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HISTORY OF HUMAN NUTRITION - Coggle Diagram
HISTORY OF HUMAN NUTRITION
POPULATION EXPLOSION
Food Security Crisis
Pollution Crisis
Water Crisis
Climate Change
Biodiversity Crisis
Energy Crisis
the root cause of all emerging crises
= exponential human population growth
these are all important as we & future generations are at risk
AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
Human nutrition is complex, and how we get our nutrition had evolved massively throughout history. Agricultural revolutions have changed our relationship with food and the social structure. Although there were countless revolutions, these are the 4 most impactful ones
10,000 BC:
1st Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution
1st reported agricultural activity of mand kind
change in lifestyle:
nomadic -> sedentary
constantly travelling -> settle down for coverage + protection
need for hygiene, proper handling of waste
can sustain larger groups in a single area, no need for constant travelling
change in way of harvesting food:
hunter-gatherer -> domestication of plants & animals
hunt for meat, gather fruits & plants -> agriculture + farming
food production, being self-sufficient
happening in groups all around the area
variety of plants & animals depend on the location + environment
Change in interaction with environment
start to manipulate the environment
harm ecosystems
modify natural environment, head towards specialised food crop cultivation
e.g. deforestation / irrigation
don't allow stuff to grow on its own, then hunt/harvest
Change in nutrition quality and health
downturned quality of human nutrition
specialised food crop cultivation narrowed down diversity/variety of food
as we don't go around to source different food anymore
8th - 13th Century:
Arab Agricultural Revolution
only in middle-east countries
the transformation of agriculture in the Islamic region of the Old World
Growth in scientific knowledge of agriculture and horticulture
LITERACY
able to record new varieties, farming methods, yields & way of agriculture
horticulture = aesthetic value of plants, gardening
studied
agronomy (soil management & crop production)
taxonomy (categorising species)
influenced and enriched society on agriculture, plants, animals & horticulture
Improvements in animal husbandry & irrigation systems
Husbandry
how humans rare animals for food
care, cultivation and breeding of animals
Irrigation
supply water to land, crops for growth
water was scarce, therefore better management needed to reserve it
Stratification of Society
agriculture became more productive, able to support population growth
hierarchy: productive land owners are of high ranking
land owners become rich, and desire power over others
1930s - 1960s:
3rd Agricultural Revolution
(Green Revolution)
changed most parts of the world, especially developing countries e.g. Mexico & Brazil. Food production corresponded with exponential population growth around the world, solved problems of famine in many countries (by technology transfer & knowledge sharing to less advanced countries)
Introduction of chemical and automation
more intensive use of chemical fertilisers & chemicals
control pest and diseases (but overuse can cause resistance)
increased productivity of land, production rate with minimal human work (but not yet computerised)
automation in all stages of agriculture:
ploughing, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, packaging, processing, distributing
Research & knowledge sharing improve yields and nutrient
intensified research
don't keep findings to themselves, unlike Arab AR, global sharing was difficult to do
research & technology transfer initiatives to countries like Mexico, India, Philippines, Brazil etc.
Technology
new technologies, high yielding hybrid varieties
agrochemical controlled H2O supply, improved mechanisation
Agriculture as a commodity
increased communication, transportation, exportation and monetization of food
source of income to many, lifestyle and environmental changes
Massive manipulation of the environment
increase yield & production rate not only for consumption but for profit
greed for wealth, don't care about the impacts of overexploitation, overuse of chemicals to the health of consumers and ecosystem
food become very commercialized
17th - 19th Century:
2nd Agricultural Revolution
most significant revolution, led to the unprecedented increase in agricultural production in Britain & Scotland
Change in Agricultural technologies
traditional (human labor) -> Mechanized farming
decreased labor, increased food productivity and yield
increased knowledge and understanding
introduction of crop rotation techniques and selective livestock breeding
plant crops all 4 seasons, year round = better land productivity
machines, supplement natural fertilisers, chemical pesticides
Surplus of food in production, begins agricultural commercialization
mindset shift from providing nutrition needs to food being a COMODITY
when production > consumption
humans monetizing everything: export, exchange, buy, sell
specialization of agriculture
farmers, manufacturers, suppliers, factories, machines
increased job opportunities due to emergence of food processing companies
Change of society and settlement structure - Urbanisation
specialised group of people concentrated in one area
are responsible for different fields of agriculture
attractive lifestyle, lots of people gravitate towards urban areas, they want to get rich and live comfortably
prerequisite to the Industrial Revolution
Population boom:
agriculture output > population growth
increased food quality & availability
increased livelihood, quality of life
HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH VS. FOOD PRODUCTION
food production has continued to keep up with human population growth
biotechnology to improve yield and nutrients
high-tech agriculture with intelligent mechanization
innovate & specialised agriculture in urban setting
therefore food production diversified, increasing variety