The Emergence of Agriculture: Trickle-Down Growth and Climate Change

Shinji Teraji

Economics Bulletin, 2012, vol. 32, issue 1, 913-922

Abstract: This paper analyzes a model of the transition to agriculture by allowing heterogeneous agents to make the decision on whether to engage in farming or foraging. The threshold level, which divides foragers from farmers, depends on both agricultural productivity and foraging efficiency. As agricultural productivity improves, farming becomes possible to low-skilled agents, which leads to further improvement in agricultural productivity. Due to this trickle-down mechanism, the allocation of labor to agriculture magnifies the persistence of growth dynamics. The model also explains that a temporary climate deterioration can initiate the transition to agriculture by lowering foraging efficiency.

Keywords: Origin of agriculture; Agricultural productivity; Foraging; Trickle-down growth; Climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O1 O4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-03-19
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