What is the relationship between agriculture and development?

Answer 1

When you grow food (agriculture) you must necessarily live in one place in order to tend your crops, for at least one harvest season. While you hang about waiting for your crops to become edible, you need to find something to do with your time. You've probably already begun domesticating animals, milking sheep and goats and cows, and eating their babies and the pensioned-off older creatures (animal husbandry), to keep occupied and well-fed. It's possible your community intended to move on after harvest, but by that time you've built barns, put up fences, and have sophisticated, state-of-the-art homes. You've also by now established a marketing network: builders build your barns and homes, carpenters make your furniture, local youngsters come to assist your own children in keeping the now-established farm going, under your received wisdom. You quite likely by now are helping other locals within the community network, which is now keeping you all reasonably comfortable. Listen to all the tales of the hard life of the farmer, and compare that life to nomadic traipsing about frequently barren countryside and fighting those who'd prefer you go away and stop stealing their food. The alternative is called development, and it is driven by agriculture.