History of agriculture

Agriculture was born with the ground setting from first seeds and of the domestication of the animals by the man, at the time of the Neolithic Révolution, there is more than ten thousand years. Since this time, this last sought to obtain what to survive, developing an agriculture of subsistence. Then, little by little, east creates for itself a Agriculture production and of trade, a true economic sector, a long time dominating, even single. Today, the organization of the markets, demography, the technique, the knowledge to make and the application of high technologies are placed at the disposal of the farmer to obtain levels of production ever reached in the history of the man.

Birth of agriculture

The the Middle East was probably the first area where agriculture appeared there is more than 10.000 years. Previously the economy of the hunters-gatherers reigned.

vegetable and animal domestication

Agriculture

The transition from a food economy (i.e. founded on the Hunting, the fishing and the Gathering), with an agricultural economics and of breeding, where the Man intervenes in the natural cycles of the biomass (for example reproduction and selection of the Espèce S), is commonly called the Neolithic revolution

One distinguishes several large hearths from domestication. Thus in Central America developed cultures such as the Maïs, the Haricot, the Courge, the Tomate, the Potato, the Tabac, and of many other vegetable cultures. The Africa was the hearth of domestication of the Mil, Sorgho, millet, and the East Asia of the Riz.

The first stage of the development was that of agriculture on Brûlis, consisting in clearing a piece by fire (allowing an enrichment of the ground), then to cultivate it one or two years, before letting nature take again its rights. This process is reiterated, elsewhere, the following year.

Evolution of agriculture at the time antique

See also: Agriculture in ancient Greece, Agriculture in ancient Egypt, Agriculture of ancient Rome, Treated ancient on agriculture

The current use of the arson like method of clearing, in dry Mediterranean mediums, led to a degradation of the medium and made impossible the use of this method. Thus, under the Antiquity, other agricultural techniques were elaborate resting is on the arairage (tilling surperficiel using a Araire, primitive plow) or on the Irrigation. Certain traditional civilizations, in Mésopotamie, China, Egypt or in the the Andes, particularly brilliant, one thus developped at the point of the systems of particularly clever irrigation, by generally using the rising of the large rivers.

The revolution of the year millet in occident

Around the Year millet, the crisis of the preceding system involved a new agricultural revolution and the rise of a new system. It rests in particular on the use of the Charrue, which makes it possible to turn over grounds heavier than the Araire. It is also at that time that systems complex of Assolement like the triennial rotation appear: all the pieces of a village are divided into three Sole S, put in culture simultaneously, and which turn each year.

These innovations allow in particular the development of the Forêt S of the moderate part of Europe: the clearings, essarts, densherings multiply as from the 10th century.

the agricultural revolution

From 1650, in Europe, agriculture begins a revolution in its mode of production as in the techniques employed in the Netherlands and in England.

Agriculture and modernity

In the etymological sense of the term, agriculture means “culture of the fields”. It is indeed about a traditional, fundamental activity for humanity. Until the beginning of the 19th century, it was autonomous, and provided to the man the essence of sound Alimentation as well as sound energy. This agriculture was renewable, as long as there was not overexploitation. The chain of energy conversion animal plants → → energy was of very poor yield, but it generated also useful Sous-produits like the Fumier.

Starting from second half of the 19th century, this thousand-year-old system basically will evolve/move, with the use of the fossil energies (coal, Pétrole), progress of the inorganic Chemistry and the introduction of the mineral Engrais.

The increasing use of modern technologies, progress as regards mechanization, the Genetic improvements of the livestock productions and vegetable, progress as regards Input S (plant health manures and products), made it possible to very strongly increase the outputs during the 20th century.

As of 1946, agriculture becomes in many countries an industry, which not only ensures the needs for the owner, but provides a surplus intended to meet the needs for the nonagricultural population as well as export. One speaks about Agribusiness. Subsidized by the CAP, European agriculture is even victim of crises of Surproduction, while the agroalimentary Filière determines the future of the sector partly.

The intensification of agriculture dating from the Années 1960 with 1980 is also known under the term of Green revolution. Because of the profits of Productivity, the farming population was strongly reduced in the economically developed countries.

The Pays in the process of development often could not profit from the advantages of modern agriculture because in particular of a unfavourable Climat and a lack of Capital financier.

The agriculture of today rests on fundamental concepts, based on the reliability and the speed of action. Combined problems such as the unexpected fall of the output or the abrupt increase in the temperature is solved only with one good rational control of all the components of the system of production.

Notes and references of the article

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