Comparing The Neolithic Revolution And The Industrial Revolution

Perhaps the most basic human need is eating. Over the course of human existence there has been a dramatic shift in the variety of food available and how it is obtained. More recently, revolutions in agriculture, industry and life-style have all inflated rates of obesity in developed nations, so much so that it can be effectively described as an epidemic. Transformations in agriculture, industry and life-style have also resulted in great environmental devastations, accentuating our interdependent existence within the ecosystem. No longer do we hunt for our food, there is a surplus and we are given the luxury of choice. However, this choice has many implications. In response to the obesity and environmental crisis, a vegan life-style is said
Historically, when the human diet was restricted in some manner, nutrient deficiencies and disease soon followed. In the environmental sphere, devastation from crops rival that from livestock. Perhaps then, it is not about limiting what we eat, but creating sustainability in the way our food is produced, that offers some form of solution.

There has been many major transitions over the course of humanity, however two in particular have shaped much of what we eat and the way we eat today – The Neolithic Revolution and The Industrial Revolution. Both drastically altered people’s lifestyles, and in particular, their diet, health and ecology. Let us first examine the Neolithic transition, also known as The Agricultural Revolution. For most of the time here on Earth, our
During this period, scientific advances and technological innovations fuelled the growth of agriculture and industry, and the two dominated society on a grand scale. After a long period of enclosures, new farming systems created an agricultural revolution that produced larger quantities of crops to feed the increasing population . New tools, fertilizers and harvesting techniques were introduced, resulting in increased productivity and agricultural prosperity . However, a large and exponentially increasing population places a very high demand for resources on the environment, resources that are ultimately finite. The need for food ultimately means the need for more arable land, exacerbating deforestation. There was also a rise processed and packaged food, inevitably accompanied by the rise in factories and industrial units. Together, deforestation is only compounded by the problem of carbon emissions. Whereas forests would help emit oxygen and refresh the levels of healthy gases in the air, factories are emitting poisonous emissions and eliminating the source of oxygen. Interestingly, these environmental problems have yet to be rectified in the modern era, despite the dire consequences so near their effects have become increasingly