The first farmers occupied several regions, and all of

them produced great civilizations. In the middle

East: the space between the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers. In
Africa: Egypt, along the Nile River. In China: the
Yellow River basin. In India: the Indus River Valley. In
America: Mexico and Peru.
It is probably no coincidence that the beginning of agriculture 10,000 years
ago coincided with the end of the last Ice Age. As the Earth warmed, the ice
sheets that covered much of northern Eurasia and North America melted,
releasing vast amounts of fresh water.
Southwest Asia, the region where agriculture emerged. The dashed blue line delimits the belt
of the Zagros Mountains, along which the first crops originated.
The first crops were wheat and barley in Mesopotamia and
Egypt; corn was grown in Mesoamerica and rice in East Asia.
During this period, trade was born, since what was left over from the harvest was
exchanged for other products. Trade also led to the division of labor, meaning that
people began to specialize in their activities.
Little by little, the population increased and every day more and more varied
foods were required.
An important crop for ancient civilizations and maintained profusely throughout time, are natural
fibers such as cotton, linen, silk or wool. Most of them are older than 2,000 BC. During this period,
linen and silk were widely used in China. Today, cotton is one of the most produced and
manufactured fibers for use in the textile industry.
Agriculture also made science and technology advance. For
example, during the first years, man used animals and utensils
made of wood and stones to work the fields. Little by little tools
were created
more modern and
powerful
 Chronology of farming, cattle raising and fishing

2011. Humanity reaches 7 billion people living and feeding on the

planet.

12,500-11,500 BC In what is now Türkiye, humans begin to encourage the

2009. Experimental
growth of plants that are useful to them, harvesting them in large
The pioneer in 12,500 BC This world map shows the forests and models of robots for watering, harvesting and spraying The canvas in 2011. As you can see, the growth of agriculture,
quantities, and to round up wild animals to
crops begin to be developed. livestock and cities has taken up many of the spaces that were
jungles before man invented agriculture and livestock get used to their presence. This is how we
I Population: 6 billion~| 2000 - 2010. GMOs are present
begin to influence the evolution of species. occupied by forests and jungles in prehistory.
Population; in most high-income countries.
less than 1 million
1994. The first genetically modified food, a variety of tomato called
Population: 5 billion
Flavr Savr, is marketed.
11,500- 8,500 BC The planet is going through a
period of global cooling. In response, humans are 1950 -1970. Mechanization of the countryside, pest control, fertilization and improvements in agriculture and

increasingly turning to agriculture as a way to livestock farming increase productivity, especially in the richest countries. The so-called Green Revolution

secure their food supply. Little by little he is brings these advances to low- and middle-income countries.

becoming sedentary. 1940-1950. Artificial pesticides are invented for pests that affect plants and animals. DDT stands
out, which was later banned because it was dangerous to health.

Although the first traces come from the

1930-1940. English companies create the first artificial fertilizer,
Middle East, agriculture was reinvented at Population: 2 billion
which quickly and cheaply provides the nutrients necessary for
least three times independently: in
plants to grow.
Turkey, China and America.
190 0 -1999. There are more changes to
agriculture and livestock than in the rest of
history.
8,500 BC In Türkiye, a crop is In 1892 the gasoline tractor was invented.
domesticated for the first time: rye. Over Many other machines are created for
the next thousand years, more crops sowing, spraying, harvesting and cleaning
were domesticated: lentils, chives, the crop or sorting the harvested goods,
wheat, as well as animals: pigs, donkeys, making agricultural tasks faster and more
goats and sheep. efficient.

