Hunting and Gathering vs. Agriculture

In this essay, the author

• Explains that adaptation is the process of changing something or changing behavior to deal with new situations. foraging is a common way of adaptation that people use for most of human history, but some people adopt agriculture to fulfill their need.
• Argues that hunting and gathering is the longest-lasting lifestyle for most of human history. progressivists suggested our hunter-gatherer ancestors adopt agriculture because of "its efficient way to get more food for less work."
• Explains that in the barren environment of the kalahari dessert, the present-day bushmen need only 12 to 19 hours per week to obtaining a diet rich in protein.
• Explains that agriculture is perceived as an advance because farmers can produce more food within a smaller area than they could possibly obtain as hunter-gatherers.
• Explains that hunter-gatherers use herbal contraceptives, plant and animal poisons, and mechanical techniques for abortion to keep their standard of living low. they also use infanticide and geronticide.
• Opines that people who adopt agriculture do not keep their population low, they need more population to help their relatives to plant and harvest their crops.
• Explains that high population density has its downside. people in agricultural societies tend to bear the risk of infection by many diseases because they have to trade with other crowded societies to satisfy their needs.
• Explains that agriculture brings class divisions because farming introduced the concept of land ownership and thereby, causes the elite become wealthier, but on the other hand, most people become poorer.
• Opines that hunting and gathering, as well as agricultural societies, have their positive and negative sides.