The History of Different Food Productions
Throughout history, the production of food has and always will be one of the most important resources in life. Though this generalization still proves to be true, the method of how food is produced has certainly changed throughout the years. From one of man’s earliest revolutions (Neolithic) to the Agricultural Revolution in Britain, these two food production revolutions have certainly had an impact political, socially, and economically on many societies and regions. One of the earliest and most important progressions in human history is the Neolithic Revolution.
This was basically a huge change in food production from man’s previous methods of hunting for food to being able to create food and live in one place rather than moving around according to how much food was available. In the Paleolithic Age, men depended on foraging, hunting, fishing, and trapping for their food supply. They often depended on a specific area to keep them from starving. However, in the Neolithic age, people were able to produce their own food, and rather than hunting animals, they domesticated them instead. A person was able to grow edible plants by themselves, and was able to continue this process time after time.
New methods of cooking and preparing plants were soon introduced afterwards. Animal domestication was a huge factor in the Neolithic living as well, domesticating animals meant that they were able to control their reproduction to select desirable characteristics and eliminate bad ones. Men were able to influence their choice of mates, which later resulted in breeding and eating the best animals. Animals were also put to work to help make the jobs of others easier. During the Neolithic Revolution, people were finally able to settle down and be civil with each other because there was a large abundance of food to go around.
Many had the opportunity to be social with their peers, which eventually led to the forming of complex societies. Another revolution that took place was the Agrarian or Agricultural Revolution. Taking place in Britain, the Agricultural Revolution introduced new methods of cultivation and stock raising. Fertilizers were more widely used, and many new implements such as the drill seeder and horse-hoe were introduced. Also, a more scientific system of crop rotation was brought in, which later resulted in the breeding of larger sheep and fatter cattle.
These techniques caused changes both economically and socially in life. If a landlord wanted to successfully implement the new changes, he needed full control of the land. The only problem standing in his way would be the old village system of open fields, common lands, and semi collective methods of cultivation. Therefore, the investment of capital was introduced since it was the only way of gaining improvement despite the many poor and custom-bound small farmers occupying the land. A series of laws known as the Enclosure Acts were passed, allowing the fencing together of all of a farmer’s land in the 16th century.
Since one landlord owned all of the land, there was less land wastage because the strips between boundaries could finally be used. Animal disease was also less likely to spread because separate fields made selective breeding possible. Farmers who failed to proved legal entitlement to the occupied land were eventually evicted, since most were unable to compete with large landowners. The loss of their jobs led many farmers to work in the city, taking any job they could find. Due to the high population caused by the Enclosure Acts, cities began to construct railroads, factories, and also introducing many new technologies. The Agricultural Revolution allowed for the development of a society as well contributed to the Industrial Revolution, which has changed the world itself greatly.
As new methods of producing or making food have constantly been introduced time after time, food production still remains a big part of a society or region. Shown through the Neolithic and the Agricultural Revolution, the way food is produced can have a huge impact both economically and socially on a specific region. Though both may have their negative effects, they none other the less have changed and revolutionized the world that we live in today.
