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AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
Fernando Alcoforado*
Abstract: This article aims to present how the 5 agricultural revolutions that throughout history
contributed to changing the world we live in occurred. The 1st Agricultural Revolution (6000 BC)
contributed to the settlement of human beings in certain regions and to the emergence of great
civilizations such as Egypt in Antiquity. The 2nd Agricultural Revolution promoted changes in labor
relations in the countryside between the 12th and 15th centuries in the Late Middle Ages, in addition
to contributing to the disintegration of the feudal production system. The 3rd Agricultural
Revolution, which occurred between the 17th and 18th centuries in England, was an important factor
in triggering the 1st Industrial Revolution. The 4th Agricultural Revolution or Green Revolution that
occurred between the 1960s and 1970s of the 20th century contributed to the invention and
dissemination of new seeds and agricultural practices that allowed a vast increase in agricultural
production. The 5th Agricultural Revolution refers to the transformations that are happening in the
contemporary era in the field as part of the so-called Agriculture 5.0, which is a “mix” of the Internet
of Things, precision agriculture and Big Data. This article was published by AkiNik Publications
under the title “Agricultural revolutions that changed the world” as Chapter 3 of the book *Research
Trends in Agricultural Extension (Volume 14)*.
Keywords: The great economic revolutions that changed the world. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
Agricultural Revolution
1. Introduction
This article aims to present how agricultural revolutions have occurred throughout history
in the context of the great economic revolutions that have occurred throughout the history
of humanity and contributed to changing the world we live in. The term revolution refers
to any and all radical changes that drastically affect the most varied aspects of a society's
life. The great economic revolutions that have occurred chronologically since the
beginning of humanity's evolution to the contemporary era are the following: 1) 1st
Agricultural Revolution (6000 BC); 2) 2nd Agricultural Revolution (between the 12th
and 15th centuries in the Late Middle Ages); 3) 3rd Agricultural Revolution (in the 17th
and 18th centuries in England); 4) 4th Agricultural Revolution (between the 1960s and
1970s of the 20th century with the Green Revolution); and, 5) 5th Agricultural Revolution
(from 2021 onwards).
The First Agricultural Revolution (6000 BC) contributed to the settlement of human
beings in certain regions and to the emergence of great civilizations such as Egypt in
Antiquity. The Second Agricultural Revolution promoted changes in labor relations in the
countryside between the 12th and 15th centuries in the Late Middle Ages, in addition to
contributing to the disintegration of the feudal system of production. The Third
Agricultural Revolution, which occurred between the 17th and 18th centuries in England,
was an important factor in triggering the First Industrial Revolution (1780-1830), which
laid the foundations for the industry that spread throughout the world, supported by
inventions that promoted extraordinary changes in the production and transportation
sectors [1].
The 4th Agricultural Revolution or Green Revolution, which occurred between the 1960s
and 1970s of the 20th century, contributed to the invention and dissemination of new
seeds and agricultural practices that allowed a vast increase in agricultural production,
especially in peripheral capitalist countries [1]. The 5th Agricultural Revolution is digital.
The transformations currently taking place in the field are part of the so-called Agriculture
5.0 and are related to the digitalization of production processes based on Industry 4.0.
This phenomenon goes beyond the simple mechanization of the field. In this new wave](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/agriculturalrevolutionsthatchangedtheworld-260801233535-21cc5bcf/85/AGRICULTURAL-REVOLUTIONS-THAT-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-pdf-1-320.jpg)
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of changes, digital agriculture is taking shape, which is a mix of the Internet of Things,
precision agriculture and Big Data [2].
2. Agricultural revolutions throughout history
1st Agricultural Revolution [1]
Throughout the Paleolithic period, man developed a series of physical and technical skills
that allowed him to improve his life on Earth. The Paleolithic period, also known as the
Stone Age, is the first phase of the Stone Age. It lasts from 2 million BC (approximately
the time when man made the first tool) to 10,000 BC (beginning of the Neolithic period).
The tools used were rustic and allowed very little intervention in nature. The populations
of this historical period ensured their survival by collecting food provided by nature or
by carrying out other activities, such as fishing and hunting.
