What was a major effect of the development of agriculture?
The development of agriculture enabled societies to produce surpluses, which allowed for division of labor. This, in turn, led to varying degrees of social stratification, as well as wars with neighboring peoples over fertile lands.
How did agriculture affect evolution?
As agriculture developed, the environment of the field and paddock became increasingly differentiated from that of the natural environments in which plants and animals originally evolved. Extensive agriculture has also seen similar major changes that have resulted in significant increases in yield and productivity.
What are the impacts of crop domestication to farmers?
Crop domestication is the process of artificially selecting plants to increase their suitability to human requirements: taste, yield, storage, and cultivation practices. There is increasing evidence that crop domestication can profoundly alter interactions among plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies.
How did agriculture allow for the development of civilization?
When early humans began farming, they were able to produce enough food that they no longer had to migrate to their food source. This meant they could build permanent structures, and develop villages, towns, and eventually even cities. Closely connected to the rise of settled societies was an increase in population.
Why is agriculture important to human history?
Agricultural communities developed approximately 10,000 years ago when humans began to domesticate plants and animals. By establishing domesticity, families and larger groups were able to build communities and transition from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle dependent on foraging and hunting for survival.
How did the domestication of animals affect people’s lives?
Animal domestication changed a great deal of human society. It allowed for more permanent settlement as cattle provided a reliable food and supply source. A downside to domestication was the spread of diseases between humans and animals that would have otherwise jumped between species.
Why is crop domestication important?
Plant domestication fundamentally altered the course of human history. The adaptation of plants to cultivation was vital to the shift from hunter–gatherer to agricultural societies, and it stimulated the rise of cities and modern civilization.
