History of Agriculture
A.Y. 2023/2024
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 can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
1. FROM HUNTER-GATHERERS TO FARMERS (0,75 CFU)
- Temporal evolution of Planet Earth (Ages, glaciations, etc.)
- Genesis, displacements and genetic heritage of Homo sapiens
- Stages of the birth of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent (Kebarian culture and Natufian culture)
- The reasons for the prevalence of agriculture
- Plant Domestication: unfavorable characteristics of wild plants
- Centres of origin of the major crops
- The domestication of animals
2. PLANT DOMESTICATION IN THE MAIN DOMESTICATION CENTRES (0,75 CFU)
- Fertile Crescent: wheat
- China: rice
- Mesoamerica: the three sisters (corn, pumpkin and beans)
- South America (Andes): potato and tomato
- Others: pulses, grapevine, orchards
3. AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS IN HISTORICAL TIMES (0,50 CFU)
- Middle East and surroundings (Mesopotamian civilization, Israel, Egypt, Greece, Carthage, Celts, Etruscans)
- Roman agriculture
- other agricultural systems (South East Asia, Northern China, Africa, Americas)
4. GLOBALIZATION OF AGRICULTURE: FROM THE ARAB AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION TO THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE (0,50 CFU)
- The Arab Agricultural Revolution: A Controversial Issue
- Agriculture in the Middle Ages
- Discovery of America and "Columbian exchange"
5. ECONOMIC HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE: 1800-2000 AD (1,50 CFU)
- Output, Prices and Trade
- The Inputs: Land, Capital and Labor
- The Increase in Productivity: Productivity In Land and Labor, Total Factor Productivity (TFP)
- Technical Progress and Research in Agriculture: the Major Innovations, Research and Educational Institutions
- Agricultural Institutions and Policies
- Food Consumption
- Temporal evolution of Planet Earth (Ages, glaciations, etc.)
- Genesis, displacements and genetic heritage of Homo sapiens
- Stages of the birth of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent (Kebarian culture and Natufian culture)
- The reasons for the prevalence of agriculture
- Plant Domestication: unfavorable characteristics of wild plants
- Centres of origin of the major crops
- The domestication of animals
2. PLANT DOMESTICATION IN THE MAIN DOMESTICATION CENTRES (0,75 CFU)
- Fertile Crescent: wheat
- China: rice
- Mesoamerica: the three sisters (corn, pumpkin and beans)
- South America (Andes): potato and tomato
- Others: pulses, grapevine, orchards
3. AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS IN HISTORICAL TIMES (0,50 CFU)
- Middle East and surroundings (Mesopotamian civilization, Israel, Egypt, Greece, Carthage, Celts, Etruscans)
- Roman agriculture
- other agricultural systems (South East Asia, Northern China, Africa, Americas)
4. GLOBALIZATION OF AGRICULTURE: FROM THE ARAB AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION TO THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE (0,50 CFU)
- The Arab Agricultural Revolution: A Controversial Issue
- Agriculture in the Middle Ages
- Discovery of America and "Columbian exchange"
5. ECONOMIC HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE: 1800-2000 AD (1,50 CFU)
- Output, Prices and Trade
- The Inputs: Land, Capital and Labor
- The Increase in Productivity: Productivity In Land and Labor, Total Factor Productivity (TFP)
- Technical Progress and Research in Agriculture: the Major Innovations, Research and Educational Institutions
- Agricultural Institutions and Policies
- Food Consumption
Prerequisites for admission
No
Teaching methods
Lectures
Teaching Resources
Slides of the lectures
Denis J. MURPHY (2007) - People, Plants, and Genes, Oxford University Press
Giovanni FEDERICO (2010) - Feeding the World. An Economic History of Agriculture 1800-2000, Princeton University Press
Keith FUGLIE, Madhur GAUTAM, Aparajita GOYAL, William F. MALONEY (2019)- Harvesting Prosperity: Technology and Productivity Growth in Agriculture, World Bank Group
Denis J. MURPHY (2007) - People, Plants, and Genes, Oxford University Press
Giovanni FEDERICO (2010) - Feeding the World. An Economic History of Agriculture 1800-2000, Princeton University Press
Keith FUGLIE, Madhur GAUTAM, Aparajita GOYAL, William F. MALONEY (2019)- Harvesting Prosperity: Technology and Productivity Growth in Agriculture, World Bank Group
Assessment methods and Criteria
Oral examination. Ability to reason and link between technical, historical and economic knowledge
AGR/02 - AGRONOMY AND FIELD CROPS - University credits: 4
Lessons: 32 hours
Professor:
Frisio Dario Gianfranco
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)