Lesson 3.
1: The First Wave: Agricultural Revolution
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, the advantages that led to the massive practice of agriculture are discussed. You
will realize that the agricultural revolution is an important force that shaped the society that you
are part of. The agricultural revolution is reviewed both in terms of its economic and
environmental effects.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:
1. identify the technologies during the “first wave”;
2. critique its effects in terms of economic and environmental impacts, and
3. determine its influence on the social change of the society.
Motivation Question
Look around you, can you say that despite this pandemic food security is assured? Are
there immediate sources of food?
Discussion
The “wavefront analysis” is about the history of the succession of waves of change. This
particular “wave” is characterized by technology. The technology as the driving force for social
change. How far had we gone? How far is the horizon we are destined to?
Before the advent of agriculture in Egypt and Mesopotamia (Iraq at present), hunting was the
main method to provide basic needs, especially food and clothing, before agriculture (Fig. 3.1).
Agriculture is associated with domestication -- the process of taming, cultivating, or controlling
plants or animals (e.g., by selective breeding) that were originally wild. Farming and irrigation
were found to be more productive, predictable, and with steadier supply than hunting. Have you
thanked a farmer for your food? Do you think this is the same story in the development of
aquaculture or mariculture? The agricultural revolution was reliant on the intensive use of living
batteries (people and animals) and renewable resources. What was the impact of the inventions
of tools for farming? Even a stick facilitated for efficient cultivation of the land compared to bare
hands, do you agree? The useful stick was then followed by the plow. Can you imagine how long
will it take to build a road just using a stick?
Figure 3. 1. The timeline of agricultural development
([Link]
Although the practice of agriculture is since then regarded as life changing and assure food
security, it has both positive and negative impacts on the environment. A long time ago, the
nomadic lifestyle included slash-and-burn farming, “kaingin”. In this context, it involved cutting
of trees, often burning to facilitate the clearing of a parcel of land for planting. After a few
seasons, this would be left idle (fallow period) as the tribe moved to settle another area.
Although the practice gave the harvest, for the time being, the burned fertile topsoil is blown by
wind that led to erosion. Do you think this is sustainable? However, there are also those who call
this as swidden agriculture, and as the saying goes, there is a silver lining. What could this be?
Accordingly, after fallow, the new sprout vegetation can absorb high amounts of CO2, thus
reducing the greenhouse gas associated with global warming.
How did these changes brought by agriculture affect the structure of society? The land is the
base of an economy. Have you heard of “old rich”? This refers to landowners. However, only a
few own massive land areas. Based on that, there exist a clear social stratification; the
landowners, the artisans, guilds, etc. (Fig.3.2). The wide base was mainly composed of manual
laborers, equated to horsepower. Have you heard of the “hacienda system” in the Philippines?
How about the Agrarian reform?
living batteries (people & animals) and renewable resources
Figure 3. 2. The social stratification based on land ownership emerged during the agricultural revolution
