F OOD : A F UNDAMENTAL I NGREDIENT I N T HE H ISTORY OF H UMANITY taken from An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage CS110 Microcomputer Project - Chiara Cervini – December 2013
Contents
There are many ways to look at the past…
…as a list of important dates
As a conveyor belt of kings and queens...
As a series of rising and falling empires
or as a narrative of political, philosophical or technological progress.
It is possible to observe history from another point of view, less conventional maybe, but likewise significant for humanity…
…and that is through
Food: Agent of Change
… It has acted as a catalyst of social transformation and organization through, Throughout history, food has done more than just provide sustenance …
Geopolitical Competition
Industrial Development
Military Conflict
… and
Economic Expansion
Food’s first transformative role acted as a foundation for entire civilizations.
Agriculture: Aggregation
The adoption of agriculture made new settled lifestyles possible and set mankind on the path to the modern world.
From hunting and gathering to Farming in a continuous way.
First Stable Civilizations
First Staple Crops WheatMaizeMillet BarleyRicePotatoes
The staple crops that supported the first civilizations, i.e. barley and wheat in the Near East millet and rice in Asia maize and potatoes in the Americas, were not simply discovered by chance.
Crop Selection The first Genetic Engineers were farmers.
Instead, they emerged through a complex process of co-evolution, as desirable traits were selected and propagated by early farmers.
New Species
New Tools
New Processes
New Social Organization
Politica l, economic and religious structures of ancient societies were based upon the systems of food production and distribution
The production of …
Agricultural food surpluses and…
Development of Communal Food Storage and …
Food Conservation
Fostered…
Political Centralization
Agricultural fertility rituals developed into state religions
FOOD became a means of …
Payment and taxation
Power
Influence and display of status
Food-trade routes acted as international communication networks
and fostered cultural and religious exchange
compiled the first attempts at world maps Early Geographers
The European desire to circumvent the Arab Spice Monopoly
led to …
First Colonial Outposts
And later on to…
Imperialism
Industrial Revolution
Plantations: Sugar and Potatoes
Sugar: West Indies
Europe: Potatoes
Sugar and potatoes provided cheap sustenance for the workers in the new factories of the industrial age.
Potatoes became a staple food. Compared to cereal crops, they produced more calories per given area of land.
1845: Great Irish Potato Famine
Food and War
The use of FOOD as a weapon of war is timeless.
In Europe, Napoleon’s rise and fall was intimately connected… …with his ability to FEED his vast armies.
Ideological Weapon Artificial Famine was used during the Cold War between capitalism and communism.
The Green Revolution
Green Revolution Norman Borlaug Geneticist Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970
o Increase per hectare crop yields of wheat, corn, and rice Creates new hybrid varieties Objective: Food Security o Facilitate harvest through mechanization. Norin 10 Dwarf Wheat Hybrid rice Green Revolution
Industrial Agriculture
Source: Agrow World Crop Protection News, August 2008
Industrial Livestock
Intensive Agriculture
Source: Potash Corp, 2007
Modern Food Debates
Taking a long-term historical perspective also provides a new way to illuminate modern debates about food, such as…
The Globalization of Food In modern times food has become a battlefield for other issues, including trade and development
Sustainable Agriculture
OGM Yes, OGM No
Biofuel Yes Biofuel No
Food Poverty
Source: World Bank
Food Localism
Nutrition
Food’s historical influence can be seen all around us, and not just in the kitchen, at the dining table or in the supermarket …
… food choices made in the past have had far- reaching consequences, and have in unexpected ways shaped the world in which we now live …
That food has been such an important ingredient in human affairs might seem strange, but it would be far more surprising if it had not.
After all, everything that every person has ever done, throughout history, has literally been fuelled by food. After all, everything that every person has ever done, throughout history, has literally been fuelled by food.
The End