Horticulture Economy: Principles Governing Production, Distribution and Exchange | Anthropology Optional for UPSC PDF Download

Distribution

• Around ten thousand years ago, people in the Middle East made a crucial discovery: plants grow from seeds. This knowledge helped address the ongoing challenge of securing food for human consumption. Interestingly, it was women who made this discovery. They were responsible for gathering wild grasses and bringing the cereals back to their homes, where they stored them in pits. They would later retrieve the grains from these pits to prepare for eating.
• Occasionally, some grains would be left in the storage pits long enough to sprout, and a few of these sprouts would grow into recognizable young plants of the parent species. Driven by curiosity or necessity, women began to transplant these young shoots and found that planting them in this manner could yield a significantly higher number of grains. This innovation laid the groundwork for a new type of society—one that could produce most of its own food instead of relying solely on hunting and gathering. This foundation would also later form the basis for an agricultural economy.
• Today, tribal societies that follow a horticultural economy can be found in several regions worldwide: the Pacific islands, southern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Americas. These societies consist of millions of individuals.

Examples

• In North America, the Hopi and Zuni Red Indians practice a horticultural economy, where they cultivate and manage plants for food and other resources. Similarly, in South America, the Apinaye, Tarahumara, Camayura, Ynamanao, and ]ivaro Red Indians also rely on horticulture for their sustenance and livelihood.
• In Africa, numerous tribal societies such as the Azande, Bemba, Kipsigis, Chagga, Ganda, Hehe, Tiv, Tallensi, Yoruba, Yako, Nyakyusa, and Kpelle predominantly depend on a horticultural economy for their sustenance. This involves growing plants for food, medicine, and other essential resources to support their communities.
• In the Philippines, the Sobanum and Ifugao tribes rely on horticulture for their livelihood, as do many tribes in India, including the Muria Gond, Rengma Naga, Ao Naga Abor, and several other tribal societies in Indonesia, Burma, and Malaya. These communities cultivate and manage plants for food, medicine, and other essential resources, enabling them to sustain their way of life.
• In the Pacific Islands, several tribes such as the Kurtachi, Kiwa, Wogeo, Arapesh, and Trobrianders practice a horticultural economy. This involves cultivating and managing plants for food and other essential resources, which allows them to maintain their traditional lifestyles and support their communities.

Characteristics

• A horticultural economy is characterized by a more sedentary lifestyle, with populations living in more permanent settlements compared to modern hunting and gathering societies. These groups tend to move only when absolutely necessary, such as when the soil becomes depleted.
• This type of economy supports low to moderate population densities, as horticultural practices produce more food per area than hunting and gathering. As a result, horticulture can sustain larger communities with higher population densities.
• Horticultural economies typically consist of small to moderately-sized self-sufficient local groups, often in the form of villages with populations ranging from a few dozen to a couple of thousand individuals.
• The economic resources in a horticultural economy are generally simple to moderate. The technology used is primarily basic hand tools and farming methods, with small plots of land being farmed using tools like digging sticks, hoes, or spades.
• The division of labor in horticultural societies is based on age, gender, and some degree of specialization. Women often contribute more to subsistence activities than men in these societies.
• A horticultural economy is characterized by an abundance of food and infrequent food shortages. Crops like maize, millet, manioc, bananas, peanuts, corn, potatoes, yams, coconuts, breadfruit, taro, and sugarcane provide plentiful food supplies, supplemented by meat and fish. Food shortages are rare due to the dependable yields of these crops.
• Finally, horticultural economies often feature some part-time political leadership, with individuals taking on roles as part-time craftsmen or political officials. Members of kin groups, such as lineage heads, tribal chiefs, shamans, and priests, may hold higher status within the society.

Conclusion

Horticultural economies have played a significant role in shaping human societies since their inception around ten thousand years ago. These economies are characterized by their sedentary nature, relatively higher population densities, and abundance of food resources. They rely on simple tools and farming methods to cultivate and manage plants for food, medicine, and other essential resources. Horticultural societies can be found in various regions worldwide, such as the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. These societies typically feature a division of labor based on age, gender, and some degree of specialization, with women often contributing more to subsistence activities than men. Furthermore, horticultural economies often have part-time political leadership and kin groups holding higher status within the society.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Horticulture Economy

Who discovered that plants grow from seeds and when did this discovery occur?

Women made the discovery that plants grow from seeds around ten thousand years ago in the Middle East.

What are some examples of tribes that practice a horticultural economy?

Examples include the Hopi and Zuni Red Indians in North America, the Azande and Bemba tribes in Africa, the Sobanum and Ifugao tribes in the Philippines, and the Kurtachi and Kiwa tribes in the Pacific Islands.

What are the key characteristics of a horticultural economy?

A horticultural economy is characterized by a more sedentary lifestyle, low to moderate population densities, small self-sufficient local groups, simple to moderate economic resources, division of labor based on age and gender, an abundance of food, and part-time political leadership.

How does a horticultural economy compare to a hunting and gathering economy in terms of food production and population density?

Horticultural practices produce more food per area than hunting and gathering, allowing for larger communities with higher population densities and a more sedentary lifestyle.