Subsistence and Economy
Part 1: Discuss and
compare the costs and benefits of the two different subsistence patterns of
hunter
gatherers and
agriculture, addressing the following questions in full:
1. Identify the benefits of both types of
subsistence patterns.
Hunter gatherers have the
advantage of more food as in they can grow crops and hunt and have more so they
are able to trade as well, for other things they might need. Agriculture has
its perks because they don’t have to work so hard to catch their food when they
can just grow it as well as being able to grow and abundance to be able to also
trade crops for other things instead of only being able to round up a couple
animals from hunting.
2. Identify the costs (or disadvantages) of
both subsistence patterns.
When hunting, it is more dangerous and you
have to be a lot stealthier you can’t just water a plant and wait for food to
come to you, you have to be steady and quiet and if you are hunting a strong
animal then you have to be careful they don’t catch you first. With farming,
the disadvantage is it takes a long time for the crops to be ripe and sometimes
they die if aren’t taken care of properly and this can depend on the weather.
3. Which subsistence pattern provides a healthier
diet? Explain.
I feel like both are sometimes needed but
maybe the crops would provide a healthier diet and if they needed meat they
could use cows, chicken, or pigs which are easier to manage than a more wild
animal. They can even feed these animals healthy things so that the meat is
nicer and they won’t have such a bad diet from what the cow ate in its
lifetime. Plus you need the nutrients of fruits and veggies.
4. Discuss why you
think those early human populations 12,000 years ago made the transition into
agriculture? Think
like an early human, not a modern one! Your answer should not mention
“machines” at all.
I believe a reason an early human would turn to agriculture
in place of hunting would be that hunting was very dangerous without the right
weapons and back then there wasn’t many and the weapons they would use would be
a weapon you would have to use up close compared to now. So there would be a
chance the animal would hunt you instead. Also, hunting could take a long time
in that you would have to patiently wait for your choice of animal to appear and
if you make a sound they might run off before you have a chance.
Part 2: Economics and
Trade:
1. There is a direct
relationship between the availability of surplus and the ability to trade.
Explain
the meaning of this statement.
When you make trades there is an
opportunity to gain more than you gave. Just like in a business if you sell things
for more than they were worth you got them you increase your income. So when
making trades you may retrieve something that is of more value to you than what
you gave which is more value to the other than what they gave you.
2. Identify and
describe two (2) social benefits of trade.
The social benefits of trade is if they like your product
they will come back for more and you will get something of greater value in
return or word of mouth happens and more people or in some cases more countries
want to make trades with your country if you have good supplies and then you
will get more variety of supplies based on what the other countries may have.
Another benefit is that you make allies with the countries
you trade with which is a positive for any disputes with other countries you
may have because then everyone wants to be on your countries good side and will
help you out in a crisis so that you do the same for them.
3. Identify and
describe two (2) negative social results of the development of trade.
The negative social results of trade come from either one
side thinking they were cheated and that they gave something of more value or
quantity than the other. Another way that it can be negative is that there can
be sharing issues. Maybe one side wants the other sides goods all to themselves
and won’t allow others to join in on the trade or try to take over the area of
the goods and this causes problems and has multiple times in history, one time
was about China so they made the open door policy then.
4. Given your answer
in the question #1, explain the relationship between the development of
agriculture and the
development of trade. Again, think like humans 12,000 years ago.
The development of agriculture definitely increased trade
because the more crops the more things to trade for those who are going hungry
but have materials for things like shelter or warmth. I feel like growing crops
helped spread the idea of trading because in some areas crops could not survive
because of the climate changes and in other areas it could so it left a lot of
room for trading and I believe the two go hand and hand in helping each other
especially 12,000 years ago.
For part 1:
ReplyDelete"Hunter gatherers have the advantage of more food as in they can grow crops and hunt and have more so they are able to trade as well, for other things they might need. "
No, H/G didn't grow their own food and while it was possible for them to trade, there isn't evidence that this was a core part of their population. It couldn't be because that depends upon having a surplus, and a mobile population can't carry surplus with them. The primary benefit of the H/G approach is in the nutritional content and the diversity in their diets, as well as their ability to be more adaptable to environmental change impacting their food options.
"Agriculture has its perks because they don’t have to work so hard to catch their food when they can just grow it..."
This is a common misconception. Agriculturalists actually put in more time with their subsistence methods than did H/G populations, who had more leisure time. The primary benefit to agriculture was knowing where your food was from day to day and you had a surplus in case of disaster.
Good discussion on the costs of both subsistence methods. Are there any nutritional costs to the agricultural approach?
With regard to the question of which was healthier, did you review the article on this topic in the assignment folder? Which provides a more diverse diet with a wider range of nutrients? Which is more sedentary, reducing activity levels which leads to the accumulation of body fat? Which has a higher incidence of dental disease? Which is more adaptable to climatic change? I suggest you go back and review this information.
I'm curious about your emphasis on hunting in the final section. H/G did have the "right weapons" and they had successfully practiced hunting for millions of years, with quite strategic methods. Aside from this, even if a practice is hard, you can't change to an alternative until that alternative exists or is understood. So you first had to have a H/G that recognized the possibility of growing your own food and then to make that choice to stick around and grow that food instead of migrating with your food.
For Part 2:
I don't disagree with your points in the first section, but how does this address the relationship between surplus and trade? Can trade occur at all unless you have more than you need of a particular item that is needed by another person who has a surplus of something you need or want?
Good discussion on the benefits of trade.
Yes, trade can create conflict by bringing together two very different populations with different cultural practices and values. While I don't disagree that can relate these issues to modern populations, we are looking at the rise of trade, so we should keep our focus to very early trade populations.
Very good final discussion. I appreciate how you explained your reasoning and thought processes to your readers.
First off, I am impressed with your organization. it made it very easy to understand. I certainly agree with your advantages and disadvantages of trade. Gaining allies is essential in the development of a society/country, so great job pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteHello Chloe,
ReplyDeleteGood blog I like how you put that hunting was more dangerous and that why agriculture may have been started. I also liked that you made a connection between the types of materials used and hunting. I too agree that both are needed in order to have a healthy diet. Good point of veiw, I enjoyed reading your blog.