Agricultural Development Towards Modernization

The agricultural revolution started simultaneously in Asia, China and Meso-America. Domestication took place only when absolutely necessary, since agriculture required more labour than hunting. While the Europeans were interested in cattle and milk production, the aborigines practised rain-fed agriculture, planting cassava, maize and potatoes. Certain developments in European agriculture during the 9th and 10th centuries illustrate real technical progress through innovations such as horseshoes and horse collars on animals for traction. In northeast Brazil, the Europeans successfully used large areas for extensive cattle ranches throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, even though the region was affected by drought. Views and concepts of Western Europe influenced the process of modernization, being both Eurocentric and imperialist. Western interventions were seen as one reason for instability and potential global conflict, the Chinese and Islamic civilizations being prime challengers to the Western type of civilization.