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"Domestication produced more food per unit area of land than had hunting and gathering, meaning:

a. more people were needed to produce more food.
b. more people could be fed from the same amount of land.
c. more storage was necessary for the extra food provided by domestication.
d. fewer people were available for labor.

User Jyapx
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Domestication and agriculture led to a more reliable food supply that allowed larger populations to be supported on the same amount of land, with excess food prompting the development of a variety of occupations and complex societies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process of domestication led to a more reliable food supply, which, in turn, allowed more people to be fed from the same amount of land. This significant leap from hunting and gathering to farming meant that human populations could grow because agriculture led to a substantial increase in the amount of food that could be produced per unit area of land. As a result of increased food production, societies did not require everyone to work on food generation. Instead, some individuals could focus on other tasks, leading to the specialization of labor and the development of new jobs and technologies.

Consequently, this shift created a surplus of food that contributed to the establishment of permanent settlements and the growth of populations. This surplus facilitated the storage, processing, protection, and transportation of food, as well as the creation of farming equipment and irrigation systems. The new agrarian societies also saw the birth of economies based on trade, with some citizens becoming laborers for others, such as the ruling class.

Ultimately, adopting agriculture and domestication allowed for a transformation in human societies, where not as many people were needed to produce food, enabling a portion of the population to assume roles that required different skill sets and contributed to a more complex and stratified society.

User Doug Knowles
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