Seth Adler Where Did Agriculture Originate? Began before recorded history. Origins of Agriculture. Agriculture ? Modification of Earth?s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals for sustenance or economic gain. Originated when humans domesticated plants and animals. Crop ? Any plant cultivates by humans. Hunters and Gatherers. Lived in small groups (<50). Large groups would use up more resources. Men hunted and women gathered. Based on archaeology and anthropology, not stereotypes. Kept peace by steering clear of each other?s territory. Less than a quarter million (0.005%) still hunt and gather. Spinifex (Pila Nguru) Australia?s Great Victorian Desert Sentinelese India?s Andaman Islands Bushmen Botswana and Namibia Invention of Agriculture