Agriculture and the Domestication of Humankind

As science and technology advances the operation of farming around the globe, humans likewise are responding to its overflow of food and agricultural supply.  Harari’s concept of the negative effect of farming in the human society from the past until today argues in terms of the theory that Agricultural Revolution allows the supply of food to overflow greater than the expected normal produce.  From 9500-8500 BC in the hill country of south-eastern Turkey, western Iran and the Levant the concept of farming emerge to elevate the supply of food in order to create a scientific concept that humans no longer need to hunt and find for food every day in the wild. 

Farm products such as Wheat, goat, peace, lentil, olive trees, horses, camels, and potatoes allow humans to crave more of the calories that the farming industry is producing every day.  The concept of Harari continues to view the negative side of agriculture that in the hunting and gathering stage of civilization mankind cannot survive if the wild animals and plants have less to offer to the given population.  Such that, if the population will not meet the amount of food supply from the natural resources around the ecosystem then eventually humans will deteriorate and die giving an almost equal amount of food supply from the natural habitat.    According to Harari’s journal that Agriculture is the biggest fraud to mankind that it tolerates over population to mankind by giving huge amount of calories to the world.  Take for example wheat, long time ago wheat is just a wild grass that gives a small amount of food to the village while today wheat farm can supply a city or one country and the world from a certain geographical area of the globe.  Farming encourages over population according to Harari.  Mankind tends to feel comfortable that food is enough for a family of ten if you have enough monetary power to acquire a land or the finished food produce available in the local food market. 

THE EVIL SIDE OF AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION:

The fact that human resource will give enough man power to the military from the past until today, super power countries before until today acquired more lands or even fight and invade more lands by conquering major cities and countries like the regime of Alexander the great, the war between the Roman Empire and Syria, Mussolini, and Hitler conquering the world during world war 2.  The craving for more lands is the fruit of Agricultural revolution given the fact that the human society feels the comfort and power given by the scientific agriculture to the world.  Undeniably, Hitler during world war 2 would like to eradicate the minority race to preserve the good race of the society.  Hitler is a humanist that in a way he wants to preserve the good race of humanity.  

Theoritically he wants to eradicate the Jews because in his concept the Jews are in a minority race.  Across the world the craving for farm land increases even in the tribal land of New Guinea. One village will fight with another village to acquire new farm land. Moreover, the defeated tribe will upgrade their farmers into well trained village armies to fight and reclaim their land.  Therefore, the concept of houses in England and Dynasties in China emerge from a simple agricultural revolution of the small village.

In our modern world governments today what can we do to control the evil effect of agriculture.  According to Harari, Agriculture is a Luxury trap given to mankind that until today we are so dependent with farming and we crave for more calories and power to attain the supremacy of Agricultural Revolution.


REFERENCE:

Yuval Noah Harari. 2011. Sapiens A brief History of Humankind. Vintage Publishing

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