Evolutionary history constantly changes as scientists find new fossil records and archeologists reinterpret old evidence. Although, what has remained true is modern humans’ first continent, Africa. It is here that the entire world as we know it started. Ninety thousand years ago, the first people migrated out of Africa to explore a new world and create new cultures, languages, and technologies. One of these developments was one that completely changed the way humans lived, domestication. As hunter-gatherers, humans migrated alongside their food. They had no permanent settlements, and everyone worked together to feed their small tribe. Eventually, agriculture started to seep into the lives of people. The exact time and way ancient humans first domesticated plants and animals is still not known. Archaeologists believed that once a tribe learned about agriculture, they switched entirely and that this way of life spread worldwide, hence the name agricultural revolution. However, recently this theory has been disproven. Some tribes in Africa kept to their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, while others took a hybrid approach. Archeological records also indicate that humans discovered agriculture around the late stone age when people carved stones into specific shapes for weapons and tools. Another misconception many people have is that the discovery of agricultural production happened in one place. In reality, cultures worldwide discovered domestication in multiple places, but the exact process of how it came about will never be known. However, archeologists and historians have a consensus on the most likely way plant and animal domestication was discovered. It is believed that the gatherers of the tribe started to protect certain crops, mostly cereals like sorghum and millets. People would protect the crops by weeding and resowing their seeds. Gatherers soon found that resowing healthier crops produced better crops the following year. True domestication came when a family of crops became dependent on human intervention. As the years went by, the plant would no longer be able to compete with weeds but would produce a much higher yield. The same process took place with the domestication of wild animals. Again, the members of the tribe would protect the healthier wild animals. The animals would be herded together and brought to better grazing sites to increase their size. Larger animals produced more milk and meat, but the animals now required human assistance to survive. The agricultural revolution was long and drawn out, but its impacts changed humans’ entire understanding of the world! People around the world and in Africa started settling. Instead of makeshift shelters, people began to use mud, thatch, and even stones to create permanent housing. With the rise of agriculture, people began to develop better tools, use them, and be able to store them. They were no longer restricted to only taking what they could carry on their backs. Even more importantly, as people began settling in fertile regions and having a reliable food source, they had more children. Once seen as a burden to carry and care for, the entire family helped raise newborn babies. They would soon be in the fields helping their family with the harvest. Families also gained access to a surplus. If families were able to produce more than they could consume, they would have food security through bad harvests or severe weather. They would also be able to trade with artisans for other goods. Agriculture completely changed the way human beings interacted with their environment. They no longer lived in harmony with nature, migrating with the weather and animals. This surplus quickly started to create classes between rich and poor. However, this change was much more gradual than recently believed. Many early farming communities still relied heavily on hunting. Some communities simply domesticated animals, migrating to the best feeding spots every season. Archaeologists believe that most of Africa’s traditional religions gained a spiritual element during the agricultural revolution. People now had to rely on the weather and the varying climate. This brought about prayers for rain, fertility, and a good harvest. Plant and animal domestication was a long and slow process but soon took over every corner of the world. It became embedded in ancient people’s lifestyles and religions. The agricultural revolution was a significant turning point in the history of homo sapiens. We still rely heavily on farm production, and FarmSahel is working to ensure farmers can produce crops for generations. Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. Fourth ed., Red Globe Press, 2019.