Timeline of agriculture and food technology Facts for Kids

Have you ever wondered how we got from hunting and gathering food to the amazing farms and food technology we have today? This timeline takes you on a journey through history. It shows how humans learned to grow crops, raise animals, and invent new tools. These changes helped feed more people and shaped the world we live in.

Early Food Discoveries
The Big Change: Farming Begins
Ancient Times: New Tools and Trade
Modern Farming Advances
The Green Revolution and Beyond
See also

Early Food Discoveries

Around 30,600 BC, people in southern Italy used a tool like a pestle. They used it to grind wild oats. This shows early ways of preparing food.

The Big Change: Farming Begins

The Neolithic Revolution was a huge shift in how people lived. Instead of just hunting and gathering, humans started farming. This happened around 8,500 BC in the Middle East. It changed everything!

Early Farming and Animals

By 8,000 BC, people in the Levant (a region in the Middle East) were growing wheat. This was one of the first domesticated crops.
Around 7,500 BC, many places in the Fertile Crescent were growing different crops. These included wheat, barley, chickpeas, peas, beans, flax, and bitter vetch.
At the same time, Sheep and goats were domesticated. This meant people started raising them for food and other products.
By 7,000 BC, farming reached southern Europe. People in Greece and the Aegean were growing emmer and einkorn wheat, and barley. They also raised sheep, goats, and pigs.
In Mehrgarh (modern day Pakistan), people started growing wheat, sesame, barley, and eggplant around 7,000 BC.
Also in Mehrgarh, cattle and chicken were domesticated around 7,000 BC.
Rice was domesticated in southeast Asia by 6,800 BC.
Evidence shows cattle domestication in Turkey around 6,500 BC. Some experts believe this happened even earlier elsewhere.
By 6,001 BC, people on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) were also domesticating plants and animals.

Storing Food and New Crops

Around 6,000 BC, a granary was built in Mehrgarh. This was a special building to store extra food.
The Céide Fields in Ireland are the oldest known field systems in the world. They were built around 5,500 BC. This landscape has large areas of land enclosed by stone walls.
In the Sahara Desert, around 5,200 BC, people domesticated local plants. These included pearl millet, sorghum, and cowpeas. These crops spread across West Africa and the Sahel. At this time, the Sahara was a green grassland with lots of rain.
By 4,000 BC in Mehrgarh, many more crops were domesticated. These included peas, sesame seeds, dates, and cotton. They also domesticated the Domestic Asian Water Buffalo. This animal is still very important for farming in Asia today.

Early Inventions in Farming

Around 4,000 BC, Egyptians learned how to make bread using yeast.
The first light wooden ploughs were used in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) around 4,000 BC.
Irrigation (a way to bring water to crops) was being used in Mesopotamia by 3,500 BC.
The first farming in the Americas began around 3,500 BC. This happened in Central Amazonia or Ecuador.
By 3,000 BC, spices like Turmeric, cardamom, pepper, and mustard were harvested in the Indus Valley civilisation.
People also learned about fermentation by 3,000 BC. This process was used for dough, grain, and fruit juices.
Sugar was produced in India around 3,000 BC.

Ancient Times: New Tools and Trade

Around 2600 BC, large-scale cutting of cedar trees happened in Phoenicia (Lebanon). The wood was sent to Egypt and Sumeria. Similar timber trade happened in South India.
By 1700 BC, the Babylonians developed a machine powered by wind.
A seed drill was used in Babylonia around 1500 BC. This tool helped plant seeds in rows.
A canal linking the Nile delta to the Red Sea was created around 1300 BC.
The first aqueduct (a channel for water) was built around 691 BC. It was about 50 miles long and brought water to Nineveh.
The Tunnel of Eupalinos, the first underground aqueduct, was built around 530 BC.
Around 500 BC, the moldboard iron plough was invented in China. This plough could turn over the soil better.
Also in China, around 500 BC, people started planting crops in rows. They used hoes to remove weeds and save water.
An efficient trace harness for plowing was invented in China around 300 BC.
A better collar harness for plowing was invented in China around 200 BC.
The rotary winnowing fan was invented in China around 100 BC. This tool helped separate grain from husks.
The multi-tube seed drill was invented in China around 100 BC.
By AD 200, the fishing reel was invented in China.
The distillation of alcohol began in China around AD 600.
In AD 607, the Chinese began building a huge canal system. It connected the Yellow and Yangtze rivers.

Modern Farming Advances

The British Agricultural Revolution ended around 1700. This was a period of big changes and improvements in farming in Britain.
In 1763, an international "Potato Show" was held in Paris. It featured different types of corn.
In 1804, Vincenzo Dandolo wrote important books about agriculture and sericulture (silk farming).
French confectioner Nicolas Appert invented canning in 1809. This allowed food to be preserved for a long time.
John Deere invented the steel plough in 1837. This made plowing much easier.
In 1866, Gregor Mendel published his paper. It described Mendelian inheritance, explaining how traits are passed down.
Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization in 1871. This process uses heat to kill harmful germs in food and drinks.
By 1895, Refrigeration was used to preserve drinks. It was introduced for homes in the United States and for businesses in the United Kingdom.
The Haber process, also called the Haber–Bosch process, was developed in 1913. It made it possible to produce ammonia. This meant fertilizers could be made on a large scale.
In 1960, aerial photos were first used in Earth sciences and agriculture.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) was first used in farming in 1988. This led to precision farming, where farmers can manage their fields very accurately.

The Green Revolution and Beyond

The Green Revolution began in Mexico in 1944. This was a period of new research and technology. It greatly increased crop yields around the world.
In 1974, China created the first hybrid rice. This was a big step in increasing food production. See Yuan Longping.
By 2000, Genetically modified plants were being grown around the world. These plants have had their genes changed to improve them.
In 2005, lasers started being used to write on food. This replaced stickers and helped track and identify fresh fruits.

Timeline of agriculture and food technology facts for kids

Contents