5.3 Agricultural Origins and Diffusion

5.
3 Agricultural Origins
and Diffusion
Objective and Essential Learning
Identify major centers of domestication of plants and animals.

▪ Early hearths of domestication of plants and animals arose in the Fertile Crescent and several other
regions of the world, including the Indus River Valley, Southeast Asia, and Central America.
Explain how plants and animals diffused globally.

▪ Patterns of diffusion, such as the Columbian Exchange and the agricultural revolutions, resulted in
the global spread of various plants and animals.
2
Agricultural Hearths
Hearth: The geographic origin of a trait, characteristic, innovation or other
concept. Remember, it is where something is “born.”
Domestication: The deliberate effort to

grow plants and raise animals, making
plants and animals adapt to human
demands.
Agricultural Hearths: The separate

locations in which groups of people
began to domesticate plants and animals. 3
Hearths of Agriculture
1. Central America 2. Andean Highlands 3. West Africa 4. East Africa/Nile River Valley
5. The Fertile Crescent 6. The Fertile Crescent 7. Wei-Huang River Valley 8. Southeast Asia
4
The Fertile Crescent (10,000 years ago)
● AKA: The Bread Basket
● Crops: Barley, wheat, lentils, olives,
oats, rye
● Animals: Sheep, goats, cattle, pigs
5
Southeast Asia (10,000 years ago)
● Crops: Sugarcane, taro, coconut, mango, bananas,
grapefruit, rice, tea
6
East Asia (9,500 years ago)
● Crops: Rice, soybeans, walnuts
7
Sub-Saharan Africa (7,000 years ago)
● Crops: Coffee, cowpeas, millet, African rice,
sorghum, yams
8
Mesoamerica (5,500 years ago)
● Crops: Sweet potatoes, beans, maize, chiles,
peppers, cotton, cassava, lima beans, potatoes,
tomatoes.
● Animals: Llamas and Alpaca
9
Agricultural Hearths
Independent Inventions: Occurs when a trait has many cultural
hearths; the idea that the trait developed separately without being
influenced by other cultural groups.
Commonalities Among Agricultural Hearths

▪ Fertile soil in river valleys
▪ Availability of water Huang He Valley (or in
English, Yellow River Valley)
▪ Moderate climates was the birthplace of
ancient Chinese civilization,
▪ Collective societal structures and for that reason is often
called “Mother River.”
▫ More food surplus = more population
10
The Diffusion of Agriculture
Historic Diffusion of Agriculture
1. Contagious Diffusion: Agriculture
first diffused to the immediate
surrounding areas of the hearths
through close contact and proximity
between farmers.
▪ Agriculture & animal
domestication originated in the
Fertile Crescent and then
diffused through Turkey into
Eastern Europe. 11
2. Immigration & Migration: Example of
relocation diffusion. As people migrate
they bring food, ingredients, seeds and
animals with them!
▪ Stimulus diffusion - As people moved into
new locations, seeds may not be as
prosperous due to different physical
conditions.
▫ Resulting in the adaptation of farming One study of archaeological sites in Southwest Asia and Europe
methods or crops using the suggests that agriculture spread from the locations at a rate of about
0.6 miles a year for a period of about 3,000 years.
agricultural knowledge the farmer had
12
previously acquired.
3. Trade Routes
▪ The Silk Road: Over 4,000 miles of
trade routes that connected China
with Europe with a variety of
different people interacting.
▫ Resulted in the spread of
plants and animals throughout
East Asia, South Asia, the
Middle East, Africa and
Europe.
13
▫ Contagious Diffusion
4. The Columbian Exchange
▪ The exchange of goods and ideas
between North America, Africa,
and Europe initiated by
Christopher Columbus’ voyage to
the Americas in 1492.
▫ Resulted in the spread of
plants, animals, and diseases
between the “Old World” and
the “New World.”
▫ Contagious Diffusion 14
Modern Diffusion of Agriculture
1. Green Revolution: Spread high yield
varieties of crops around the world.
For example, new varieties of plants
replace traditional crops in places like
Mexico and India.
2. Demand for Meat: Significantly

increased due to increasing wealth
across the globe AND the diffusion of
15
fast food chains like McDonalds.
Objective and Essential Learning
Identify major centers of domestication of plants and animals.

▪ Early hearths of domestication of plants and animals arose in the Fertile Crescent and several other
regions of the world, including the Indus River Valley, Southeast Asia, and Central America.
Explain how plants and animals diffused globally.

▪ Patterns of diffusion, such as the Columbian Exchange and the agricultural revolutions, resulted in
the global spread of various plants and animals.
16

5.3 Agricultural Origins and Diffusion

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5.

Identify major centers of domestication of plants and animals.

Explain how plants and animals diffused globally.

Domestication: The deliberate effort to

Agricultural Hearths: The separate

Commonalities Among Agricultural Hearths

2. Demand for Meat: Signiﬁcantly

Identify major centers of domestication of plants and animals.

Explain how plants and animals diffused globally.

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