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Article: An Ecological History of Agriculture: 10,000 B.C. - A.D. 10,000. (book reviews)
- Article from:
- Environment
- Article date:
- May 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In this discussion of present and alternative future agricultural systems, the author first outlines a framework for his analysis that is "holistic and informed by ecology." This phrase indicates that the physical, biological, and cultural environment shapes agricultural systems, which, in turn, shape and reshape the environment.
The origins of agriculture and pastoralism and the history of preindustrial agriculture are sketched in chapters 2 through 4. Chapters 5 through 7 describe various agricultural practices in the tropics, the dry and semi-humid areas, and the humid temperate lands. Chapters 8 through 10 discuss the forces, including population growth, that ...