Lesson 2: “Learning to Farm and Raise Animals” pp.59-62
Key Terms & People:
1. domesticate
2. agriculture
3. slash-and-burn
4. irrigation
I Beginnings of Agriculture
A. By 9,000 B.C. humans domesticated sheep, goats, etc…
1. Used meat & milk for food
2. Used skins and furs for clothing & shelter
3. Used bones for tools
a. Harpoons, needles, etc…
B. By 8,000 B.C. Agricultural revolution
1. Humans learned to change their environment
a. Hunter-gatherers to farming
i. Plant seeds to raise crops
ii. Created many tools for farming
d. Slash-and-burn agriculture
i Cut and burn to clear land to farm
ii When soil was ruined farmers moved to new land
C. New tools  Better farming  Permanent settlements
1. Farming villages developed in river valleys w/ rich soil
a. Fertile soil = better crops
b. Villages grew to several thousand people
c. Advantages & disadvantages to big villages
i. Food was plentiful
ii. Better protection against invaders
iii Risks of fire, disease, & floods
II Farming around the world
A. Farming in river valleys w/ available water
B. African farmers 1st to use irrigation systems to water crops
C. Farming in Americas later than around the world
D. Farming  Settlements  Population growth