History of agriculture
Wild grains were collected and eaten from at least 20,000 BC. From around 9500 BC, the eight Neolithic founder crops – emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chick peas, and flax – were cultivated in the Levant. Rye may have been cultivated earlier but this remains controversial. Rice was domesticated in China by 6200 BC with earliest known cultivation from 5700 BC, followed by mung, soy and azuki beans. Pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 11,000 BC, followed by sheep between 11,000 BC and 9000 BC. Cattle were domesticated from the wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and Pakistan around 8500 BC. Sugarcane and some root vegetables were domesticated in New Guinea around 7000 BC. Sorghum was domesticated in the Sahel region of Africa by 5000 BC. In the Andes of South America, the potato was domesticated between 8000 BC and 5000 BC, along with beans, coca, llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs. Bananas were cultivated and hybridized in the same period in Papua New Guinea. In Mesoamerica, wild teosinte was domesticated to maize by 4000 BC. Cotton was domesticated in Peru by 3600 BC. Camels were domesticated late, perhaps around 3000 BC.
Mesoamerica
By roughly 6000 BCE, [[hunter-gatherer]]s living in the [[highland (geography)|highlands]] and lowlands of Mesoamerica began to develop agricultural practices with early cultivation of squash and chilli. The earliest example of [[maize]] dates to c. 4000 BCE and comes from [[Guilá Naquitz]], a cave in Oaxaca. Earlier maize samples have been documented at the Los Ladrones cave site in [[Panama]], c. 5500 BCE. Slightly thereafter, semi-[[agrarian community|agrarian communities]] began to cultivate other crops throughout Mesoamerica. Maize was the most common domesticate, but the common bean, tepary bean, scarlet runner bean, [[jicama]], [[tomato]] and squash all became common cultivates by 3500 BCE. At the same time, these communities exploited [[cotton]], [[yucca]], and [[agave]] for fibers and [[textile]] materials. By 2000 BCE, corn was the staple crop in the region, and remained so through modern times. The Ramón or [[Brosimum alicastrum|Breadnut tree]] ("[[Brosimum alicastrum]]") was an occasional substitute for maize in producing flour. Fruit was also important in the daily diet of Mesoamerican cultures. Some of the main ones consumed include [[avocado]], [[papaya]], [[guava]], [[mamey (disambiguation)|mamey]], [[Sapote|zapote]], and [[annona]].