1864 AD The first

7,500 BC Crop rotation is invented: a
commercial fish farm
crop is planted in one cycle and the
is established
land is left to rest in the following
in the United States.
cycle, so that it can recover its
nutrients. Otherwise the land would
1600-1850 AD Social and political changes are generating major changes in land
be depleted to the point of being
ownership in much of the world. In some places these changes favour small private
useless.
property, which in turn leads to an increase in productivity. Many peasants become
7,000- 6,000 BC The pumpkin is domesticated in unemployed and go to live in the cities, where they become workers and participate in
Mexico and the potato in Peru. In America there are the Industrial Revolution.
no animals suitable for pulling, so the technique of
Populati
animal-drawn ploughing, which makes agriculture on: 1500 AD With the discovery of America } corn, potatoes,
more productive, is never developed. 4-5 tomatoes, etc. were brought to the world. W
million
tobacco, beans, avocado, strawberry, cocoa, peanuts and
turkeys, among others. The world is becoming *3- global

3,000 BC The first civilizations appear: Sumeria, in what is now Iraq; and crops, livestock varieties and farming techniques are beginning to become (

and Ancient Egypt, in North Africa. Both are agrarian societies made standardized.

up of sedentary inhabitants.

2,500 BC First evidence of artificial fish farming in China.

1300-1400 AD
Population: 50 million Population: 400 million Advances in agriculture
create so many
1,000 BC The introduction of iron into agricultural
700 -1250 AD Muslim culture is a source of inventions surpluses that cities
tools begins, making them more resistant and
and agricultural knowledge, and serves as a bridge begin to experience high
speeding up the work. From this point on, small
for a great exchange of crops between the Far East growth. Trade and crafts
improvements to agriculture began to accumulate: 180 BC The Greeks wrote
(China and India) and Europe. Some of them were are becoming
first oxen were used and later, with the invention of the first treatise on fishing
sorghum (from Africa to the East), mango, rice, cotton increasingly important.
the horseshoe, horses, which were faster at work. for which there is
or sugar cane (from the East to Europe).
evidence, called
Halieufíca.
Historically, agriculture is perhaps one of the activities that changed the course of humanity,
moving from nomadism to sedentarism.

It is perhaps one of the pillars of the economy of many nations; its importance as a driving force
for development is highlighted, as is production for domestic consumption and food security for
the population, the resulting employment and the possibility of international trade with the
consequent generation of foreign currency.

Precarious agricultural countries employ labour in various agricultural activities (land preparation,
sowing, crop management, harvesting and marketing).
Agriculture underpins food security in all countries around the world and
forces governments to establish plans and programs that guarantee an
adequate supply of nutrients for the consumption of millions of human beings
who depend, directly or indirectly, on agriculture.
 AGRICULTURE AND AGRONOMY

Agriculture is made up of the sum of two parts: the term agri, which is synonymous with
“cultivation field,” and the concept culture, which can be translated as “cultivation or
cultivated.”
Agriculture is the tilling or cultivation of land and includes all work related to soil treatment
and the planting of vegetables.

Agricultural activities are usually aimed at food production and the obtaining of vegetables,
fruits, vegetables and cereals. Agriculture involves the transformation of the environment to
satisfy human needs.
Agronomy comes from the Latin ager meaning field and the Greek nomos
meaning law. According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, it is
the “Set of knowledge applicable to the cultivation of the land, derived from
the exact, physical and economic sciences.”
AGRONOMY
It is the branch of science that is responsible for
systematizing knowledge of various applied
sciences, focused on improving the quality of
production processes and the transformation of
agricultural products. It is based on scientific and
technological principles, and is responsible for
studying the physical, chemical, biological,
economic and social factors that intervene in the
production process.
Its object of study is the complex phenomenon or social process of the agro-
ecosystem, understanding this as the specific model of human intervention
in nature, for the purposes of producing food and raw materials. Agronomy
integrates and contributes scientific and technical achievements to the
agricultural process.
 Agrono Agricult
my from the Latin ager
Etymologically it comes Etymologically it ure
is composed of the
which means field and from the Greek νόμος, Latin agri which has to do with the
nomos which means law. Agronomy is the set field and culture which means to
of knowledge of various applied sciences that
govern the practice of agriculture and cultivate.
livestock.
Systemic Without a
approach systemic
approach
Scient Empiri
ist cal

