About Farm History
Agriculture arose independently in several parts of the world. Over thousands of years, people domesticated plants and animals, developed irrigation, improved tools, exchanged crops between continents, mechanized harvests, and applied genetics and chemistry to farming.
Origins of Agriculture
People began cultivating plants and domesticating animals thousands of years ago.
Learn MoreDomestication
Domestication changed plants and animals through repeated human selection.
Learn MoreEarly Irrigation
Irrigation supported farming in dry river valleys.
Learn MorePlows
Plows changed how people prepared soil.
Learn MoreGlobal Crop Exchange
Crops moved between continents through trade, migration, and conquest.
Learn MoreMechanization
Engines transformed farm labor.
Learn MoreAgricultural Science
Plant breeding, soil chemistry, veterinary medicine, and pest science became specialized fields.
Learn MoreGreen Revolution
Twentieth-century crop improvements sharply increased yields in many regions.
Learn MoreOrigins of Agriculture
Agriculture developed in multiple regions, including Southwest Asia, China, New Guinea, Africa, Mesoamerica, the Andes, and eastern North America.
Domestication
Wild grasses became grain crops, wolves became dogs, and many livestock species developed traits useful to people.
Early Irrigation
Canals, dikes, reservoirs, water-lifting devices, and seasonal flood management allowed larger and more reliable harvests.
Plows
Animal-drawn plows increased the area one farmer could work, while later steel plows were better suited to some tough soils.
Global Crop Exchange
Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, wheat, rice, sugarcane, coffee, citrus, and many other crops now grow far from their regions of origin.
Mechanization
Tractors, combines, mechanical pickers, milking machines, pumps, and trucks greatly increased output per worker.
Agricultural Science
Research stations and universities helped test crops, fertilizers, machines, and management methods.
Green Revolution
High-yield varieties, fertilizer, irrigation, pesticides, and mechanization increased food production but also created environmental and social challenges.