Why did humanity switch from hunter-gathering to farming?

[Trajan]

Interesting to wonder

Hunter-gathering is actually quite an efficient way of leading one's life. They typically need to "work" only three-five hours per day in order to provide for themselves and their kin.

 

[newworldafro]

Interesting to wonder

Hunter-gathering is actually quite an efficient way of leading one's life. They typically need to "work" only three-five hours per day in order to provide for themselves and their kin.

It's not so efficient, compared to regular shelter. While you out there in the woods cleaning the mammoth you just speared, sitting on a stump. There is a saber tooth tiger in the bushes like , "thanks pleighboi for cleaning my meat (pause )". You could be in relatively safety of a compound, versus a stump.

 

[Trajan]

It's not so efficient, compared to regular shelter. While you out there in the woods cleaning the mammoth, sitting on a stump. There is a saber tooth tiger like , "thanks pleighboi for cleaning my food". You could be in relatively safety of a compound, versus a stump.

Good point.

But from what I'm reading pre-historic farmers were not eating like that tho . They were more malnourished and diseased than their hunter-gatherer predecessors.

 

[MarcMan]

Being able to grow food and not having to risk life and limb every time you needed to eat changed the game. Agriculture also gave us more time to do other things such as invent ways to improve our quality of life. Agriculture is the bedrock for virtually all of the advancements and conveniences we take for granted today.

 

[Neil Tyson]

agricultural revolution

 

[Trajan]

Being able to grow food and not having to risk life and limb every time you needed to eat changed the game. Agriculture also gave us more time to do other things such as invent ways to improve our quality of life. Agriculture is the bedrock for virtually all of the advancements and conveniences we take for granted today.

I agree with all that.

But I'm more interested in the initial decision to switch over. It was more work and more malnutrition

 

[1 other person]

The hunter-gather society was nomadic by nature. Farming allowed people to stay in one place. Without farming there would be no such thing as a 'civilization'. We would be all nomadic tribes people still.

 

[ahdsend]

we was always farming on the motherland.... didnt really have to tho cause food was growing EVERYWHERE....

hunting is more of a cac european thing... when u in a ice cold climate wit no food you gotta eat whatever scraps you can get....

they was hunting all types of shyt... sometimes even other humans...

 

[CouldntBeMeTho]

Civilization wouldn't exist without farming breh. Ain't shyt efficient about hunting abd gathering

 

[str8up]

You're not going to be able to sustain a permanent civilization if hunting is your primary source of food

 

[Neil Tyson]

you'll find that families breed pigs and goats, and keep chickens to have them lay their eggs. That's pretty much a farm or grow their own garden.

 

[Mr.Big Meat McGee]

Humanity has never switched. They're are still hunter gather groups.

Farming is better in the long run imo.

 

[Elle Driver]

The hunter-gather society was nomadic by nature. Farming allowed people to stay in one place. Without farming there would be no such thing as a 'civilization'. We would be all nomadic tribes people still.

It's funny when you think about how some who come from agricultural farming to nomads and how some look down upon it. Especially in an area like Ethiopia where drought effects everybody, but in my opinion it would affect nomads first obviously. It's just not practical, but that's all people know and what they've built their lives around, herding livestock, and a nomadic lifestyle of moving from place to place. There's no constant place they live in, they're always moving around. My mother looks down on her nomadic roots in favor of her families farming culture because she thinks it's lowly. To others it's a symbol of pride, men are hunters, and having your livestock and herd is a sign of wealth. Masai are a good example.

 

[onlylno]

We're naturally lazy and are inclined to the most efficient way of doing something.

So Hunting became herding.

and

Gathering turned into growing crops and shyt.

The agricultural revolution gave long term solutions to our short term needs.


Yes, the first farmer probably got clowned by the hunters. But not for long.

Cause when winter comes, the farmer is at home chilling with his bytch around the fire.

While the hunter is freezing his nuts off trying to creep up on a hibernating bear.

 

[Trajan]

The hunter-gather society was nomadic by nature. Farming allowed people to stay in one place. Without farming there would be no such thing as a 'civilization'. We would be all nomadic tribes people still.

Civilization wouldn't exist without farming breh. Ain't shyt efficient about hunting abd gathering

Of course. That goes without saying.

Farming is probably the most important idea of all time.

However we are speaking from hindsight and seeing the consequences like 10, 000 years later.

For the initial hunter-gatherer....it would've meant more work. They weren't thinking of grand designs to spawn civilisation.

What compelled them?