Timelines

By 9000-7000 BC
In Southwestern Asia, wheat and barley were cultivated, and sheep and goats were domesticated. Dogs had been domesticated in Europe by about 10,000 BC.

Before 7000 BC
Grain agriculture developed in Egypt.

7000-3000 BC
Agriculture developed in parts of the Americas. Domesticated crops included beans, corn (maize), cassavas, squashes, potatoes, and peppers.

 

6500 BC
Cattle were domesticated in Greece.

6000 BC
The Huang (Yellow) River Valley was an area of early farming in northern China. Millet was a staple crops there. Rice, which may have originated in India, was cultivated throughout much of Asia by 5000 B.C.

About 5500 BC
In Mesopotamia, simple irrigation began and led to increased agricultural production, eventually contributing to the rise of cities.

By 3500 BC
Llamas were domesticated in South America. The animals were used as beasts of burden and as sources of wool and meat in some Andean areas.

3000 BC
The water buffalo was domesticated in India and became an important draft animal.

About 2500 BC
Grain agriculture formed the basis of the Harappan civilization in the Indus River Valley in present-day Pakistan and India.

AD 800
The open-field system of planting was common in western Europe. Village land was divided into two or three large fields, and crops were rotated in each field yearly, with one field left unplanted.

1400s-1500s
Explorers introduced plants and agricultural products from Asia and the Americas into Europe. Coffee, tea, and indigo were carried back from Asia. Potatoes, tomatoes, corn (maize), and beans were among the plants brought from the Americas. Some of these plants expanded people's diets in parts of Europe.

Early 1700s
New crop rotation methods evolved in Europe's Low Countries and in England, improving previous systems. Charles Townshend popularized a four-field system in Norfolk County, England. He found that turnips could be rotated with wheat, barley, clover, and ryegrass to make soil more fertile and increase yields.

1701
Jethro Tull introduced the seed drill to English farmers. The device, which cut furrows and dropped in seeds, ended the slow, laborious task of sowing seeds by hand for many people.

Late 1700s
In England, Robert Bakewell pioneered the selective breeding of cattle and sheep to produce meatier animals.

1793
In the United States, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine that separated fiber from seed much more quickly than people could do it by hand.

1834
In the United States, the first practical reaper, or grain harvesting machine, was patented by Cyrus McCormick.

1837
In the United States, John Deere patented the steel plow. It was stronger, sharper, and more efficient than wooden or iron plows. Heavy damp soil did not stick to it as readily.

1842
In England, Sir John Bennet Lawes founded the first factory to manufacture superphosphate. This marked the beginning of the chemical fertilizer industry.

1850s-Early 1900s
Railroad and steamship lines were expanded, opening up new markets. Improved methods of refrigeration and canning made possible the long-distance shipping of perishable agricultur

al products.

1866
The results of Gregor Mendel's studies in heredity were published in Austria. In experiments with pea plants, Mendel learned how traits were passed from one generation to the next. His work paved the way for improving crops through genetics.

Early 1890s
The first gasoline-powered tractors were built. They gradually replaced steam-powered tractors and draft animals in many parts of the world.

1890s
The combine harvester, which combined the cutting and threshing of grain crops, came into widespread use in California. It gradually spread to other western states. The combine reduced the amount of labor needed to harvest one hectare of wheat from 37 to 6.25 man-hours.

1920s
Better nutrition, disease control measures, and breeding practices greatly improved livestock production in many countries.

Late 1920s
Scientists improved the seeds from which farmers grew corn. The best qualities of several kinds of seeds were combined. Fertilizers helpted farmers produce more from each plant.

1935
The U.S. Rural Electrification Administration was established. Electricity became more readily available in rural areas.

1939
DDT was introduced, marking the beginning of agriculture's heavy use of chemical pesticides in developing countries. The U.S. banned DDT in 1972 because it was harming the environment.

1945-About 1970
Machines and increased productivity in industrialized countries sharply reduced the number of people working in agriculture. Through scientific advances and improved management techniques, farmers produced more food than ever before.

 

1950s-1960s
Several developing countries, such as India and the Philippines, experienced the green revolution. High-yield grains were introduced, greatly increasing production and local supplies.

1970s-Present
Researchers in California first spliced a gene from one organism into another, and the age of genetic engineering began. Genetic engineering offers the possibility of making plants and animals hardier, more resistant to disease, and more productive.

Early 1980s
In developed countries, farmers began using computers to keep farm accounts; to monitor crop prices and weather conditions; to help decide when to irrigate and plant; and to automate the application of fertilizers and pesticides.