Introduction to Agriculture (Agric 1100) Lecture Notes PDF

ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED Introduction to Agriculture (Agric 1100) Carl Michael P. Lim Department of Soil Science College of Agriculture Central Luzon State University Topic Outline Theories on the Origin and Development of Agriculture Sumerian Agriculture Aztec, Mayan and Inc...

ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED Introduction to Agriculture (Agric 1100) Carl Michael P. Lim Department of Soil Science College of Agriculture Central Luzon State University Topic Outline Theories on the Origin and Development of Agriculture Sumerian Agriculture Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture Chinese Agriculture Topic Outline Theories on the Origin and Development of Agriculture –Oasis Theory –Boserup’s Theory –Nuclear Zone Theory (Hilly Flanks Theory) Oasis Theory (Propinquity Theory/Dessication Theory) Defined by Australian archaeologist Gordon Childe (1892-1957) in his book, The Most Ancient Near. A core concept in archaeology, referring to one of the main hypotheses about the origin of agriculture; which postulates that people started to domesticate plants and animals because they were forced to, due to climate change.  Boserup’s Theory Developed by Ester Boserup in 1965 and postulates that the population at the end of the Pleistocene Age increased rapidly and people reached the carrying capacity (the number of people or organism that a given environment can support) of the environment, therefore agriculture was developed.  Boserup’s Theory Boserup believed that population growth is the major determining factor in forcing people to invent new ways to intensify food production. Given rising population pressure, people invented sedentary life in order to feed themselves.  Nuclear Zone Theory (Hilly Flanks Theory) Developed by Robert Braidwood, postulates that domestication must have risen in natural habitats of wild ancestors of domesticated plants and animals. In the Zargos Mountains of Anatolia, adjacent to the Fertile Crescent, he excavated Jarmo to prove his hypothesis and test Childe’s Oasis Theory. – Jarmo is a prehistoric archeological site located in modern Iraq on the foothills of the Zagros Mountains.  Marginal Zone Theory (Density- Equilibrium Model) Developed by Lewis Binford and Kent Flannery in 1968, which explains the emergence of agriculture as response to cyclical population pressure on the edges of the Nuclear Zones.  Marginal Zone Theory (Density- Equilibrium Model) The basic assumption is that human groups normally exist in balanced equilibrium with their physical environment, they don’t normally intensify their food supplies and live normally in a state of systemic balance where change is the exception. Thus, they keep their numbers below the carrying capacity of their food resource.  Sumerian Agriculture To provide an overview of Sumerian Agriculture, one has to know what their inventions were which contributed to the development of Agriculture. Their top-nine inventions include (i) mass produced pottery, (ii) writing, (iii) hydraulic engineering, (iv) the chariot, (v) the plow, (vi) textile mills, (vii) mass-produced bricks, (viii) metallurgy, and (ix) mathematics.  Sumerian Agriculture The Sumerian civilization begun and flourished between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (southern Iraq). Of all their inventions, the plow with the use of an oxen paved the way to land preparation.  Sumerian Agriculture The Sumerians ushered in the age of intensive agriculture and irrigation. Core agricultural techniques including large-scale intensive cultivation of land, mono cropping, organized irrigation, and the use of a specialized labor force created a surplus of storable food.  Sumerian Agriculture “Uruk” or the early Sumerian Period depicted pictograms of sheep, goat, ox and maybe ass, which are animals that had been domesticated. Alongside houses were gardens planted with trees and other plants. Presumably, potted plants were also part of the household. Barley, chickpeas, lentils, wheat, dates, onions, garlic, lettuce, leeks and mustard were grown, while cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were domesticated. Oxen and equids (donkeys) were the transport animals.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture Mayan and Aztec together with the Incan Agriculture, is known for maize production. These civilizations are located in Mexico, and in Central and South American between 1800 and 500 years ago.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture The Mayans were believed to be the first of the three great civilizations, estimated to be around 2800 years ago. Being located in the highlands, they built earth terraces or steps on the mountain side, which created flat lands for planting.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture In the swampy lowlands, they raised earth platforms surrounded by canals that drained extra water. In the dense forests, this was where they practiced slash-and-burn technique. This involved clearing the land by cutting and burning trees and plants, followed by planting crops.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture The Mayans are known for making the first corn tortillas. It is easy to conclude that squash, beans and chili peppers are other crops they planted.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture Incan civilization settled in the Valley of Cuzco in the Andes Mountains of Central Peru. Their empire expanded between 1440 and 1500, and included about 16 million people occupying mountains, coastal desert and low-lying jungle. Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture For agriculture, they have developed highly advanced terracing and irrigation methods to allow farming in difficult mountain terrain.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture The Aztecs’ center of civilization was in the Valley of Mexico, a huge high- elevation basin in the Sierra Madre Mountains. This valley provided a climate good for agriculture. Their capital and largest city, Tenochtitlán was where the Aztecs settled in 1325.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture They called themselves Mexica and became accomplished corn farmers, warrior and temple builders. The importance of maize to the Aztecs, was its storability. Their women boiled maize kernels and ground them into flour.  Aztec, Mayan and Incan Agriculture Aside from tortillas, Aztecs are known for their tamales; tamales are made by wrapping ground corn kernels into corn husks, then cooked by steaming. When yield of crops were bad or low, Aztecs ate frogs, shrimps, insect eggs and cakes made of algae.  Chinese Agriculture As in other countries, the cultivation of grain allowed for the settling of human civilizations, in what we now call villages. Ruins of Stone Age were found throughout China’s North and South provinces signifying that using tools have been practiced in their culture. It is not surprising that China had been one of the first countries to practice agriculture.  Chinese Agriculture Distinctive primitive cultures dotted the historical development of Chinese Agriculture: –Peligiang-Cishan Culture in Henan Province, where common artifacts discovered were millstones for husking millet Chinese Agriculture – Hemudu Culture in Yuyao in Zhejiang Province (date back to 6000 to 7000 years include rice, millet and spade like farm tools made of stone or bone); – There were indications of abundance of rice farming, as evidenced by the piles which was further described as long-grained non- glutinous rice. – These relics were also the oldest found in Asia to date.  Chinese Agriculture Yangshao Culture along the middle reaches of the Yellow River Maojoayao, Banshan, Machang- all three along the upper parts of the Yellow River, and the Hongshan Culture in Liaoning Province. Chinese Agriculture China was also known as the first country in the world to raise silkworms to make silk. There were proofs that during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), sericulture and silk- fabric production was already a matured technology. Chinese Agriculture Jia Sixie of the Northern Dynasties emerged as the leading agronomist of the time, authoring the first book on Agronomy in China with 92 chapters in 10 volumes entitled “Important Arts for the People’s Welfare”. Chinese Agriculture It was in the Tang Dynasty that China became one of the most powerful countries in the world with innovations in farming machinery (curved-shaft plow and bucket carriage) enlarging their arable lands.