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How did early farmers grow food before the plow was invented?
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Origins of agriculture
Harvesting wheat on a farm in the grain belt near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A potash mine appears in the distant background.
Before the invention of the plow, early farmers and agricultural societies relied on a variety of manual tools and land-management techniques to cultivate food.
The most fundamental implement was the digging stick, a sharpened branch sometimes weighted with a perforated stone or equipped with a crossbar to help the user break ground. This tool served as the precursor to many later agricultural hand tools. Another essential implement was the hoe, which featured a blade—originally made of stone or wood—set at a right angle to a handle, allowing farmers to loosen soil and manage weeds.123
Beyond individual tools, early agriculturalists employed sophisticated land-management strategies:
- Habitat Management: Groups used controlled burning to clear forest understories, which reduced competition for sunlight and encouraged the growth of nut-bearing trees and other useful plants.4
- Water Management: Farmers utilized irrigation techniques, check dams to capture runoff in arroyos, and hillside contour terraces to conserve soil and water.14
- Seed Broadcasting: In some regions, after harvesting wild grains, people would broadcast seeds over burned areas to encourage future growth.4