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In South America, agriculture began as early as 9000 BC, starting with the cultivation of several species of plants that later became only minor crops. In the Andes of South America, the potato was domesticated between 8000 BC and 5000 BC, along with beans, squash, tomatoes, peanuts, coca, llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs.
Archeo-botanical evidence indicates that food cultivation began in South America between 11,000 and 7,600 years ago. [3] The earliest crops were lerén (Goeppertia allouia) and arrowroot, but over time a more diverse array of plants were cultivated. Within this context of primitive agricultural practice, plant domestication is thought to have ...
The plants were from Ireland, so the crop became known as the "Irish potato". Thomas Jefferson said of the potato, "you say the potato is a native of the US. I presume you speak of the Irish potato. I have enquired much into this question, & think I can assure you that plant is not a native of N. America."
Around 4000 BCE the climate of the Sahara and the Sahel started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace. This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink significantly and caused increasing desertification, potentially reducing the wild food supply and spurring people to domesticate plant crops. [2]
When complete, the list below will include all food plants native to the Americas (genera marked with a dagger † are endemic), regardless of when or where they were first used as a food source. For a list of food plants and other crops which were only introduced to Old World cultures as a result of the Columbian Exchange touched off by the ...
Inca agriculture was the culmination of thousands of years of farming and herding in the high-elevation Andes mountains of South America, the coastal deserts, and the rainforests of the Amazon basin. These three radically different environments were all part of the Inca Empire (1438-1533 CE) and required different technologies for agriculture .
The Ifugao people practice traditional farming spending most of their labor at their terraces and forest lands while occasionally tending to root crop cultivation. The Ifugaos have also [ 62 ] been known to culture edible shells, fruit trees, and other vegetables which have been exhibited among Ifugaos for generations.
Chiles were also added at times to cacao, when it was in a beverage form. In Mesoamerica, chiles were used for ritual purposes and therefore, the chile crops did not extend into North and South America like maize, beans, and squash. A cuisine distinct to Mesoamerica was a maize-and-chile pepper based food.