The Pros And Cons Of The Agricultural Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution, more commonly known was the Agricultural Revolution, was an inevitable and evolutionary change for human kind. The domestication of plants and animals was detrimental to the development of man, and created the first civilizations: Catal Huyuk and Jericho. The Agricultural Revolution spurred the development of society, specialization and cultural diversity; however, critics argue that the domestication of animals and plants led to the Bubonic Plague and gluttony. Farming and herding have been proven, otherwise, to have not been associated with the Bubonic Plague, and instead to have improved the accessibility of food and led to the development of the modern world.

The Neolithic Revolution was a turning point. Before

the domestication of plants and animals the humans of the era were nomadic. These nomads were prone to not only the mercy of Mother Nature, but they had no permanent shelter. However, with the advent of the Agricultural Revolution, humans were now able to begin settling and creating villages. These villages and towns soon swelled to create the first civilizations such as Jericho and Catal Huyuk. As large cities emerged social system and caste systems were created, the first signs of society. With these civilizations came crop surpluses. Jared Diamond, an American scientist stated, “since crops can be stored, and since it takes less time to pick food from a garden than to find it in the wild, agriculture gave us free time that hunter-gathers never had. Thus it was agriculture that enabled us to build the Parthenon and compose the B-minor Mass” (Diamond 98). Also, they were able to erect buildings taller than one story. Most agree that agriculture is very beneficial; however, some critics argue that the adoption of agriculture resulted in one of the seven deadly sins, gluttony.
The Agricultural Revolution marred the beginning of a continuously negative downturn for the human race.

The domestication of plants and animals resulted in obesity, contributed to global warming, and some critics believe caused the Bubonic Plague. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention over 35%, equal to 79 million, Americans are currently overweight or obese (“Adult Obesity Facts” 1). This is due to poor diets. In addition, food is too easily available; according to the US Library of National Health and the National Institutes of Health, “the number of fast-food restaurants in the country now exceeds 280,000” and that “fast-food retail sales in the United States have soared over 900%” from 1975 to 2004 (“Adult Obesity Facts” 1). Not only are fast food restaurants ubiquitous throughout the world, their food contains a large quantity of preservatives and fillers. When an American diet is compared with a Kalahari Bushmen’s diet, Americans look like glutens. Bushmen consume and average of 2,140 calories a day whereas Americans consume 2,231 to 3,300 calories each day. Humans constantly had to scavenge for our food before development of farming, preventing the accumulation of fat, whereas, nowadays, humans do not even have to leave their cars to get a meal. Farming and herding has promoted unhealthy diets, and it has polluted the ground, air and water. Pesticides, used on crops, pollute water that animals drink, poison the land, and even sicken field

workers. On occasion, these pesticides even contaminate the food we eat. Farming has led to population density and some pathologists link the population density to have been the sole reason for the epidemic called the Bubonic Plague. Author of “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race,” Jared Diamond explains that “tuberculosis and diarrheal disease had to await the rise of farming, measles and bubonic plague the appearance of large cities” (Diamond 97).. The Bubonic Plague, better known as the Black Death has been estimated to had killed 75 to 200 million people. The adoption of agriculture has prospered an unhealthy and polluted society.
The Agricultural Revolution brought rise to the material-based life. With the creation of civilizations and population spikes, social change and technology inevitably accelerated. The betterment of tools led to more elaborate and larger monuments and buildings. Harvests usually resulted in surpluses, which led to the construction of food preservation buildings. In turn, allowing people to live more comfortably during the winters and crop shortages. In addition, having food surplus buildings as well as walled communities gave people a greater sense of security and they began to reproduce at an even greater rate. As time passed, farmers domesticated more and more breeds of crops, developing a more varied food supply. With the rise of many civilizations trade flourished, goods were sent all throughout the world making a more culturally diverse environment. Without cultivation our society would lack diversity in many aspects.
To summarize, the Agricultural Revolution was key to the development and prominence of mankind. Civilizations, society and technology grew immensely because of cultivation, and it has been proven that the Bubonic Plague had been dependent from agriculture. The world must thank those who took the risk, and decided to plant the first seeds of a more sophisticated and evolutionary race of human beings.