GGS - Chapter 8

The next important question is why did certain areas (notably the Fertile Crescent) develop farming much sooner than other areas (notably Eastern American and New Guinea) even though conditions and plant species were ostensibly similar? An important determining factor was the Mediterranean climate of the Fertile Crescent, with its long dry winters and mild, wet cold seasons. This prevented woody species lacking in domestication potential and favored annuals that produced large seeds (precursors of wheat and barley were readily available in the Fertile Crescent whereas the New World staple corn was a descendant of a species much more stubborn, making the transition to farming much easier).

However, the climate cannot be the sole factor, because similar places didn't independently develop agriculture. Notably, the large size of the Fertile Crescent Mediterranean climate and varied seasons favored a high degree of variation among annuals. This is compounded by the geographical diversity within the Fertile Crescent. There was also many more potential animals to domesticate there versus Mesoamerica. Finally, the switch to farming was made easy in the Fertile Crescent because meat had been over hunted and wheat precursors were readily available.

Some important clarifications. It is fair to assume that ancient hunter-gatherers had intimate knowledge of wildlife and used this knowledge to domesticate only the best plants available in the transition to farmers. This can be seen deposits made by early farmers. Of the several varieties of seeds found in certain digs, all were edible, even though poisonous ones grew nearby. This is proof of the beginnings of artifical selection for domestication.

New Guinea and American offer two examples of areas that didn't enjoy as early a start in food production and didn't obtain as robust production later on. New Guinea didn't suffer from a far more favorable lifestyle as a hunter-gatherer, but instead cereal diversity was severely lacking and the source of animals (chickens and dogs) came from Indonesia much later. Thus, food production was stunted by the local flora and fauna. American suffered the same fate, with the only domesticated crops being seeds with low yields and stubborn dispersal methods. A population explosion was only seen when they inherited the trinity of corn, beans and squash from Mesoamerica.