History of Farming

HISTORY FARMING THE Since the first plants were domesticated, irrigation has played a vital role in the development of agriculture worldwide. Take a whirlwind tour of the history of agriculture and irrigation from ancient times to present day. THE ORIGINS OF FARMING CA. 9400 BCE Figs grown in the Lower Jordan Valley may have been the first domesticated crop CA. 8000 BCE Plant domestication begins in the Americas Earliest evidence found in Oaxaca, Mexico 4000-2000 BCE Sumerians invent the plow INNOVATIONS IN MODERN FARMING 1834 OR 1835 John Lane, New England, invents the first steel plow John Deere uses the same process for his steel plow in 1837 – and is widely credited with inventing it 1892 1862-1875 John Froelich invents the first The American agricultural revolution is spurred by the transition from hand power to horsepower gasoline-powered tractor 1940 1 U.S. farmer supplies food for 10.7 people · 1945-1970 A transition from horses to tractors spurs the next American agricultural revolution 1990 1 U.S. farmer supplies food for 100 people THE EVOLUTION OF IRRIGATION ..... ..................................... . .................. CA. 6000 BCE CA. 3100 BCE Egypt and Mesopotamia begin utilizing the natural flooding of rivers for crop irrigation King Menes of Egypt diverts the water of the Nile to create a lake - the world's first major irrigation project CA. 1500 BCE CA. 2000 BCE The Romans use cement pipe Artificial water-lifting devices are used in Egypt to irrigate vegetables year-round to carry water 1800 1872-1889 19.8 million acres worldwide are irrigated At least 10 types of sprinkler are patented x one million 1946 1935 The White Shower oscillating sprinkler Aluminum pipe for irrigation starts becoming the new standard appears on the market 1964 1964 1985 Dick Chapin develops drip irrigation Irrometer Company develops a moisture sensor Moist-O-Matic, one of the first plastic lawn sprinklers for underground, is introduced TODAY 600 million acres worldwide are irrigated x one million THE WORLD'S 5 MOST IMPORTANT CROPS Top consumer: Worldwide production, 2011: Top Uses Include: 1.79 BILLION TONS Sugar • Ethanol Bioelectricity CUBA SUGAR CANE 50.8 KG. 25.4 million hectares harvested per capita annually Top consumer: Worldwide production, 2011: Top Uses Include: 883.5 MILLION TONS • Livestock feed • High-fructose corn sweetener • Ethanol LESOTHO MAIZE 149.3 KG. 170.4 million hectares harvested per capita annually Top consumer (rice, paddy equivalent): Worldwide production, 2011: Top Uses Include: 722.8 MILLION TONS • A wide variety of foods and beverages • Rope and paper • Construction materials BANGLADESH RICE, PADDY 259.9 KG. 164.1 million hectares harvested per capita annually Top consumer: Worldwide production, 2011: Top Uses Include: 704.1 MILLION TONS • A wide variety of foods • Livestock feed and bedding • Industrial uses in alcohol, oil, etc. AZERBAIJAN WHEAT 207.5 KG. 220.4 million hectares harvested per capita annually Top consumer: Top Uses Include: Worldwide production, 2011: 374.4 MILLION TONS • A wide variety of foods • Livestock feed • Industrial starch BELARUS POTATOES 182.8 KG. 19.2 million hectares harvested per capita annually SOURCES http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/06.08/06fig.html http://archive.archaeology.org/9707/newsbriefs/squash.html http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/sumer.htm Seametrics http://www.lewisu.edu/imcanal/JohnLamb/section_9.pdf http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/farm_tech.htm http://www.irrigationmuseum.org/exhibit2.aspx http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/nile_01.shtml http://faostat3.fao.org/home/index.html#DOWNLOAD http://faostat.fao.org/site/609/DesktopDefault.aspx?PagelD=609#ancor http://sugarcane.org/sugarcane-products http://www.agron.iastate.edu/Courses/agron212/readings/corn_history.htm http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/rice.htm http://agron-www.agron.iastate.edu/Courses/agron212/readings/oat_wheat_history.htm http://www.potato2008.org/en/potato/utilization.html http://www.potato2008.org/en/world/index.html