9500 BCE
Neolithic farming in the Fertile Crescent
Wheat, barley and pulses are domesticated in the Fertile Crescent, beginning settled agriculture. Source — Wikipedia:
Chronological Storyline (12 Milestones)
7000 BCE
Rice domesticated in the Yangtze
Communities along China’s Yangtze River domesticate rice, the staple feeding much of humanity. Source — Wikipedia:
3500 BCE
The ard (scratch plough)
Mesopotamian and Egyptian farmers adopt the ard, the first soil-breaking plough, multiplying cultivable land. Source — Wikipedia: )
2000 BCE
Andean terrace farming
Andean peoples build agricultural terraces (later perfected by the Inca) to farm steep mountain slopes. Source — Wikipedia: )
700 BCE
Persian qanat irrigation
Persia’s underground qanat channels move groundwater across deserts by gravity, greening arid lands. Source — Wikipedia:
256 BCE
Dujiangyan irrigation system
Li Bing’s Dujiangyan in China tames the Min River for flood control and irrigation without a dam — still in use. Source — Wikipedia:
100 BCE
Chinese iron mouldboard plough
Han-dynasty China develops the iron mouldboard plough, turning soil far more efficiently than the ard. Source — Wikipedia:
900 CE
Arab Agricultural Revolution
The medieval Islamic world spreads new crops, irrigation and crop rotation across three continents. Source — Wikipedia:
1150 CE
Aztec chinampa floating fields
Mesoamerican farmers build chinampas — highly productive raised beds in lake shallows around Tenochtitlan. Source — Wikipedia:
1730 CE
Norfolk four-course rotation
Charles Townshend popularises four-course crop rotation, ending fallow years and boosting yields in Britain. Source — Wikipedia:
1929 CE
Hydroponics demonstrated
William F. Gericke shows crops can grow in nutrient solution without soil, founding modern hydroponics. Source — Wikipedia:
1999 CE
Vertical farming proposed
Dickson Despommier popularises vertical farming — stacked, climate-controlled indoor crop production. Source — Wikipedia: