fertile crescent was the early center of crop domestication.
where were the early centers of crop domestication?
fertile crescent
during the holocene, the green sahara underwent the process of becoming a desert and became the sahara; this occurrence may have contributed to the start of domesticating field crops. akin to the fertile crescent of the near east, the niger river region of west africa served as a cradle for field crop domestication and agriculture in africa. yams, rice, sorghum. pearl millet, and cowpea are field crops that originate in africa. taming of yams (e.g., d. praehensilis) likely began in the basin of the niger river between eastern ghana and western nigeria (e.g., northern benin). taming of rice (e.g., oryza glaberrima) likely began in the inner niger delta region of mali. taming of pearl millet (e.g., cenchrus americanus) likely began in the region of northern mali and mauritania. taming of cowpeas likely began in the region of northern ghana.
history of west africa
the domestication of animals and plants began with the wolf ("canis lupus") at least 15,000 years before present (ybp), which then led to a rapid shift in the evolution, ecology, and demography of both humans and numerous species of animals and plants. the sudden appearance of the domestic dog ("canis lupus familiaris") in the archaeological record was followed by livestock and crop domestication, and the transition of humans from foraging to farming in different places and times across the planet. around 10,000 ybp, a new way of life emerged for humans through the management and exploitation of plant and animal species, leading to higher-density populations in the centers of domestication, the expansion of agricultural economies, and the development of urban communities.
domestication