When some climate change or depletion of resources made their existence in a certain
area unfeasible, our Paleolithic ancestors moved around the territory in search of a place
that offered better conditions for survival. Thus, it can be said that the nomadic life was
one of the most important characteristics that marked humanity at that time. However,
being in constant change, this man transformed his way of life with the arrival of the
Neolithic period, known as the Polished Stone Age, which was the phase of prehistory
that occurred between 12,000 and 4,000 BC. The beginning of this period is marked by
the end of the glaciations (a time when almost the entire planet was covered in ice) and
ends with the development of writing in Sumeria (Mesopotamia region). The end of the
last ice age transformed the climatic conditions in their most varied aspects. The increase
in temperatures on planet Earth led to the formation of a temperate climate in a large part
of the European continent. North Africa became an extremely arid region and the Sahara
region underwent a major process of desertification of its lands. Amidst these changes,
men and animals were forced to spread out across different regions in search of water and
vegetation. In the Neolithic period, around ten thousand years ago, existing human groups
had already accumulated a wide range of knowledge. Over time, they were already able
to distinguish which types of food sources were suitable for their consumption. In
addition, they built small boats and created more resistant utensils than those that were
initially developed.
It was in this context that a profound transformation began to develop in the daily lives
of prehistoric man. Observation of nature itself allowed the first agricultural cultivation
techniques to be pioneered. As a result, food security became increasingly accessible and
the constant need for travel became increasingly less. This transformation, which spread
over the next six thousand years, gave rise to the so-called “Neolithic Revolution”, also
known as the “Agricultural Revolution” or 1st Agricultural Revolution, which initially
occurred in the wide strip of land that covered the Nile River, going as far as the place
where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, the place where we identify Syria and Iraq
today. Over the centuries, the improvement of these agricultural techniques and the
sedentarization of the population allowed for a richer diet and significant growth of
human groups.
The emergence of great civilizations is inextricably linked to the 1st Agricultural
Revolution that occurred more than 6,000 BC. For the 1st Agricultural Revolution, the
discovery of seeds was of fundamental importance, for example, which led to the
development of production techniques and the specialization of work in agriculture. The
women who were responsible for collecting roots and fruits observed that plant seeds,
when buried in the soil, sprouted and gave rise to new plants. Over time, they learned the](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/agriculturalrevolutionsthatchangedtheworld-260801233535-21cc5bcf/85/AGRICULTURAL-REVOLUTIONS-THAT-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-pdf-2-320.jpg)
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cultivation processes. Seeing how the seeds germinated, the women began to select seeds
of the best foods, plant them one by one in soft, moist soil, and managed to grow the first
crops. As they were nomads, they were always moving around and looking for new places
where food was available. They planted in various places and, from time to time, when
they returned to that place, they found their crops. Depending on the location, farming
techniques changed. However, at this stage, farming was done by hand and with small
stone or wooden tools, and at most, a wooden plow was used. Little by little, men began
to use animals to pull the plow.
Great civilizations have always developed near great rivers. This was the case in
Mesopotamia, which today constitutes modern-day Iraq and Kuwait; it was also on the
banks of the Nile River that the Egyptian civilization flourished, and it was on the banks
of the Indus River Valley that India began to develop a civilization that would become
millennial, and it was close to the fertile fields that China became one of the greatest
civilizations that humanity has ever known. In Mesopotamia, the people were shepherds
who raised sheep and dedicated themselves to fishing and the cultivation of barley, wheat,
flax, dates, apricots and sesame (from which they extracted oil for lighting). Agriculture
gradually became a larger-scale activity. Since the rivers in the region were not very large
because the region was a plain, they learned to irrigate the land through canals, managing
to increase agricultural production. The science and technology of irrigation emerged in
Mesopotamia and were so successful that the region was called the Fertile Crescent,
because it is shaped like a crescent moon. Gradually, the Sumerians adopted increasingly
organized practices of planting and storing crops in granaries. The various civilizations
of peoples in this region, Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Medes and Persians,
constituted the so-called civilization of irrigation. The primitive science and technology
of storing agricultural products emerged in Mesopotamia and also in Egypt.
