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How did man start cultivation
Farming began c. 10,000 BC on land that became known as the FERTILE CRESCENT. Hunter-gatherers, who had traveled to the area in search of food, began to harvest (gather) wild grains they found growing there. They scattered spare grains on the ground to grow more food.

TIME LINE OF EARLY FARMING

9000 BC     Wheat/barley, Fertile Crescent
8000 BC     Potatoes, South America
7500 BC     Goats/sheep, Middle East
7000 BC     Rye, Europe
6000 BC     Chickens, South Asia
3500 BC     Horse, West Asia
3000 BC     Cotton, South America
2700 BC     Corn, North America

In the Fertile Crescent, farmers grew tall, wild grasses, including an early type of barley, and primitive varieties of wheat called emmer and einkorn. These naturally produced large grains (seeds) that were tasty and nourishing. In other parts of the world, between 8000 BC and 3000 BC, farmers discovered how to domesticate their own local plants and animals.By around 9000 BC, people were storing grains during the winter, then sowing them in specially cleared plots. By 8000 BC, the farmers had discovered which grains gave the best yields and selected these for planting. They produced more food than they needed and were able to feed non-farmers such as craft workers and traders. The farmers exchanged their food for various kinds of useful or decorative goods.


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