History of Agriculture

 The earliest man survived by hunting wild animals, fishing in lakes and rivers and gathering fruits and nuts from the forests. When man was no longer able to find enough food within his surroundings, he moved to new places in search of food. Gradually he learnt how to select and domesticate animals,  till the soil and cultivate plants to satisfy his needs. Communities developed as he became more settled and organised in his ways of living .

 The first settlements emerged along the banks  of the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where land  was very fertile. Those early settlers used tools made of stone and other materials to prepare the soil for planting. They, however, continued to hunt for animals and to fish in the sea, rivers and lakes around them. They used the meat of those animals for food.  The useful hides or skins were used for clothing and  shelter. 

 Settlements developed into communities and  man began to spend time studying and observing his environment or surroundings. As the population increased the demand for more food also increased. That led to the selection of animals for rearing or  domestication and crops for planting, through trial  and error. As time passed, man developed improved  breeds of livestock and new improved varieties of  crops. He also improved the tools and the fertilizers  and animal feed used for crops and livestock.  

 Similar developments have taken place in Guyana and the Caribbean. The earliest settlers (the Amerindians) hunted, fished and planted simple crops. They practised a shifting cultivation of small agricultural plots that were established in the heart of the forest where they grew mainly cassava, behind the villages where they lived on the coastline.  Although cassava was their main crop they also varied their food with beans, fruit, and the results of their hunting and fishing. They cultivated cotton with which they made the hammocks they slept in, and they also made fibre rope. 

  The establishment of plantation agriculture by the European settlers after 1621 changed the pattern of agriculture in Guyana.

Tobacco, sugar cane, coffee and cotton were cuktivated by the European settlers. Along with these they introduced high technology like drainage and irrigation, machines and chemicals on  their plantations. By 1880, the rice industry was introduced to Guyana and today it ranks second to sugar cane as a foreign exchange earning crop.  

 Around the year 1900, the management of  livestock in Guyana was very poor. Horses and mules received some amount of attention, while cattle, sheep, goats and poultry were left to fend for themselves. Later, attempts were made to provide proper drainage for pastures and protection against unfavourable weather conditions. With the introduction of more efficient systems of management, the livestock industry in Guyana developed and production increased in cattle, poultry, sheep and goats.