HISTORY OF AGRICULTRE

Hunter-Gatherer Societies

• Mentawai of Indonesia

Early Farmers

Iroquois Village in OntarioEarly crops included corn, squash, and beans

Start of Agriculture

• Estimated at 10, 000 years ago

• Fertile Crescent of Middle East– Earliest planned

harvesting and sowing of gathered plants

– Thought to have developed to make up for lack of game

Mayan Agriculture

TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE– MACHINERY –

First Seed Drill ~200 B.C

Grain Binder

Early Harvesters

Early Combines/Threshing Machines

Newer Models

GPS / Autosteer

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TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE- INCREASED SIZE –

TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE- SOIL MANAGEMENT –

Cultivated Fields

Erosion

Zero-till/No-till

TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE- PESTICIDES –

TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE- FERTILIZERS –

http://www.gardeninginfozone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/sources-of-manure-fertilizer.jpg

Synthetic Fertilizers

Trends in AgricultureTRENDS IN AGRICULTURE- BIOTECHNOLOGY –

Benefits of Agricultural Trends• Machinery

– Reduced manual labour– Allows for increased farm size/number of animals

• Increased number of plants/animals – More food to feed the world– Food is produced more efficiently (less manual labour for a greater return)

• Soil Conservation– No-till conserves soil moisture and topsoil– Impact of soil erosion is lessened

• Pesticides– Regulated according to higher standards– Allow for more selective killing of pests– Less food lost to fungi/insect/weed pests– Public education has improved

• Fertilizers– Increased crop yields

Negative Impacts of Agriculture Trends

• Machinery- Increased pollution from machinery emissions- Increased cost of equipment

• Number of plants/animals– Less care is taken of animals; look for quick ways to kill; animals are farmed like any

other commodity– Increasing land use results in a decrease of natural habitat (native plants and

animals) and decreased biodiversity • Soil Conservation

– Less cultivation means more reliance on pesticides to control weeds• Pesticides

– Used more regularly– Some uncertainty regarding long-term impacts

• Fertilizers– Run-off and eutrophication of water sources

Eutrophication of Water Sources