Final answer:
The development of agriculture was a gradual process marked by the domestication of plants and the transition from a nomadic lifestyle to settled farming communities, enabling specialization and the growth of trade and settlements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The development of agriculture was indeed a gradual process, rather than a sudden, revolutionary change. The real transformation happened over millennia as humans began to shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one that revolved around the sowing, tending, and harvesting of plant crops.
The process of plant domestication began around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, probably encouraged by a warming climate after the last ice age.
Over time, humans selectively bred plants to be larger, tastier, more nutritious, and easier to grow. This slow but progressive change supported the growth of settlements, the specialization of trades, and the development of markets, leading to the eventual rise of towns and empires.
The Agricultural Revolution, known as the Neolithic Revolution, occurred independently in multiple regions, with each area domesticating different plants native to their environment.
This significant period in human history led to substantial changes in social organization, the accumulation of wealth, labor specialization, and the abandonment of egalitarianism among hunter-gatherer groups.