Picture a family long ago, walking through the hills with everything they own on their backs. They follow the herds of deer and gather nuts, seeds and berries as the seasons change. For most of the human story, this is how people lived: as hunter-gatherers.
Key idea
Farming changed everything. Farmers had to stay near their fields, so they built houses and villages. A field could feed more people than the wild land, so the number of people grew. Extra food could be stored, so not everyone had to farm: some people became potters, weavers and toolmakers.
Farming began on its own in other places too: rice and millet in China, corn, beans and squash in Mexico, and potatoes in the Andes mountains of South America.
| Hunter-gatherers | Farmers |
|---|---|
| moved with the seasons | stayed in one place |
| lived in small groups | lived in villages, then towns |
| found wild food | grew crops and raised animals |
| carried few things | stored grain in pots and bins |
Worked example: Why stay?
- Crops take months to grow, and fields need care.
- Farmers had to stay near their fields to plant, weed, guard and harvest them.
Answer: Because they had to stay near their fields all year.
Common mistake
Try it at home
- Plant a dry bean in a cup of damp soil on a sunny windowsill. Keep the soil damp, not soaking.
- Measure and draw it every few days. How long until it sprouts? Early farmers had to wait and watch like this.
- Look in your kitchen for foods first grown by early farmers: wheat (bread), rice, corn, beans and potatoes.