Food Anthropology Background
1. When did agriculture begin? How did it change human civilizations?
Agriculture technically began around 11,000 BCE, and by 5,000 BCE was in wide effect on every populated continent except for Australia. Farming was more work in some areas, but generally yielded 10 to 100 times the calories that hunting and gathering did, providing one stable food supply that could feed more people than hunting and gathering could. Agriculture allowed - and actually required - nomadic tribes to consolidate around patches of land, and towns and cities evolved. As farming began to produce surpluses of food, some people became free to pursue other interests, such as politics - at first, simply overseeing the distribution of food - and the arts, literature, and technology.
2. Between 1650 and 1850, something happened to the world’s population: what was it? What enabled this to happen, according to the article?
“Between 1650 and 1850, the population more than doubled, from roughly 550 million to 1.2 billion (Johns Hopkins).” The use of animal manure as fertilizer, among other practices, began by the 17th century, and these increased crop yields, which in turn spurred a rise in population that actually overtook the food supply, leaving much of the world in famine. Eventually, though, corn, sweet potatoes, cassava, and other foods from the Americas spread across the globe, helping to stave off malnutrition and disease.
3. Briefly describe industrialization and mechanization in the U.S. agricultural system in the early 1900s.
In the early 1900s, some Americans believed that farmers, who at that time constituted over half of all Americans, should be freed from the farm and set to work in the offices and factories. Up until around World War II, most U.S. farmers grew multiple types of crops and livestock on diversified farms. In an attempt to make the food industry more efficient, specialization was introduced; this allowed each farm to focus solely on one crop and become efficient at raising that crop. This is similar to the assembly line approach to manufacturing. This specialization caused many farm jobs to become routine, allowing them to be done more quickly and cheaply by machines. In addition to this, in an attempt to make farming more expedient, the food industry grew reliant on pesticides, fertilizers, and even hormones and antibiotics to speed up the growth of livestock. At this point, specialized facilities performing the same tasks were able to work together by using the same practices and making identical products. As the food industry continued to grow, large companies began to capitalize on that industry, buying up smaller facilities and creating massive conglomerates.
4. What did agricultural industry concentration do to the industry?
Industry concentration is a phenomenon occurring when a small group of corporations controls most of that industry. Since large-scale operations were generally more efficient but also more expensive to begin, smaller businesses weren’t as efficient as large corporations and tended to shut down or incorporate themselves into huge conglomerates as the food industry evolved. Now, in two examples given by the Johns Hopkins article, four corporations control over 80 percent of the beef packing industry, and over half of the corn seed market is controlled by only two corporations.
Agriculture technically began around 11,000 BCE, and by 5,000 BCE was in wide effect on every populated continent except for Australia. Farming was more work in some areas, but generally yielded 10 to 100 times the calories that hunting and gathering did, providing one stable food supply that could feed more people than hunting and gathering could. Agriculture allowed - and actually required - nomadic tribes to consolidate around patches of land, and towns and cities evolved. As farming began to produce surpluses of food, some people became free to pursue other interests, such as politics - at first, simply overseeing the distribution of food - and the arts, literature, and technology.
2. Between 1650 and 1850, something happened to the world’s population: what was it? What enabled this to happen, according to the article?
“Between 1650 and 1850, the population more than doubled, from roughly 550 million to 1.2 billion (Johns Hopkins).” The use of animal manure as fertilizer, among other practices, began by the 17th century, and these increased crop yields, which in turn spurred a rise in population that actually overtook the food supply, leaving much of the world in famine. Eventually, though, corn, sweet potatoes, cassava, and other foods from the Americas spread across the globe, helping to stave off malnutrition and disease.
3. Briefly describe industrialization and mechanization in the U.S. agricultural system in the early 1900s.
In the early 1900s, some Americans believed that farmers, who at that time constituted over half of all Americans, should be freed from the farm and set to work in the offices and factories. Up until around World War II, most U.S. farmers grew multiple types of crops and livestock on diversified farms. In an attempt to make the food industry more efficient, specialization was introduced; this allowed each farm to focus solely on one crop and become efficient at raising that crop. This is similar to the assembly line approach to manufacturing. This specialization caused many farm jobs to become routine, allowing them to be done more quickly and cheaply by machines. In addition to this, in an attempt to make farming more expedient, the food industry grew reliant on pesticides, fertilizers, and even hormones and antibiotics to speed up the growth of livestock. At this point, specialized facilities performing the same tasks were able to work together by using the same practices and making identical products. As the food industry continued to grow, large companies began to capitalize on that industry, buying up smaller facilities and creating massive conglomerates.
4. What did agricultural industry concentration do to the industry?
Industry concentration is a phenomenon occurring when a small group of corporations controls most of that industry. Since large-scale operations were generally more efficient but also more expensive to begin, smaller businesses weren’t as efficient as large corporations and tended to shut down or incorporate themselves into huge conglomerates as the food industry evolved. Now, in two examples given by the Johns Hopkins article, four corporations control over 80 percent of the beef packing industry, and over half of the corn seed market is controlled by only two corporations.