The Origins of Food Production: Plant and Animal Domestication

How have humans collected food for most of history?

By hunting and gathering.

What caused people to rely on agriculture?

People began to choose and plant crops that resulted in the most food, domesticating them. People also domesticated animals to have a reliable food source.

How did human settlement patterns change as a result of agriculture?

Groups began to build permanent, not just seasonal, settlements, since they didn’t have to travel with their food. They also settled in areas more suitable for agriculture, such as the Fertile Crescent in Asia.

What are some consequences of agriculture?

The population increased, people degraded their environments, people’s workload increased, and cultures developed wealth inequality and social stratification. 

What is domestication?

Human intervention in the natural processes and development of living organisms that results in permanent genetic/biological changes desirable to humans.

What is agriculture?

The art and science of cultivating domesticated plants and animals to feed human populations.

What are the theories for the development of agriculture?

Oasis theory (climate change forced people to oases, where agriculture flourished), Demographic pressure theory (population growth forced people to adapt and develop agriculture), Feasting Model (People produced a lot of food for feasts), and the Evolutionary Model (Plants naturally evolved to be beneficial to humans). 

What is an invasive species?

A species that isn’t native to a location and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm to an economy, the environment, or human health. 

What are the origins of animal domestication?

Taming (introducing animals gradually to humans), training (teaching an animal to react a certain way to a specific condition or stimuli), and captive breeding (collecting animals to maximize production and survival).