As agriculture replaced hunting and gathering, what began to develop?

There are a number of possibilities for answering this question appropriately. One general answer would be "civilization" because the practice of agriculture meant that people who had previously been hunters and gatherers could feed themselves without having to lead a nomadic life. They would no longer have to travel to follow herds or harvests based upon the season, because crops such as grains and root vegetables could be eaten and stored. Animal husbandry was a...

There are a number of possibilities for answering this question appropriately. One general answer would be "civilization" because the practice of agriculture meant that people who had previously been hunters and gatherers could feed themselves without having to lead a nomadic life. They would no longer have to travel to follow herds or harvests based upon the season, because crops such as grains and root vegetables could be eaten and stored. Animal husbandry was a natural outgrowth of plant agriculture, so dairy foods could also be eaten. Being able to stay in one place and eat foods grown and produced on farms meant that homesteads and villages could be created.

As settlements near farms grew, the surplus farm goods could also help to feed others and be sold to generate economic growth. The growth of agriculture had different implications in different parts of the world based upon climate, population and culture. In Europe, for example, the ability for monarchies to flourish depended in part upon the ownership of large parcels of land and peasant labor to farm it. In this way agriculture has been the basis for the growth of civilization in many parts of the world.