IE270 1st Edition Lecture 21 Outline of Last Lecture II. Farming systemsIII. Factors that determine farming systemsIV. 3 fundamental farming system categories V. DefinitionsOutline of Current Lecture VI. The origins of agriculture VII. 4 developments in hunter-gatherer societies that made conditions ripe for agriculture VIII.How humans began practicing agricultureIX. Animal domesticationX. Plant domesticationCurrent LectureThe origins of agricultureAbout 10,000 years ago several continents simultaneously began agriculture. The Neolithic revolution was around the end of the ice age where domestication of wild plants and animals that led to:- Clearing land to favor particular species- Protecting favored plants and animals from competition and predation- Deliberately intervening in sowing seed or breeding animals 4 developments in hunter-gatherer societies that made conditions ripe for agriculture1. Improved hunting skill and method which led to depletion of large game2. Development of skill, knowledge, and technology for collecting, processing, and storing wild plants which increased foraging efficiency 3. Competition between human societies4. Increased population densities which required intensification of food procurement How humans began practicing agriculture- The “Eureka” moment-Agriculture was clearly a superior livelihood These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Climate change- Early “urbanization”—challenges of providing for growing population- The “transition” model Animal domesticationDomestication=a genetic shift of plant and animal populations, making them better adapted to the environment created by human cultivation, but poorly adapted to their original wild habitatSymbiosis=mutually beneficial association between humans and domesticated species Animals are not readily domesticated if:1. Their diet isn’t easily supplied by humans2. Slow growth rate or inconvenient reproductive cycle3. Reluctance to breed in captivity (pandas)4. Lack herd instinct and social hierarchy Plant domestication results in:- higher yield- loss of seed dormancy- loss of bitterness - reduced branchingFor grain crops a crucial domestication trait was non-shattering seed
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