When men first came about, they were hunters-gathers. However, with the beginning of agriculture in 8000 B.C., men no longer hunted for food but instead, grew their own crops of wheat rice, millet and barley. In civilizations which developed along rivers, like Egypt, China, India and Mesopotamia, people grew crops along the river banks where the soil is very fertile, and made used of the water from the rivers to irrigate the land especially during the dry seasons, so as to ensure that the crops received enough water for healthy growth.

The development of agriculture served to be a breakthrough for men, as it made life much simpler. It also meant that there was more food for more people, as it was possible to grow many different types of crops on a single piece of land. It also resulted in the development of settlements and ultimately the building of cities. In addition, it ensured that there was a food supply that the people could depend on. More food available meant that more people could be fed, which led to increasing populations. With more people in the society, there were more people available for more kinds of work and thus resulted in the development of more sophisticated social systems.

Unfortunately, the developed of agriculture had also brought about disastrous consequences which possibly resulted in the downfall of many of these ancient civilizations. For instance, archaeologists believe that one of the reasons for the downfall of the Maya civilization was that there was insufficient food supply for the whole Maya population due to overpopulation and a lack of arable land as a result of overcultivation. This has led to many people dying of starvation. In addition, the problem of a lack of arable land in many ancient civilizations have resulted in the outbreak of civil wars between different tribal groups or villages, which led to their self-destruction and fall of their civilizations.

Most of us today, in the modern world of advanced technology, are no longer threatened by the problem of a lack food, since thanks to technology, food supply can be increased to meet the needs of the global population. For instance, the use of machines in farm operations speed up work and increases the farmers' productivity. The planting of high-yielding crops such as the miracle rice in countries such as India, with a huge population and limited land, has increased the supply of food.

However, are these methods to ensure that food supply will always be sufficient foolproof? Do ALL countries have the opportunity to make use of technology to help them increase their food supply? What are the possible disadvantages of these measures to ensure an everlasting food supply? Seriously speaking, would we be better off being hunters-gatherers rather than farmers?

Planting of Vegetable

Maize

The Nile River and Delta seen from Space

The tractor-an example of a farm machine