Final answer:
Food production began around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture and the domestication of animals in the Fertile Crescent and other regions. This transition led to significant societal changes, including reliable food supplies and the rise of the first true economies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Development of Food Production:
Food production as a subsistence pattern developed approximately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. The transition from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of settled agriculture and animal domestication marks a significant point in human history. Agricultural practices began in several places around the world, notably in the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. This shift enabled the first true economies based on the deliberate cultivation of plants and the domestication of animals, resulting in more reliable food supplies, population growth, and established communities.
As researchers believe, the process of transitioning to an agricultural lifestyle extended over a considerable period, perhaps over 1,000 years or more. Over time, agriculture became incorporated into hunter-gatherer lifestyles, and with the advent of the agricultural revolution, human labor was able to yield food for an increasing number of people, eventually leading to today's advanced food production systems.
Understanding the origins of food production allows us to appreciate the profound changes in human society, economy, and the relationship with the environment that this transformative period brought about.