History of Agriculture
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The history of agriculture is essential to give to the future agronomist a full awareness of his role in the socio-economic context. Indeed the role of agriculture is increasingly crucial in order to guarantee food and a variety of goods (clothes, wood, etc.) essential for a humanity that has crossed the threshold the 7 billion inhabitants of which over 50% lives in urban areas. Agriculture is one of the oldest human activities and has always benefited from the many innovations implemented by our ingenious ancestors. It follows that the today agriculture can be seen not only as the product of a long sequence of technological revolutions but also as the history of the agronomic thought and as the history of the fight of the communities against the food shortage. The course focuses on 13 general topics and 4 thematic analysis.
Expected learning outcomes
The course aims to provide a key useful to place in an evolutionary historical context the skills acquired in relation to crops and livestock productions.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The course focuses on 13 general topics and 4 thematic analysis.
GENERAL TOPICS
1. Introduction: the history of agriculture in the historical, ethnographic and anthropological context; climatic, environmental and economic driving variables; agriculture and technological innovation; agriculture and landscape.
2. At the dawn of agriculture: the igniculture; cultivation on mounds of waste; the Neolithic revolution and the birth of civilization of rice, wheat and maize; the domestication of animals and the birth of the husbandry
3. The trajectories of expansion of the Neolithic revolution, particularly in grain farming and viticulture.
4. The revolution of the plow: from early wooden plows to the introduction of iron.
5. The agriculture in the ancient Mediterranean world: Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Etruscans. The thought of Lucius Moderatus Columella
6. Agriculture in the Christian and Arabic Middle age: crops, agro-techniques, plow improvement
7. Agriculture of the Renaissance: the thought of Camillo Tarello and Agostino Gallo; the introduction and spread of the plants of the New World
9. The biochemical revolution of the nineteenth century: Nicolas Théodore De Sussure, Carl Sprengel, Justus von Liebig, John Lawes and Joseph Gilbert.
10. The Italian agriculture of the nineteenth century: the evolution from the Napoleonic epoch since the post-unit decades
11. The discovery and rediscovery of the laws of genetics: Gregory Mendel, Nazareno Strampelli, Nikolai Vavilov, Norman Borlaug
12. The agriculture of the Green Revolution: genetics and agro-techniques; global food security
13. The prospects: innovation and resources availability.
SPECIFIC ISSUES
1. Italian agronomy between XIXth and XXth century: the interest for agriculture of some great Italians (Cavour, Verdi, Garibaldi, Manzoni) and the agronomic thought of some great agronomists (Cosimo Ridolfi, Gaetano Cantoni, Arrigo Serpieri).
2. Agriculture and irrigation: the evolution of the irrigation techniques in the Po valley area from the Middle Ages to the present.
3. Agriculture and biotic / abiotic stresses: brief history of the methods for control.
4. History of agriculture and agrarian museology: visit to the Lombardy Museum of Agrcultural History (Mulsa).
GENERAL TOPICS
1. Introduction: the history of agriculture in the historical, ethnographic and anthropological context; climatic, environmental and economic driving variables; agriculture and technological innovation; agriculture and landscape.
2. At the dawn of agriculture: the igniculture; cultivation on mounds of waste; the Neolithic revolution and the birth of civilization of rice, wheat and maize; the domestication of animals and the birth of the husbandry
3. The trajectories of expansion of the Neolithic revolution, particularly in grain farming and viticulture.
4. The revolution of the plow: from early wooden plows to the introduction of iron.
5. The agriculture in the ancient Mediterranean world: Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Etruscans. The thought of Lucius Moderatus Columella
6. Agriculture in the Christian and Arabic Middle age: crops, agro-techniques, plow improvement
7. Agriculture of the Renaissance: the thought of Camillo Tarello and Agostino Gallo; the introduction and spread of the plants of the New World
9. The biochemical revolution of the nineteenth century: Nicolas Théodore De Sussure, Carl Sprengel, Justus von Liebig, John Lawes and Joseph Gilbert.
10. The Italian agriculture of the nineteenth century: the evolution from the Napoleonic epoch since the post-unit decades
11. The discovery and rediscovery of the laws of genetics: Gregory Mendel, Nazareno Strampelli, Nikolai Vavilov, Norman Borlaug
12. The agriculture of the Green Revolution: genetics and agro-techniques; global food security
13. The prospects: innovation and resources availability.
SPECIFIC ISSUES
1. Italian agronomy between XIXth and XXth century: the interest for agriculture of some great Italians (Cavour, Verdi, Garibaldi, Manzoni) and the agronomic thought of some great agronomists (Cosimo Ridolfi, Gaetano Cantoni, Arrigo Serpieri).
2. Agriculture and irrigation: the evolution of the irrigation techniques in the Po valley area from the Middle Ages to the present.
3. Agriculture and biotic / abiotic stresses: brief history of the methods for control.
4. History of agriculture and agrarian museology: visit to the Lombardy Museum of Agrcultural History (Mulsa).
Prerequisites for admission
The fruition is facilitated by a general knowledge of history over the period of time from the Neolithic revolution to today. More specifically, it is useful to know how to temporarily place the different ages (Neolithic, copper, bronze and iron ages, etc.) in the Euro-mediterranean context. Useful is also the knowledge coming from the course of Crop science and related to agro-techniques and agricultural tools.
Teaching methods
The teaching is divided into lessons (4 ECTS).
The teaching material is deposited on the Ariel platform (slides, etc.).
Attendance is not mandatory but recommended.
The teaching material is deposited on the Ariel platform (slides, etc.).
Attendance is not mandatory but recommended.
Teaching Resources
The examination will focus on:
- the slides presented in class
- the textbook "G. Frediani, G. Forni, F. Pisani, G. Bassi , 2014. Guida alla visita ragionata al Museo Lombardo di Storia dell'Agricoltura (edizione a cura di L. Mariani, G. Forni, E. Rovida, O. Failla), 94 pp." Available free of charge at the web site https://sites.google.com/site/storiagricoltura/download-area/guida_mulsa
- the slides presented in class
- the textbook "G. Frediani, G. Forni, F. Pisani, G. Bassi , 2014. Guida alla visita ragionata al Museo Lombardo di Storia dell'Agricoltura (edizione a cura di L. Mariani, G. Forni, E. Rovida, O. Failla), 94 pp." Available free of charge at the web site https://sites.google.com/site/storiagricoltura/download-area/guida_mulsa
Assessment methods and Criteria
Learning will be verified through an oral test in which it will be particularly appreciated: (1) the consistency in historical and agronomic terms of the considerations expressed (2) the ability to develop critical reflections on the different topics treated and (3) the effectiveness in establishing connections between different places, periods and technologies.
AGR/02 - AGRONOMY AND FIELD CROPS - University credits: 4
Lessons: 32 hours
Professor:
Mariani Luigi
Shifts:
-
Professor:
Mariani Luigi