Farming has a number of advantages over hunting and gathering. For one, farming is more efficient in terms of food production. Agriculture allows for the cultivation of plants and animals, which can then be harvested for food. This is much more efficient than hunting and gathering, which relies on chance encounters with food sources.
Farming also provides a more reliable food supply. Since farmers can control what is grown and when it is harvested, they can ensure that there is food available even during times of drought or other difficult conditions.
In addition, farming allows for the domestication of plants and animals. This means that farmers can select for traits that are desired, such as tastiness or disease resistance. Over time, this can result in plants and animals that are better suited to the needs of humans.
Finally, farming has led to the development of civilizations. The first farmers settled in one place and began to build cities and develop complex societies. This would not have been possible if they had still been hunter-gatherers.
Overall, farming has numerous advantages over hunting and gathering. It is more efficient, provides a more reliable food supply, allows for the domestication of plants and animals, and has led to the development of civilizations.
From prehistory to the present day, we’ve heard the term “adaptation” which refers to changing or altering our behavior in order to deal with new circumstances. People’s adaptations of their natural environment varies depending on time, location, and tribe.
One of the remarkable adaptations is the development of agriculture. Agriculture provides more food than hunting and gathering, which means that people can settle in one place for a long time. Also, it is possible to have a food surplus, which can be used in trade or to feed non-agricultural workers.
Farming also has other advantages over hunting and gathering. For example, farmers can control their environment to some extent by choosing what crops to grow and when to plant them. In addition, they don’t have to spend all their time looking for food because they know where their next meal is coming from.
Of course, there are also disadvantages to farming. One is that farmers are more vulnerable to drought and other weather conditions that can destroy their crops. Another is that farming requires a lot of hard work.
Overall, the advantages of farming seem to outweigh the disadvantages. And it’s no wonder that agriculture has been such an important part of human history.
Foraging has been a regular way of life for most of human history, but because of population growth, some people have turned to agriculture in order to meet their food requirements. This essay will compare the benefits and drawbacks of living in hunting and gathering societies to those who live in agricultural communities based on Martin Harris’ essay “Murders in Eden” and Jared Diamond’s article “The Worst Mistake in the History Of The Human Race.”
The first advantage of farming is that it provides a more reliable source of food. In a hunting and gathering society, people can only eat what they can find or kill, which means that their diets are often limited and they may go hungry if they cannot find enough food. Agriculture, on the other hand, allows people to grow crops and raise animals for food, so they can always have something to eat as long as they have access to land and water.
Another advantage of agriculture is that it leads to increased population growth. This is because farmers can produce more food than hunter-gatherers, so they can support larger populations. This increased population growth can lead to the development of civilizations, as more people means more workers, which can lead to the construction of cities and the development of new technologies.
However, there are also some disadvantages to farming. One is that it can lead to environmental degradation. This is because farming requires the clearing of land for crops and pasture, which can destroy forests and grasslands. This deforestation can lead to soil erosion, as well as the loss of habitat for animals.
Another disadvantage of agriculture is that it can lead to increased social inequality. This is because farmers often have more food than hunter-gatherers, so they can sell their surplus for profit or trade it for other goods. This gives them more power and wealth than those who do not farm, leading to social inequality.
For the most part, humans have lived as hunters and gatherers for hundreds of thousands of years. Hunter-gatherers are frequently characterized as “nasty, brutish, and short” (Diamond 114), in addition to their way of life. Because of its efficient approach to provide more food with less effort, progressivists proposed that our hunter-gatherer ancestors embrace agriculture (Diamond 114).
They were not motivated by a desire to live better lives, but simply to ease their struggles. The advantages of farming over hunting and gathering are numerous. First and foremost, agriculture is more efficient in terms of the amount of food produced per unit of land. This is because farmers can grow crops in a much denser fashion than hunter-gatherers can gather wild plants. In addition, agricultural societies are less dependent on the vagaries of the natural environment. Farmers can control the water supply to their crops, for example, whereas hunter-gatherers are at the mercy of the rainfall.
Perhaps most importantly, though, is that farming allowed for the development of civilizations. The first cities arose in agricultural societies, as the surpluses produced by farmers allowed for the rise of a non-farming class of artisans, priests, and soldiers. These civilizations were able to develop complex political systems, writing, and other technologies.
In short, the advantages of farming over hunting and gathering are many. Agriculture is more efficient, less dependent on the environment, and it led to the rise of civilizations. For these reasons, it is not surprising that farming has been the dominant form of human subsistence for the past 10,000 years.
In contrast, as archaeologists demonstrate in some areas of their work, hunter-gatherer communities are not always “nasty, brutish, and short.” We should consider comparing hunting and gathering versus agricultural societies on the following topics: workloads, nutrition, production, starvation, infanticidal practices , health and disease, and disparities in wealth.
In terms of workload, agricultural societies have a back-breaking work schedule. They are required to work in the fields every day during the planting and harvesting seasons. In between, they must take care of the crops and animals. Hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, only need to work a few hours a day to get enough food for their families.
The type of food available is also different in these two types of societies. Agricultural societies have a more varied diet because they can grow many different types of crops. Hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, are limited to whatever game they can find or gather. This means that their diet is often lacking in essential nutrients.
Production levels are also much higher in agricultural societies. This is because they can grow more food than hunter-gatherers can gather. This increased production has led to a decrease in starvation. In fact, agricultural societies are able to produce so much food that they often have surplus.
Infanticide is also more common in agricultural societies. This is because families want their children to be able to work in the fields and help with the farm work. Hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, do not need their children to help with the work and so they are less likely to kill them.
Health and disease are also different in these two types of societies. Agricultural societies are often plagued by diseases such as malaria and typhoid. This is because they live in close proximity to their animals. Hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, are not as susceptible to these diseases.
Finally, there is a difference in wealth between these two types of societies. Agricultural societies have more wealth because they can produce more food. Hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, are often very poor.
