Agriculture is the process of tilling the soil, growing crops as well as raising livestock. It involves the preparation of animal and plant products for the end users as well as distribution to markets. Almost all the #food that people eat and fabrics that people use comes from agriculture. Things like cotton, wool, and leather all come from agriculture. Wood that is used for construction comes from agriculture, also, paper products come from agriculture.
There are so many different methods as well as products that are used in agriculture. The products and methods vary from country to country and region to region.
History of Agriculture
The development of agriculture has contributed to the upsurge of civilization. It is estimated that 2000 years ago the majority of the earth’s population depended on agriculture. people shifted to farming during those years, it is believed that climate change may have caused the shift as researchers are not sure why there was a shift to agriculture. Around the time that people shifted to agriculture, they started breeding and herding wild animals, these animals were domesticated and they became livestock.
The first plant to be domesticated was rice, rice was being cultivated as early as 7500 BCE by Chinese farmers. In the early days hunters used dogs to hunt, dogs became the first animals to be domesticated. Other animals that were domesticated after that were cattle and pigs. So many of the animals that were domesticated were once hunted for meat as well as hides. Farmers then started to use these animals that were domesticated for agricultural production. Oxen were being used for ploughing, pulling, as well as transportation.
The production of surplus food began when agri-culture started. Agricultural produce was now being used for trading as well as being used at a later time when crops had failed. Because of agriculture, so many villages were created. This was because farmers wanted to stay close to their farms. The villages that were created were linked through trade.
Agriculture developed at a slow pace over the years. People were using hands and axes to clear land for agricultural purposes. Agricultural equipment was then developed over the years.
Agricultural Machinery
Significant agricultural development began in the early 1700s for countries like Great Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. There were new inventions that would help in agriculture production. These new inventions increased agricultural production in Europe as well as European colonies. Food production also increased in the United States as well as Canada.
The most notable development was an improved horse-drawn seed drill invented by Jethro Tull. Farmers were sowing seeds using hands before the horse-drawn seed drill was invented. Seed drilling became a widespread practice in Europe during the 18th century. There were so many machines that were also invented in the United States. In the year 1794, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which reduced the time that was needed to separate cotton fibre from seed. A mechanical reaper was also invented in the 1830s