Origins
Pastoralism was created from mixed farming. Bates and Lees proposed that it was the incorporation of irrigation into farming which ensued in specialization. Advantages of mixed farming include reducing risk, spreading labour, and re-utilizing resources. The importance of the advantages and disadvantages differ to the sociocultural preferences of the farmers and to the biophysical conditions as determined by rainfall, radiation, soil type, and disease. The increased productivity of irrigation agriculture lead to an increase in population and added impact on resources. Bordering areas of land remained for animal breeding. Large distances had to be covered by herds to collect sufficient forage. Specialization occurred as a result of the increasing importance of both intensive agriculture and pastoralism. Both agriculture and pastoralism developed alongside of each other with continuous interactions.
There is another theory that states pastoralism is created from hunting and gathering. Hunters of wild goats and sheep were knowledgeable of herd mobility and the needs of the herd animals. Hunter gathers were dependent on food for subsistence. Hunters of wild goats and sheep were mobile and ensued herds on their seasonal round. Undomesticated herds were nominated to become more controllable for the proto-pastoralist nomadic hunter and gatherer groups. Hunter gathers strategies have been very diverse and contingent upon the local environment conditions. Foraging strategies have included hunting or trapping big game, hunting or trapping smaller animals, fishing, gathering shellfish or insects, and gathering wild plant foods such as fruits, seeds, and nuts.
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Famous quotes containing the word origins:
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