slow growth

What’s it like in a farmer (food production) society?

They have a more regular diet and no mobility issues. Allowing more kids to be born. They have faster growth due to the amount of extra hands.

Food Production

Activities that artificially increase plant and/or animal food yields. Being able to grow your own food. May include both animals and plants

Agriculture/Horticulture

Type of food production regarding plants (horticulture is a smaller scale).

Pastorialism

Type of food production regarding animals.

Aquaculture

Type of food production regarding fish.

Why do we make the switch from hunter-gatherer to farming?

Because hunter-gatherers use seasonally available resources, experiencing up and downs through the year. Food production makes everything consistent by evening out uneven availability. It provides abundance that lasts year-round. Also large wild herd animals become absent.

Genetic modification (food production)

Change in the physical characteristics of a plant or animal species caused by human manipulation.

Domestication

Turning an animal from a wild form to one more useful to people. It controls reproduction, to the point where the organism is dependant upon humans to maintain itself.

When does food production take place?

It occured during the end of upper pleistocene. Its origins lies in the upper paleolithic of the near east.

Broad spectrum revolution

A major shift in human diets and subsistence strategies where hunter-gatherers go expand from big game diets after they disappeared, to exploiting smaller animals (diet variety). Previously abundant resources disappear so all sorts of marginal and small-scale food resources begin to be exploited.

What are the primary food domesticated regions?

Near East, China, Mesoamerica

What are the secondary food domesticated regions?

Indus Valley, Southeast Asia, Andes, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern North America

What changed from wild to domestic wheat?

They changed it to have increased grain size, hard rachis and naked glumes.

What were some archaeological indications of agriculture?

Irrigation canals, specialized tools like sickles, grinding stone, ceramics.

What type were the most easily domesticated animals?

Gregarious animals, as the followed the lead of the dominant herd member

What changes between domesticated and wild animals?

Domesticated animals are usually smaller, up to 50% and are more docile.

Primary products

Products of an animal you can only get once. Meat, blood, hide, bone for example.

Secondary products

Products of an animal you can get repeatedly. Wool, milk, traction, dung for example.

What animals had consequences of domestication?

Wooling sheep and milk from a cow were an unlikely reason to domesticate. They came from domestication.

When was the first evidence of the plough and wagon?

During Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in 3500 BCE.

Why were dogs domesticated?

They were domesticated for their secondary products, being protection and safety. They were also the first domesticated animal.

Neolithic Revolution

Comes when new technological changes were needed like processing tools and storage facilities. They emphasized grinding rather than flaking. Leading to smoother, stronger, and longer-lasting edges although not as sharp. It had two different meanings, Technological and Behavioral.

Grinding stones (food production)

Tool used to grind grain.

Axes (food production)

Tool used to clear farmland

Adzes (food production)

Tool used for woodworking

Hoe (food production)

Tool used for tilling soil

Neolithic (food production)

The period in which food production comes into use. Domesticated foods are the main source of food. It had settled villages, ground stone technology, food production and ceramics. There was no metallurgy though.

Ceramics

Appear in the middle neolithic, the hallmark of the neolithic.

Fertile Cresent

The cradle of early state societies it spanned the middle east.