Why Is Farming Better Than Foraging?

Thousands and thousands of years ago, people gave up foraging for food and took up farming instead. This transition was one of the most important decisions throughout human history and their dieting. All that being said, why is farming better than foraging, and what are its benefits?

Farming is a more advanced source of food that enables people all over the world constant food supply. Foraging didn’t enable reliable food sources which is why people wanted to improve their diets in accordance with society and geographic characteristics.

There is a lot of difference between farming and foraging which benefits us. Some scientists say that early farming wasn’t very different from foraging but its development was of great importance for all humans. Without the need for constant moving, farming has become part of our evolution and has improved our lives by a lot. 

Why is farming better than foraging?

For a long time in our history, people got hold of food like any other animal would: by hunting and moving around to find something to eat. The main reason was to find the best resources one could find to survive. Once humans lost the need for constant moving, they started to cultivate crops which was a comparatively recent development.

It is a great challenge to understand how and why humans adopted this technological change. We mostly rely on fossil evidence, but there is also some evidence of it in the modern world as some present-day groups of people are moving away from hunting and gathering food and are choosing agriculture instead.

It is important to mention that farming was more helpful to early humans because farmers built more permanent and more durable houses. They also had stronger tools, and they had an unlimited supply of food as well. Their tools were made of steel which made them sturdier and more durable than before.

Another thing is that their houses were made out of hardened clay which made them sturdier than the houses foragers had. In addition to farming, those who were working in agriculture had a bigger supply of food because they had a farm and they would keep growing food which enabled them a more consistent food supply than foragers.

Both foraging and farming were of great importance for society to grow, but it seems that farming was more essential and helpful as well. One can see that farming was a big improvement in accordance to foraging because it enabled early humans to have a more consistent supply of food, sturdier homes, and stronger tools which helped them cultivate their crops for food.

What’s the difference between farming and foraging?

One must mention again that both foraging and farming were of great importance to the improvement of society, each in their way. There are a lot of differences between foraging and farming. Scientists don’t have enough evidence on how the upgrade happened except the fossils. Nevertheless, we will mention the main differences between the two.

First, we must mention that the hunting-gathering life was hard as there was never an assurance of the food supply. The foragers were usually fit and loved to eat a wide variety of food. This is simply because they couldn’t choose the food they were eating, they simply ate whatever they could find at the moment. According to this, one can say that they weren’t picky eaters.

The foragers were the ones to bring themselves food. One can say that they depended on themselves for food. They didn’t have to plant or harvest crops. The foragers were hunters, fishermen, and were picking food wherever they could find it.

It is important to mention that the food foragers hunted or gathered may have had some diseases or have been poisoned which is a big disadvantage than te farming life. The farmers are the ones who plant and harvest crops and know exactly the quality of their products. This is why foragers tend to lead shorter lives than other people.

Another disadvantage for the foragers is that they can be attacked or even killed by animals while hunting or even other humans as well. Hunting and gathering food is a hard task and presents many difficulties to anyone who finds themselves in that situation.

On the other hand, some farmers have protection from dangerous animals, poisonous food, and other humans. Farmers have a consistent supply of food which they planted and later harvested themselves. The farmers specialize in the different fields of agriculture which allows people to take on different jobs.

The great thing about farming is that people can be less worried about their next drink and meal which is the ultimate goal. Farming can be hard and has many advantages or disadvantages but in the end, it is better than foraging because it gives people a constant supply of food.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of farming?

Nowadays, farmers are trying to produce more and more crops on their farms mainly to sell more and to enable food supply for a lot of people. Farmers plant and harvest the crops and later sell them to big corporations or even directly to the customers.

There is more and more technology being incorporated into modern farms. The technology helps the farmers to produce better crops and it also helps them to work faster. There are some advantages to modern farming. The farmers have become more experienced and the supervision of the farms has become easier as time goes on.

The main advantage of farming is that it enables you a constant supply of food. Every year farmers learn more and more things about their crops and everything that has to do with agriculture which is why they get a healthier and more quality product which is a great thing.

Those healthy and high-quality fruits and vegetables are getting more and more affordable to the people which enables them to eat and live healthier. This is a big improvement over foraging because it enables a constant food supply that enables you to healthy and high-quality food for everyone. 

However, there are some disadvantages to farming per foraging. Unfortunately, there are more and more diseases every year that hits crops which is why farmers have to use all kinds of fertilizers and pesticides. The modern farms are unfortunately more contaminated than traditional farms or the food that the foragers find in the wilderness.

Due to more chemicals being used in smaller areas, modern farms are more likely pollutant in general which is a bad thing. There are a lot of chemicals and pesticides being used to enable healthy and quality crop production that harms the environment which is a very bad thing.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of foraging?

Same as farming, there are advantages and disadvantages to foraging as well. Some researches show that the hunters and gatherers had a better diet and healthier body than the farmers as they had more food intakes and more nutrients in their diets.

Another positive thing about foraging is that the hunters and gatherers had more leisure time which they spent creating art and music. The foragers didn’t have to spend all they harvesting crops and taking care of big farms which is why they had more spare time to do other, more creative things.

Also, the foragers didn’t have to do as much labor as farmers. It was hard work to find good and quality food for foragers, but they didn’t have to spend days to take care of the crops. It is important to mention that foragers rarely had any diseases that we suffer from today which is a big advantage as well.

The biggest disadvantage of foraging was the unreliable food source which was a constant worry for anyone that hunts or gathers food to survive. Their food supply depends on the area they are currently inhabiting which brings its risks.

The foragers didn’t have many characteristics of modern civilizations and the nomadic life was more difficult than the sedentary ones. Just imagine the thought of not knowing will you find food the next day.

Is farming an improvement over foraging?

One can say that early farming wasn’t a big upgrade from foraging. It wasn’t more productive in the beginning but people took it up for social and demographic reasons. Farming is getting better day by day and it is a big improvement to foraging. People now have a constant food supply and can produce food for a lot of people which is the biggest improvement one must mention.