In Egypt, in the Nile River valley, periodic floods covered several kilometers outside the
riverbanks. After the flood, the region became extremely fertile due to the large volume
of organic waste that the Nile River brought and that fertilized the region, and due to the
volume of earthworms that existed in this region. Earthworms consume organic material,
excrete humus and fertilize the land. All of Egypt's wealth came from its agriculture. The
fertility of its soil allowed the construction of its empire. The crops belonged to the
pharaoh and the peasants received a small portion of what they produced. All surplus was
stored in silos, in large barns. It was precisely the agricultural surplus produced near these
fertile regions that made it possible to form urban centers or cities, where certain people
began to carry out activities other than those linked to agriculture. There began to be a
primitive division between intellectual work and manual labor. The emergence of
agriculture is, from an evolutionary perspective, one of the greatest economic revolutions
carried out by humanity. Around 4500 BC, human beings wandered in search of good
land for cultivation and depended on earthworms to prepare the soil. Our ancestors used
tree branches to loosen the soil and make furrows where seeds were placed, like primitive
hoes. Since at that time, humans had already mastered metallurgy and domesticated
animals, they invented a tool made from forked branches (which later received a sharp
stone on the end) that, pulled by animals, plowed the land. The Sumerians were the first
to use animal-drawn plows. The impact of the invention of the plow was so great that
today it is considered a milestone of the 1st Agricultural Revolution. The plows of this
time only tore up the earth, without turning it over as more modern plows do.
2nd Agricultural Revolution [1]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/agriculturalrevolutionsthatchangedtheworld-260801233535-21cc5bcf/85/AGRICULTURAL-REVOLUTIONS-THAT-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-pdf-3-320.jpg)
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The 2nd Agricultural Revolution occurred in the Late Middle Ages, which corresponds to
the period between the 12th and mid-15th centuries. During this period, there was a series
of transformations in agriculture, based on new techniques and technologies (horseshoes,
crop rotation, plows, rennet harvesters, etc.). As it led to surplus production, it boosted
trade, cities and the bourgeoisie, shaking the pillars of feudalism. There was an
improvement in agricultural techniques, which led to a surplus in production. This surplus
turned what was produced into "currency", barter. The "villages", fiefdoms, began to gain
strength through this trade. There was an expansion of the limits of agricultural space to
areas of woods and forests, which was insufficient, a fact that determined the need to
expand geographical limits in other countries and continents.
In the Late Middle Ages, a new social class emerged: the bourgeoisie. Dedicated to
commerce, the bourgeoisie became rich and boosted the economy at the end of the Middle
Ages. This new social class needed security and sought to build homes protected by walls.
Thus, the boroughs emerged, which, over time, gave rise to several cities. Cities began to
mean greater job opportunities. Many inhabitants of rural areas began to leave the
countryside to seek better living conditions in European cities. With the decrease in rural
workers, feudal lords had to change the obligations of serfs, reducing taxes and fees. In
some fiefs, they even offered small remunerations to serfs. These changes meant a
transformation in labor relations in the countryside with the end of serfdom, which
resulted in the disintegration of the feudal system of production.
The evolution of agricultural productivity in the Late Middle Ages was extremely slow.
Based solely on improvements to the wooden plow pulled by man and some stone tools,
centuries passed before the labor of pulling by man could be replaced by animal power,
freeing man from such hard work. With the appearance and reduction in the cost of iron,
the plow was improved. There were several technical achievements with the iron plow
and with the development of new ways of harnessing the plow to animals so that they
could be used at full strength, in addition to replacing the ox with the horse as a draft
animal. It is worth noting that the plow was one of humanity's greatest inventions because
it allowed the production of increasing quantities of food and the establishment of stable
populations.
The plow is an instrument used to till (plow) fields, turning the earth over in order to
loosen it and, thus, enable better development of plant roots. It exposes the subsoil to the
action of the sun, helping to increase its temperature. It also buries remains of previous
agricultural crops or weeds that may be present. It also improves water infiltration into
the soil and aeration, in addition to creating contour lines. It is one of the agricultural
stages that precedes sowing. In addition to this primary objective, plowing allows for
greater aeration of the soil, which enables the development of useful organisms, such as
earthworms, and in some cases, allows for the mixing of nutrients (chemical or organic
fertilizers; acidity correctors, etc.). The plow is capable of decompressing a layer of soil
that can reach 40 cm in depth.
