Final answer:
The people of the New Guinean highlands are now believed to have started farming between 9,000 and 6,000 years ago, which indicates an earlier development of agriculture than previously assumed and contributing to the global pattern of the Agricultural Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Origin of Agriculture in the New Guinean Highlands
Archaeologists now believe that the people living in the highlands of New Guinea developed agriculture between 9,000 and 6,000 years ago. This timeline places their agricultural practices significantly earlier than previously assumed and shows that the development of agriculture occurred independently in various parts of the world, not just in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. The shift from hunting-gathering to farming marked the beginning of true economies, where food surplus could support non-farmers and contribute to sociocultural complexity.
The establishment of agriculture by the New Guinean highlanders is part of a global trend in which different societies began raising crops and domesticating animals, signaling the Agricultural Revolution. The highlands' fertile environment likely provided an abundant source of wild edible plants and animals that supported the transition to a settled agricultural lifestyle, eventually leading to more complex social structures and economies.
It is also noteworthy that while agriculture allowed for larger, settled communities and the potential to develop surplus food, it also meant much longer working hours for farmers compared to hunter-gatherers, who historically worked fewer hours and had more leisure time.