farming
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In many parts of Britain the evidence of former climates still exists. One of the more common features are terracettes or sheep walks. These are very small ridges or banks, caused by the down slope mass movement of soil. This occurs as a result of the wetting and drying of soil, the freezing and thawing of water in the soil, and the compaction of these ridges by animals, especially sheep.
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Open moorland and farmland, Dartmoor, England. Farming landscapes are very different to natural ones. They have fewer species of plant, and are more ordered and regular. As a result of the reduced biodiversity, there are fewer insects, birds and mammals. In contrast, natural ecosystems have a greater variety of plant species, which support a more complex food web.
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Dartmoor in Devon, England, is a high moorland area formed on a bed of granite. Stone walls characteristically separate farmland from the moor, and are a useful way of getting rid of the stones from the farmland.
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Dartmoor, in southwest England. A farming landscape forms the foreground of this picture, while in the distance the moor can be seen. Human activity has several effects on the local ecosystems: farming reduces the diversity of plants, insects, birds, and animals in the area, and mining (there is a quarry on the edge of the moor) removes both natural vegetation and topsoil.
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Farming near Ayvalik, on the Aegean coast of Turkey. Approximately half of Turkey's land area is used for agricultural purposes, and the most productive parts of this land lie along the Aegean coast. Here, small farmers and large landholders produce high-value crops such as cotton, olives, grapes, and raisins.
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Farmers, eastern Turkey. Half of the land area in Turkey is devoted to agriculture, and most farmers cultivate fairly small plots of land of less than 25 acres/11 ha. Produce includes grapes, olives, citrus fruits, tobacco, and cotton, as well as grains such as wheat, barley, and corn.
Business of cultivating land. Different approaches to farming can be classified in several ways: according to crop or animal combinations, for example arable farming or pastoral farming; according to the dominant product group, for example dairy farming or market gardening; or according to the overall approach or techniques used, for example organic farming or shifting cultivation.
farming - events
| c. 8000 BC | Syria | Domesticated wheat is grown at Tell Mureybit on the River Euphrates, Syria. |
| c. 7000 BC | Greece | Agriculture begins to be practised in the Aegean region. |
| c. 7000 BC | world | The Neolithic or New Stone Age begins in southern Europe, Asia, north Africa, and South America. It is characterized by polished stone tools, settlement in permanent villages, a more complex social structure, and the domestication of plants and animals. |
| c. 6800 BC | Middle East | The first evidence of settled existence in houses appears at the site of Jericho in the Dead Sea valley, Palestine, and settlement expands very rapidly. This can only be explained by the development of new agricultural techniques creating a complex irrigation system leading to larger areas of fertility. Such development implies a considerable degree of social organization and a central authority to organize a workforce. |
| c. 5000 BC | Italy | The wheat–barley/cattle–pigs–sheep agricultural complex reaches southern Italy. |
| c. 4000 BC | China, Southeast Asia | Rice is cultivated in China and at Non Nok Tha, in present-day Thailand. |
| c. 4000 BC | South Asia | Wheat, barley, peas, dates, and other fruits are grown in the Indus valley. Water buffalo, camels, and cattle are bred for food and as draft animals. |
| c. 3500 BC | Europe | The wheat–barley/cattle–pigs–sheep agricultural complex reaches Britain and Scandinavia. |
| c. 3100 BC | Egypt | The Egyptian king Menes has a large (15 m/49 ft high) masonry dam built on the Nile south of Memphis (Cairo) to provide water for irrigation and for the city. It is the first large-scale dam. |
| c. 3000 BC | Mesopotamia, Egypt | Irrigation canals begin to be built in Mesopotamia and Egypt. |
| c. 2650 BC | China | The wife of Chinese emperor Huang Di reputedly discovers how to produce silk, and the domestication of the silkworm begins. |
| c. 1800 BC | Europe | Neolithic farming reaches the Orkney Islands, off the northeast coast of Scotland, in the shape of a settlement at Skara Brae of well-built stone huts skilfully protected from the elements. |
| c. 1000 BC | Mesopotamia, Egypt | Human excrement, manure, and plant waste are used as fertilizer in Mesopotamia and Egypt. The idea of fertilization subsequently spreads throughout the Mediterranean. |
| 407 | Europe | Germanic tribes settling across northwest Europe introduce the cultivation of new crops, such as rye, oats, and hops, and the manufacture of butter. |
| 1840–1850 | USA | Wheat becomes an increasingly important cash crop in the USA; production in 1839 is nearly 85 million bushels and climbs to over 100 million bushels in 10 years. |
| 1851 | UK, USA | There is a record number of Irish immigrants to the USA, in the wake of the 1845 potato crop failure. |
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