When did agriculture first begin?

Agriculture did not have a single, simple origin; rather, it developed independently in various regions at different times as human societies transitioned from foraging to food production.1

The earliest evidence of agriculture is generally associated with the closing of the last Pleistocene glacial period, approximately 11,700 years ago, when global climates warmed and ecosystems reorganized. In the Middle East, specifically within the Fertile Crescent, the first settled agricultural communities are thought to have originated by the early 9th millennium BCE. Archaeological findings in southwestern Asia suggest that cultivation and animal domestication were occurring by roughly 9500 BCE, with evidence of village-based agricultural life dating back to about 8000 BCE.123

Elsewhere, the development of agriculture followed different timelines. For instance, corn was domesticated in central Mexico about 10,000 years ago. In Europe, farming economies were progressively adopted starting around 7000 BCE in Greece, spreading gradually across the continent over several millennia.45