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The first known domestication of plants (grain) is believed to have occurred independently in Southwest Asia and in North Africa along the Nile River. This is not the first case of farming, rather just small areas where seeds were planted.
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Agriculture was the first step that man took towards becoming civilized. It developed slowly across different parts of the world, independently from each other. As agriculture developed, so did the development of civilizations. With a surplus of food, larger populations were able to be supported in a stationary place. This allowed people to spend their time improving in other areas, such as architecture and philosophy. Agriculture was the basis for civilization and remains an integral part of it
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The first case of the 8 “founder crops” (crops that helped to form the basis of agriculture) was found to have occurred in the Fertile Crescent region.
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Photo creditThe first organized farming communities in the world are believed to have arose on the Klimonas island in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Agriculture, in the sense that we think of it today, is thought that have emerged independently in Andean South America and on the island of New Guinea. Then from this time forward, emerged all over the world.
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Photo CreditBy this time, sowing and harvesting had reach Mesopotamia. The city of Sumer then began to scale up farming to well-planned systems.
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At this point, agriculture started to develop in modern-day Mexico. Although later than the rest of the world, it is thought to have developed independently.
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On the Iberian Peninsula, evidence points to the start of the domestication of plants and animals to have begun at this point.
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Photo CreditAt this point in ancient Sumer, agriculture started to improve quickly. The cultivation of land, a specific labor force, and cast irrigation helped to increase crop yield. This allowed for the quick development of the city because some people were free to perform other tasks.
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Sites in Ireland that date back to this time are believed to have been the oldest field systems. There were large plots of land surrounded by stone walls with different areas dedicated to different crops.
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Farming had developed independently in New Guinea and it was at this point developed irrigation systems independently from other areas.
