Sustainable agriculture: lessons from the past 

Both long and short-term changes in climate and societal systems have repeatedly affected the sustainability of agriculture in the Near East. This is the conclusion of F. Hole in a recently released paper in Climate of the Past (Clim. Past.., 3, 193-203, 2007).

Agricultural history in this semi-arid region shows periods of spread followed by others of retraction. Agriculture started about 11,000 years ago when populations shifted from hunting, and started to replace wild food resources with cultivars and domestic animals. During favorable climate periods this induced intensive settlements and increasing populations. Technical innovations and manpower helped to sustain production when the nature system became degraded or precipitation decreased. Throughout the Holocene society has sought to minimize the effects of such changes and to increase production through technical and societal means of agricultural intensification. Near Eastern agricultural history is particularly instructive because of the large amount and quality of available evidence over the past 11,000 years. While history shows repeated changes in the extent of agriculture, the pace and impact of modern development have led to an unprecedented spread of agriculture, with concomitant stress on the landscape. F. Hole questions whether the present pattern of agriculture in semi-arid lands is sustainable into the future.

F. Hole (2007). Agricultural sustainability in the semi-arid Near East. Climate of the Past., 3, 193-203.

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