Week 4

Hunters and Gatherers vs. Agriculture:

     1.    Identify the benefits of both subsistence patterns:

The hunter-gatherer subsistence pattern provided many benefits. It’s important to understand the food supply of the hunter-gatherers is obtained from wild resources. They do not rely on domesticated plants or animals. It is also important to state that this has been the dominant means of subsistence for 99.5 percent of the 2.5 million years of human existence. One of the benefits of hunter-gatherer lifestyle is the fact that the food supply was rich in nutrients. The hard work that was placed into hunting and gathering allowed for the people to be in good physical shape. In recent years we have learned that the hunter-gatherers actually only worked between 4-5 hours a day, allowing them more leisure time.
 
Agriculture also has its own benefits. Farmers are able to provide food both locally and globally. Without their crops and livestock, the world's food supply would be extremely limited. Some people believe that agriculture can improve air quality. The crops are release oxygen into the air, which as humans we need to survive. Some scientists also believe that agriculture can lessen the chance of flooding because the areas of grass that used to raise livestock can reduce the amount of soil erosions by fifty to eighty percent. Agriculture (early on) also allowed populations to grow and diversify by creating civilizations.

2.    Identify the costs (or disadvantages) of both subsistence patterns:

Being a hunter-gatherer also had its disadvantages. First of all they were small populations that generally had to move from one place to another in order to sustain. There were a lot of tribal wars to gain territories for food supplies. The wars and the moving around made it difficult to survive.

Agriculture presents its own share of disadvantages (in particular modern agriculture). First of all there is the removal of buffers to make large fields. These fields provide for maximum efficiency and lower food costs. Yet by doing this we are taking away from the natural habitat of some wild creatures. This can lead to soil erosions. The use of fertilizer is another issue. These fertilizers are harmful to the environment. The same is true for pesticides and other chemicals that end up in our rivers and lakes.

     3.    Which subsistence pattern provides a healthier diet? Explain.
 
I believe that agriculture (although has many disadvantages) provides a healthier lifestyle. With our advanced technology we are able to add nutrients to our food sources as needed. I simply don’t believe that the world today with all its inhabitants could survive on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Although there are fears of contamination within our food sources all the time, we still have a much larger ratio of producing non-contaminated products.

4.    Discuss why you think some human populations made the transition into agriculture?

I think there are a few reasons why many human populations transitioned to agriculture.I think that the hunter0gatherer lifestyle consisted too much of moving around and that was not appealing to the people. Also I think they believed that agricultural life is inherently superior to foraging. Another good reason with be the constant environmental changes, that didn’t allow for moving around as often.

Economics and Trade:

1.    There is a direct relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade:

This statement is trying to explain that there is a definite connection between excess supplies and trade. In other words whenever a person or society has more supply of one item than needed, they can trade with others for supplies which they don’t have, but need. This allows for populations to use their surplus of items to their advantage by means of trade.

2.    Identify and describe two (2) social benefits of trade:

One of the social benefits of trade is the ability to learn and obtain items that are not common to our own culture and society. In other words we can get food, clothing and even medicinal products from other societies through trade. We can also learn technological advancements from other societies.

Another social benefit of trade is the amount of travel and connection it has created amongst the peoples of the world. There is a large amount of people that travel for business and trade, and there are those that will return for vacations.  

3.    Identify and describe two (2) negative social results of the development of trade:

One of the negative aspects of trade is that some societies get too involved politically with the other societies. Sometimes wars have occurred in history because one culture wanted to take over the land and supplies of other cultures. Another negative is that some societies depend on others for their supplies, and this can be detrimental to a society’s welfare.

4.    Given your answer in the question #1, explain the relationship between the development of agriculture and the development of trade:

I believe that the birth of agriculture also allowed for the advancements of trade. In fact with agriculture there was a definite more stable environment and the ability to create surplus. Then the surplus is what can give way to trade with other societies.  With agriculture there was room to create a lot more products, and therefore a lot more to trade.