A History of Agriculture in India v1.c23.s7: Hearths of Agriculture

v1.c23.s7.1

Sauer's theory of diffusion of agriculture from one centre suffers from overstatement. Sauer states, the Near East and Mediterranean regions are no more than recent peripheral developments of the dispersal from the original hearth in Southeast Asia. Agriculture did not diffuse from one centre to the rest of the world. In fact, there were seven hearths in the Old World, and four in the New World, from which diffusion of crop plants took place. The oldest centre of diversity and origin of cultivated plants is South-East Asia comprising Thailand, Malaya and adjoining areas. In this centre, rice, sugarcane, banana, coconut, cardamom and turmeric were cultivated. The second oldest centre is that of the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East where wheats, forage crops, olive, grapes and almonds were cultivated. The third centre is in South India which is the home of rice, jute, desi cotton, pulses, mango, citrus fruits and black pepper. The fourth centre is the Chinese, the home of soybean, loquat, litchi, some citrus fruits and tea. North India, Afghanistan and Iran comprise another centre which is regarded as the home of bread wheats, rye, linseed, apple, pear, and walnut. The countries bordering the Mediterranean Ocean are the home of oats, temperate fruits and vegetables like cabbages, cauliflowers, etc. Abyssinia is the home of wheats, sorghum, castor, barley, coffee, and water-melon. The new world has four centres of origin of cultivated plants. Of these one is in Mexico in Central America, which is regarded as a home of maize, sweet-potato, cotton, chilli, papaya, guava, pumpkin, and beans. The other centre is in Peru and Bolivia in South America, which is the home of potato, tomato and tobacco. Argentina and Brazil are the home of rubber, groundnut, pineapple, cashew, tapioca and cocoa (Fig.143).