Ancient plant domestication in the Neotropics predates the rise of large-scale agriculture
In short: Researchers analyzing the archaeobotanical record found that the domestication of native plants in the Neotropics began significantly earlier than the development of organized food production systems. By reviewing thousands of species across Mesoamerica, the Andes, and lowland South America, the study shows that humans were selecting and caring for individual plants long before they established full-scale farming.
The study distinguishes domestication—focused on individual plant care—from agriculture, which manages entire populations. While the Neolithic Revolution often links the two, this research suggests they are separate processes. The analysis was based on a synthesis of archaeological records across three major regions. A limitation of this approach is that it relies on existing archaeobotanical data to quantify historical management practices.
Why it matters: Human interaction with plants as domesticates is a deep historical process independent of the invention of farming.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Clement et al. (2021). Disentangling Domestication from Food Production Systems in the Neotropics. Quaternary. · cc-by
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