Cutting-edge Traditional
technology technology
Although many of the basic steps of farming remain the same – tilling, planting, harvesting,
raising animals and marketing – growing and farming techniques have changed
substantially over the years. Today's farmers have had to become more aware of costs and
benefits, and pay much more attention to performance and business management. This is
the great leap from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture or Agronomy as a science.
 ANDEAN AGRICULTURE

The pre-colonial era is the time when Andean agriculture

was born, practiced by the people who 10,000 years ago
lived in what are today the territories in which the Andean
countries are located: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia
and Chile. In this region, remains of (Phaseolus vulgaris)
dating back 10,000 years and (Solanum tuberosum)
dating back 8,000 years were found.
Several authors point out that, in Andean Tropical America, before the arrival of the
Europeans, some 300 plant species had already been domesticated, including food, medicinal,
stimulant, condiment, textile, fodder, etc.

The agriculture of these people was based on a deep knowledge and respect for nature, on the
systems and cultivation tasks of cosmobiological agriculture that implied the control of pests
and plant diseases. Mixed crops, crop rotation, sowing at the right time, and the use of
resistant varieties are therefore ideal strategies for avoiding and controlling the proliferation of
harmful insects, fungi and bacteria.
The Andean ancestors were very knowledgeable in the use of resistant species and
varieties. The main crops had a bitter taste and acted as
a repellent, such as quinoa, lupine, amaranth, and oca,
which were little or not at all desired by animals, birds,
and insects.
Bush beans, squash, zambo and some varieties of corn, due to the texture and hairiness of
their leaves, were real traps for aphids and mites. Some potatoes, considered wild today in
Bolivia, have a defense mechanism in their leaves against invading insects, consisting of a
true jungle of hairs with sticky tips where aphids are trapped before they can reproduce or
attack plant tissues.
Mixed crops or polycultures of three or more species, including legumes and
grasses, was another practice carried out to maintain soil fertility, protect it
from erosion, prevent the proliferation of pests and diseases, control weeds,
prevent the soil from drying out and counteract frost.
•
The planting of aromatic and repellent plants to attract beneficial insects and repel pests were
known and routine practices in pre-Hispanic agriculture. Also the macerations, infusions and
knowledge of vegetables that, mixed with water,
were applied directly to the crops.
The Spanish conquest imposed new forms of cultivation, underestimating and discarding the deep knowledge
accumulated throughout history by the original settlers:

He brought new ways of working the land.

He imposed monocultures (wheat, barley, vegetables, grapes, sugar cane), without understanding the
geographical environment and its fragility.

Not taking into account the incompatibility between the terraces and the sheep, or between them and the yoke of
plough.

He brought new species of animals (cattle, sheep, goats, horses) that displaced native animal species.

He imposed different production patterns

During the colonial era, ancestral knowledge continued to be ignored and imported patterns were imposed:

Continued degradation of natural resources

He continued with the imposition of a cultural pattern that overvalued imported species (from Spain) compared
to native species.

This pattern, which is still very ingrained, considers, for example, that barley or wheat are superior to quinoa
(the latest scientific research indicates that quinoa is a superior food).

The best use of pastures by llamas has been proven, without any harmful action on the soil.

It gave way to the creation of the hacienda

 system. Spanish colonization put an end to the principles, techniques and cultural practices of Andean
agriculture. Not only was the monoculture system of plant species from other latitudes imposed, but the
cultivation of native species that were not to their liking was also prohibited.
Extensive agriculture based on monoculture and extensive exploitation of the land, without
pest control techniques, lasted until the beginning of the seventies of the twentieth century
(only bananas were managed with the principles of modern agriculture) when the process of
modernization of agriculture began and there was a transition from extensive to intensive
agriculture, applying the principles and techniques of the green revolution. Native and
introduced species are genetically improved, fertilizers are used, and agrochemicals are
introduced to control pests and diseases.