Theories of the Transition to Agriculture

Ola Olsson ()
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Ola Olsson: University of Gothenburg

Chapter 9 in Paleoeconomics, 2024, pp 191-207 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Why did the transition to domesticated plants and animals occur? I start by reviewing some stylized facts that are key for understanding this transition. I then discuss the merits of the major economic theories of the reasons behind the transition to agriculture with a focus on the role of climate changes leading up to the onset of the warm Holocene in 11.7 kya. I present a class of models that broadly cluster around population growth, institutional innovations, and habitat and climate change. The chapter ends with the observation that humans in important ways also domesticated themselves.

Keywords: Optimal foraging; Territoriality; Boserup hypothesis; Population growth; Institutional innovation; Property rights; Competitive feasting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-52784-5_9

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