There are mixed emotions about the agricultural revolution. Some believe it is one of the best things that happened to humans. Some believe that it, in short, was not. I am one of those people. Do not get me wrong, I am a big fan of the advances that have come as a result of the agricultural revolution. I am however not a huge fan of some of the social changes that it brought about, especially regarding attitudes towards women.
Before we entered the agricultural revolution we lived for over 2,000,000 years as hunter-gatherers. Many people have a misconception about this time period. They think it to be a savage period full of struggling to find inadequate food, starvation, and short unhealthy lives. This however is untrue. In a study of one of the few modern hunter-gatherer groups it was found that they had an average daily intake of 2,140 calories and 93 grams of protein (40 to 70 grams is a daily allowance). This same group also spent an average of only 12 to 19 hours a week obtaining food. That means that they are not only consuming a variety of foods and exceeding their nutritional needs, but that they also have quite a bit of leisure time on their hands.
Our entering into the agricultural revolution at first seems to be a move towards healthier living, but on second glance we see that it is just the opposite really. The first thing we notice is the change in life span. Before the agricultural revolution the average life was 26 years long. After the agricultural revolution it was 19 years. Unlike their hunter-gatherer predecessors, people of the agricultural period relied heavily on just a few starchy crops to provide their nutrients. They also preformed backbreaking labor to harvest and plant their crops. This led to malnutrition, anemia, and degenerative conditions.
Aside from the health issues that arose from their new found dietary habits, people in agricultural communities began to encounter the health hazards that arise from crowded living. Hunter-gatherers where nomadic so they left an area before their wastes could reach toxic levels. They also kept childbearing to a minimum so their communities were small. Farmers stayed in the same place as their waste began to build up, and due to the need for more hands in the field populations sky rocketed. This meant infection and disease could spread at an alarming rate.
The adverse effects of the agricultural revolution are not just limited to those affecting health though. Because of the ability to own possessions and cultivate individual wealth that settled living provided class and gender divides began to form. Those with more possessions where able to make their way to the top of the social ladder, and take advantage of less wealthy people. They often obtained the healthiest foods without doing any of the work. Women were also seen in a new light as the demand for more offspring rose. They soon became little more than childbearing vessels. These divisions eventually led to violence as people became either greedy for more or outraged by a higher standing person’s behavior.
What are your feelings on the agricultural revolution? Feel free to comment, criticize, and question.
Information obtained from "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race" by Jared Diamond
I am torn by both sides. The agriculture revolution has lead to some great advantages for man. Such as the cultivation and consumption of fruits/vegetables in any season. Also, the possibility of having any cultures food in any land. But, the over harvesting of the oceans to the extinction of sea life is definitely a down fall as well as massive fields of cows that have never even seen or tasted a blade of grass and the slow desecration of the wet lands. This probably leaves the souls of the hunters and gathers weeping for the future of our once pure land.
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