Local officials in Mesopotamia controlled when to open gates and let water flow onto crop fields through canals. Farmers would then let animals graze to eat weeds, and used hand tools to break up soil and dig holes before planting seeds one by one or using a new seeder plow. After crops grew, farmers harvested by hand, then prepared food using stone ovens since they lacked electricity.

1. FARMING IN MESOPOTAMIA
By Jacob Smith

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Farmers decide when to let water flow……………………………………page 3
Farmers let animals graze in the fields……………………………………page 4
Farmers use hand tools to break up soil…………………………………page 5
Farmers plowed and spread seeds……………………………………….page 6
Farmers plant seeds………………………………………………….……page 7
Famers harvest the crops…………………………………………………page 8
Farmer prepare the food………………………………………………….page 9

3. LOCAL OFFICIALS DECIDE WHEN TO LET
WATER FLOW ONTO THE CROPS
In Mesopotamia there were two
major rivers. The rivers often flooded
the crops. Also there was little water
during the fall months. So the
Mesopotamians built canals. The
official decided when to open gates
to let water on the crops. These gates
were really affective in helping the
plant grow.
page 3

4. FARMERS LET ANIMALS GRAZE IN
SOIL TO TRAMPLE AND EAT WEED
Farmer would let the animals into the
fields to eat weeds. The animals would
trample and eat the weeds. This helped
because the weeds would kill the crops
so when the animals killed them it
made it easier for the crops to grow.
The animals would get fed and the
fields would be ready for crop. This
way it helped all the living things
(except the weeds).
page 4

5. FARMERS BREAK UP THE SOIL
USING HAND TOOLS
Farmers had to use hand tools to get
the fields ready. They used these tools
to break up the soil. Some of the tools
the farmers use were big, and Some of
these tools were small. Some examples
of larger ones were the garden hoe, the
shovel and the rake. These tools were
used for making holes in the ground or
turning the soil. This was useful for
when they were getting ready to plan
seeds.
page 5

6. FARMERS SPREAD SEEDS AND
PLOW
The Mesopotamians had to dig holes
and put each seed in one by one.
Then they invented the seeder plow.
The seeder plow was a plow that
made planting seeds a lot less time
consuming. It turned over the
ground as you put seeds in a funnel,
and then as they pulled it planted
seeds and turned the ground back
over the seed. This method proved
more effective than there last.
page 6

7. FARMERS PLANT SEEDS
Before the seeder plow farmers planted
seeds one by one. This took up lots of
time and effort. They had to use hand
tools to break up the soil (slide 5).
They also used the tools to dig holes.
After making small holes they planted
seeds and covered the holes back up.
page 7

8. FARMERS HARVEST THE CROPS
After the crops were planted and
grown the farmers went out to harvest.
the farmers gathered everyone to help
gather the crops. This took many hours
to do. This was one of the longest
processes they had. This was an
important process because if you
didn’t harvest there would be no food.
page 8

9. FARMERS PREPARE THE FOOD
After farmers harvested crops they
made the food. People usually only
had 2 meals unless they were wealthy.
This was the process that took the
least amount of time. It was a
process involving cooking. Because
they did not have electricity they had
to use things like stone ovens. This
was also a very important process
because without food no one would
survive.
page 9