Final answer:
Food production initiated in marginal zones to ensure a more stable and manageable food supply through agricultural techniques adapted to local environmental conditions. These early farming practices led to greater labor specialization and the emergence of complex economies, as individuals could then focus on various jobs beyond just food production.
Step-by-step explanation:
Food production likely began in marginal zones due to various social and environmental factors influencing early human settlements. The ecological impacts of early farming necessitated the deliberate redistribution of species to increase the local concentrations of edible plants and animals. Instead of foraging over large distances, people could cultivate food in a single location through methods like hoeing, irrigation, ploughing, and manuring, ensuring a more stable food supply. Agricultural development eventually led to labor specialization and technological advancements. The emergence of new jobs beyond the fields allowed for more complex economies and trade systems. In regions with poor soils and harsh climates, early humans developed highly efficient farming techniques to optimize the use of the land. For example, the practice of slash-and-burn in some developing countries has been found to be more productive per acre than some modern-day US farms. Moreover, the distribution of crops was influenced by factors like the proximity to markets as described by Johann von Thünen's model. Products expensive to transport, such as dairy, were grown close to the markets, while less perishable items, such as grains, were grown further away. The development of a stable food supply with early agriculture, as seen in the Fertile Crescent, was pivotal in leading to labor specialization and subsequent societal developments.