![]() In the Andes of South America, the potato was domesticated between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, along with beans, coca, llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs. ![]() Pig production emerged in Eurasia, including Europe, East Asia and Southwest Asia, where wild boar were first domesticated about 10,500 years ago. Cattle were domesticated from the wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and Pakistan some 10,500 years ago. Sheep were domesticated in Mesopotamia between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago. Rice was domesticated in China between 11,500 and 6,200 BC with the earliest known cultivation from 5,700 BC, followed by mung, soy and azuki beans. In the Paleolithic Levant, 23,000 years ago, cereals cultivation of emmer, barley, and oats has been observed near the sea of Galilee. Wild grains were collected and eaten from at least 105,000 years ago. Agriculture began independently in different parts of the globe, and included a diverse range of taxa, in at least 11 separate centers of origin. The development of agriculture enabled the human population to grow many times larger than could be sustained by hunting and gathering. Genetically modified organisms are widely used, although some countries ban them. Agriculture is both a cause of and sensitive to environmental degradation, such as biodiversity loss, desertification, soil degradation, and climate change, all of which can cause decreases in crop yield. Environmental issues include contributions to climate change, depletion of aquifers, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and other agricultural pollution. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and environmental damage. Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological developments have sharply increased crop yields, but also contributed to ecological and environmental damage. However, around 14 percent of the world's food is lost from production before reaching the retail level. Global agricultural production amounts to approximately 11 billion tonnes of food, 32 million tonnes of natural fibres and 4 billion m 3 of wood. Food classes include cereals ( grains), vegetables, fruits, cooking oils, meat, milk, eggs, and fungi. The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials (such as rubber). However, five of every six farms in the world consist of less than two hectares and take up only around 12 percent of all agricultural land. Nearly 40 percent of agricultural land is found on farms larger than 1,000 hectares. The largest one percent of farms in the world are greater than 50 hectares and operate more than 70 percent of the world's farmland. Today, small farms produce about a third of the world’s food, but large farms are prevalent. In the twentieth century, industrial agriculture based on large-scale monocultures came to dominate agricultural output. Plants were independently cultivated in at least 11 regions of the world. Sheep, goats, pigs and cattle were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. While humans started gathering grains at least 105,000 years ago, nascent farmers only began planting them around 11,500 years ago. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities. Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry for food and non-food products.
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