The Evolution of Agricultural Practices

Farming is a global industry that has evolved over thousands of years, since its inception in around 10,000 BC.

Learning about agriculture caused a great evolution of the human race, as people began to drift away from their traditional hunter-gatherer existence. They began building permanent homes, with a regular source of food and shelter, rather than being travellers.

While farming today is vastly different from the practices of our ancestors due to technological developments, it’s still not an easy life.

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In fact, the average farmer today works a 65-hour week, which is almost twice as long as most other jobs.

Early history of agriculture

Historians believe the first farmers existed some 12,000 years ago, during a period dubbed the Neolithic Revolution because of the massive changes this triggered in society.

Stone Age people traditionally lived a nomadic existence, travelling in groups and hunting to survive. Life was far from simple: archaeological research found that communities of between 40 and 150 people had to move frequently in search of food across ancestral hunting grounds. Some travelled more than 100 miles from their home area and usually every few days.

There wasn’t any one factor that heralded the birth of agriculture in various parts of the world. Climatic changes after the last ice age meant the environment became ideal for growing cereal plants. In addition, greater pressure on natural resources as the population grew may have led people to start growing their own crops.

Whatever the reason, these early farmers started a revolution that steered us to our current lifestyle.

Evolution of agriculture

The landscape changed as agriculture developed, with the cultivated fields and paddocks becoming different from the natural environment where animals and plants initially evolved.

The density of plants rich in nutrients increased, as did the genetic uniformity of crops. There was a general reduction in the diversity of species, as agricultural practices such as crop rotation and tilling began.

Different plant species evolved all over the world including wheat, peas and barley in the Middle East; rice in China; cereals in Syria; potatoes in the Andes; and corn in Mexico.

In the early villages that sprung up around farmland, homes were equipped with grinding stones to process the grain. A hard life, all the work was carried out manually.

Early farm animals including sheep, cattle, pigs and goats originated in the region covering Iraq, Turkey and Iran, where the Neolithic Revolution began.

The domestication of farmyard fowl such as chickens probably began around 7,000 years ago in Oceania and Southeast Asia.

Farming animals later spread into Europe, which changed our DNA forever. Before domestic cattle arrived, drinking raw cows’ milk made people ill. However, as farming expanded, a mutation in our genes occurred in terms of lactose tolerance. This meant future generations were able to stomach the nourishment of milk. Today, around 90% of people can drink milk without ill effects.

Historians believe that most people in some countries in northern Europe, including Sweden, are descended from the early cattle farmers. Civilisations and cities grew from agriculture and the worldwide population rocketed from around five million people in 8,000 BC to eight billion today.

Impact of Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries had the biggest impact on agriculture in history, as manual labour gave way to machinery.

At the start of the 1700s, farm labour was still carried out manually by people and animals, such as horses pulling a plough, for example. The first agricultural machine was a winnowing machine known as a “Fanner” invented by Scottish farmer Andrew Rodger in 1737 on the Cavers estate in Roxburghshire. It separated grain, straw, chaff and dust by using a hand-operated internal fan and steam power, replacing the ancient practice of harvesting wheat by relying on the wind to blow away the chaff.

Other inventions of the era included steam engines, which replaced the water wheels that were used to move grinding stones to produce flour.

By the end of the 18th century, engineers had perfected the steam engine so it could be used almost anywhere. A steam-powered threshing machine was invented, separating grain from the husks, by Scotsman Andrew Meikle in 1787.

The first mechanised reaping machine was invented in 1834, while mobile steam engines were used to pump out water from boggy areas, making them suitable for farming.

Self-propelled farm vehicles

Another milestone in agriculture occurred in 1894, when the first electrically powered plough was invented by the German Zimmermann company. There were two versions of the self-propelled ploughs, one with a 10 horse-power motor that could turn two furrows and the 16 horse-power version that turned four furrows.

The first motorised plough appeared on farms in 1915 after being developed by the Leeds company, Wyles Motor Plough. This was the forerunner of the GPS-enabled agricultural equipment available today.

In the 21st century, technology helps every aspect of farming by improving sustainability. This includes optimising the use of the land, water, fertiliser, fuel and pesticides. Farmers are reducing their environmental impact while still being able to produce the vast amounts of food the growing world population needs.

Challenges faced by farm workers

The fact that farmers continue to work a 65-hour week, even with the growth of technology, shows what a tough life it is. Faced with challenges such as fatigue due to the sheer volume of work, there are still safety concerns – something that has always been a problem in agriculture.

Today, organisations such as the UK Health and Safety Executive monitor working conditions and highlight the need for comfortable and safe working environments, especially as farms continue to evolve and embrace technological advancements.

In modern times, there has also been a growing movement towards cruelty-free practices for farm animals. They are now protected by welfare legislation, with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 being the principal law relating to their wellbeing.

The concept of rubber matting, such as cow mats, evolved during the 20th century as a modern solution to enhance farm flooring, improving the living conditions of the livestock.

During the 1970s, animal matting became more widely used in agriculture across the UK. It can improve the health and comfort of various farm species including horses, cattle and goats.

Good quality rubber mats will provide extra insulation and cushioning on hard concrete floors and can help to reduce the cost of animal bedding such as straw by 80%, making them a popular choice for modern agricultural businesses.