3rd Agricultural Revolution [1]
The 3rd Agricultural Revolution took place in England in parallel with the Industrial
Revolution with agricultural innovations, a process that began between the end of the
17th century and the end of the 18th century, in England and the Netherlands (United
Provinces), countries with intense commercial activity. During the 17th and 18th
centuries, the large English landowners (nobles and bourgeoisie) carried out
transformations on their properties that caused a true Agricultural Revolution in Europe.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/agriculturalrevolutionsthatchangedtheworld-260801233535-21cc5bcf/85/AGRICULTURAL-REVOLUTIONS-THAT-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-pdf-4-320.jpg)
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Large English landowners increased the size of their land by annexing vacant lots, buying
land from small landowners at low prices, and resorting to land division and enclosures,
which allowed for an increase in livestock farming. They carried out agricultural
experiments in terms of soil productivity and improving animal breeds. Market-oriented
agriculture allowed rural landowners to increase production, make profits and invest in
new machinery and techniques.
The enclosure of land and the raising of livestock led to a reduction in the need for labor.
Many peasants without land and work in the fields ended up migrating to the city.
Innovations in agriculture consisted of the improvement of instruments and the use of the
first agricultural machines, the application of the four-year crop rotation system using the
fertilization of the land with animal manure, the selection of seeds and breeding animals,
the expansion of new, more productive crops, such as potatoes and corn, and the increase
in the arable area by improving sandy soils, adding clay and draining swamps. New
agricultural techniques and greater investment in agricultural machinery led to an increase
in agricultural production that was geared towards the market, generating greater profits
in agriculture that were invested in the start of the industrialization process. Profits from
agriculture and colonial trade were applied to the development of industrial activity and
commerce, contributing to the growth in the number of banks that lent money. The 3rd
Agricultural Revolution that occurred in England was an important factor in triggering
the 1st Industrial Revolution.
4th Agricultural Revolution [1]
The 4th Agricultural Revolution was called the Green Revolution and occurred in the
1960s and 1970s of the 20th century. The term Green Revolution refers to the invention
and dissemination of new seeds and agricultural practices that allowed a vast increase in
agricultural production in the United States and Europe and, in the following decades, in
other countries. The Green Revolution was a broad program designed to increase
agricultural production in the world through the intensive use of industrial inputs,
mechanization and reduction of management costs. The model is based on the intensive
use of genetically modified seeds (particularly hybrid seeds), industrial inputs, fertilizers
and pesticides, mechanization, mass production of homogeneous products and reduction
of management costs. The Green Revolution is also credited with the extensive use of
technology in planting, irrigation and harvesting, as well as in production management.
This cycle of innovations began with technological advances after World War II. Since
then, researchers from industrialized countries have promised, through a set of
techniques, to dramatically increase agricultural productivity and solve the problem of
hunger in peripheral capitalist countries. However, contradictorily, in addition to not
solving the problem of hunger, it has increased land concentration and dependence on
modified seeds, significantly altered the culture of small landowners, promoted the
devastation of forests, contaminated the soil and water, and generated health problems for
farmers and consumers. The introduction of these techniques in peripheral capitalist
countries led to an exceptional increase in agricultural production.
The expansion of agriculture until the mid-1970s was horizontal, that is, with the
incorporation of new areas to increase production throughout the world. This expansion
then occurred vertically, that is, there was an increase in technology to increase
productivity. Since then, agriculture has been on a path of technological advancement.
This technology encompasses both the production of agricultural inputs (pesticides,
fertilizers, etc.) and agricultural mechanization and the use of biotechnology. Nowadays,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/agriculturalrevolutionsthatchangedtheworld-260801233535-21cc5bcf/85/AGRICULTURAL-REVOLUTIONS-THAT-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-pdf-5-320.jpg)
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The results were obtained through techniques such as crop rotation, seed diversification
and equalization of space for livestock farming.
