Writing and Printing

History of agriculture in the Indian subcontinent

The oldest evidence for Indian agriculture is in north-west Indian subcontinent dates from the Neolithic c. 8000-6000 BCE, with traces of the cultivation of plants and domestication of crops and animals. India was the largest producer of wheat and grain. Then settled life soon followed with implements and techniques being developed for agriculture. Double monsoons led to two harvests being reaped in one year. Indian products soon reached the world via existing trading networks and foreign crops were introduced to India. Plants and animals—considered essential to their survival by the Indians—came to be worshiped and venerated. The Middle Ages saw irrigation channels reach a new level of sophistication in India and Indian crops affecting the economies of other regions of the world. Land and water management systems were developed with an aim of providing uniform growth. Despite some stagnation during the later modern era the independent Republic of India was able to develop a comprehensive agricultural programme.

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See also

• ▸Cananefates
• ▸Jan Savitt
• ▸German language in the United States

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