Agriculture Essay, Research Paper
AGRICULTURE
THE WORLD LEADER IN AGRICULTURE IS THE U.S. Since the agricultural transformation began in the United States, the United States only seemed to improve agriculturally. The Western Hemisphere was the first to progress towards this transformation, displaying the United States as a leader in agriculture. As stated by Dan Hillel in The Agricultural Transformation, “The Agricultural Transformation is very likely the most momentous turn in the progress of humankind…The ability to raise crops and livestock, while resulting in a greater and more secure supply of food, definitely required attachment to controllable sections of land, and hence brought about the growth of permanent settlements and of larger coordinated communities.” Thus, this transformation ensured a supply of food and ended the need to roam about for food. This development was an important change in the structure of society, also a step in building a prestigious reputation as being a leader in agriculture. It gave United States a sense of organization and strength which indeed helped in its development. “Simply put, agriculture means raising things on purpose, and the American Indians were the first farmers in the Western Hemisphere,” said by R. Douglas Hurt in the article Mesoamerican Origins. The American Indians (Mesoamericans) agriculture became more complex. They learned how to grow crops such as tomatoes, beans, and a wide variety of plants. They also learned other techniques such as clearing land and also irrigation. Because of their success, other Mesoamericans began to settle and also adopted their fellow Mesoamerican farming techniques. Agriculture became more and more popular and important that the white settlers also began to farm. Over time, as farming became more popular, the United States thrived on agriculture. It became an important issue especially to Thomas Jefferson. He was a key person in leading the agricultural development of the United States. Thomas Jefferson believed in agrarianism and thought highly of farmers. An agriculture leader should understand why agriculture is important and how to improve and also maintain a good status agriculturally. And Thomas Jefferson held all these qualities. He did what was best for the farmers as well as others in the United States. And by him being a great leader agriculturally, many others in the government kept his ideas in mind. That is what made this country strong, we develop from our past and in effect our country has grown stronger. For example, In 1970- a farmer could provide enough for 2 people In 1935- a farmer could provide enough for 10 people In 1992- a farmer could provide enough for 127 people In 1998- a farmer could provide enough for over 130 people This shows a growth in efficiency. But now only 2% of the population in the United States are farmers, meaning that only 2% of our population produces for the whole nation. Although this percentage is extremely low, it displays that we are agriculturally strong. Even other countries of the world depend on our agriculture. United States exports about 40% of what we produce. United states has grown from a society of hunter-gatherer to a society of agriculture. United States has improved in agriculture over time and has made it become stronger and in turn a leader. In conclusion, United States is the world leader in agriculture due to the people, the land, leadership, development and strength, United States has the ability maintain all qualities and also improve. CITATIONS: The Agricultural Transformation- Dan Hillel Mesoamerican Origins – R. Douglas Hurt Development of Agriculture in the United States outline- provided by AG 101