5th Agricultural Revolution [2]
The agricultural sector has come a long way since the 1st Agricultural Revolution and the
4th Agricultural Revolution, with the introduction of mechanization in the field, the
development of more tolerant varieties, the use of pesticides and, more recently, genetic
improvement. These were major steps towards productivity. The 5th Agricultural
Revolution is digital. The transformations taking place in the field are part of the so-called
Agriculture 4.0 and are related to the digitalization of production processes. This
phenomenon goes beyond the simple mechanization of the field. In this new wave of
changes, digital agriculture is taking shape: a mix of the Internet of Things (a network of
physical objects and devices that connect to the internet, allowing data exchange between
them), precision agriculture (an agricultural management strategy that aims to increase
productivity, sustainability and minimize environmental impacts) and Big Data (used in
machine learning, predictive modeling and other advanced analyses to solve business
problems and make informed decisions). The 5th Agricultural Revolution means the use
of digital technologies that increase the quality and speed of producer decisions. The use
of digital agriculture platforms supports producers through services and solutions based
on data science, helping them manage their operations more efficiently throughout the
harvest, from planting to harvest. Given the increase in the world population, there has
been an irrefutable need to increase food production in the coming years. From 1800 to
2015, the world population increased 6.5 times. According to the UN, the global
population is expected to reach 8.5 billion people by 2030. The UN also estimates that
the global population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and peak at 10.4 billion in the 2080s.
If this rate of global population growth continues, the challenge for the agricultural sector
to maintain the expansion of food and fiber production will also increase.
Digital agriculture platforms not only benefit the localized use of inputs (precision
agriculture), but also help farmers increase agricultural production and improve
monitoring of rural properties and control of the production process as a whole. With this
support, farmers are able to make more assertive decisions in all management and
operations adopted. Each action can be tailored based on the analysis of data generated in
the reality of each square meter of the farm. And this information can be accessed quickly
and easily via smartphone or tablet. For farmers, digital technologies have become a great
ally in reducing costs and achieving high levels of productivity at the end of each harvest.
REFERENCES
1. ALCOFORADO, Fernando. As Grandes Revoluções Científicas, Econômicas e
Sociais que Mudaram o Mundo. Curitiba: Editora CRV, 2016.
2. BLOG FIELDVIEW. Nova Revolução Agrícola está em curso: a digitalização do
campo. Available on the website <https://blog.climatefieldview.com.br/revolucao-
agricola-digitalizacao-campo>.
Fernando Alcoforado, awarded the medal of Engineering Merit of the CONFEA / CREA System, member
of the SBPC- Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science, IPB- Polytechnic Institute of Bahia and of the
Bahia Academy of Education, engineer from the UFBA Polytechnic School and doctor in Territorial
Planning and Regional Development from the University of Barcelona, college professor (Engineering,
Economics and Administration) and consultant in the areas of strategic planning, business planning,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/agriculturalrevolutionsthatchangedtheworld-260801233535-21cc5bcf/85/AGRICULTURAL-REVOLUTIONS-THAT-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-pdf-7-320.jpg)
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AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.pdf
This article aims to present how the 5 agricultural revolutions that throughout history contributed to changing the world we live in occurred. The 1st Agricultural Revolution (6000 BC) contributed to the settlement of human beings in certain regions and to the emergence of great civilizations such as Egypt in Antiquity. The 2nd Agricultural Revolution promoted changes in labor relations in the countryside between the 12th and 15th centuries in the Late Middle Ages, in addition to contributing to the disintegration of the feudal production system. The 3rd Agricultural Revolution, which occurred between the 17th and 18th centuries in England, was an important factor in triggering the 1st Industrial Revolution. The 4th Agricultural Revolution or Green Revolution that occurred between the 1960s and 1970s of the 20th century contributed to the invention and dissemination of new seeds and agricultural practices that allowed a vast increase in agricultural production. The 5th Agricultural Revolution refers to the transformations that are happening in the contemporary era in the field as part of the so-called Agriculture 5.0, which is a “mix” of the Internet of Things, precision agriculture and Big Data. This article was published by AkiNik Publications under the title “Agricultural revolutions that changed the world” as Chapter 3 of the book *Research Trends in Agricultural Extension (Volume 14)*.
