Farmbrarian

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“Ultimately, nearly every single major disease affecting modern human populations–whether bacterial, viral, parasitic, or noncommunicable–has its roots in the mismatch between our biology and the world we have created since the advent of agriculture.”

10,000 years ago, people began growing food instead of foraging. This method of feeding populations seems like an obvious way to improve food security. (Although evidence does not suggest that hunter-gatherers had trouble obtaining sufficient food.) But as Spencer Wells states in the quote above, the affects of our decision to begin controlling nature through agriculture have been far reaching (90). He discusses the idea at length in his new book Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization (2010).

Exploring all of the results of the onset of agriculture is a daunting task, indeed. By design, the book covers many topics ranging from chronic disease to global warming. Wells includes great lessons on human evolution and traces an understandable path from the days of hunter-gatherers to current times–where we face decreasing natural resources and increasing mental illness, among many other challenges.

In the final section of the book, Wells presents his solution to these problems. If the human race wants to halt its move down a path of destruction, “want less,” he says. Noble and necessary, to be sure, but lacking in detail nonetheless.

Given the breadth of the text, some segments lack thorough discussion. But readers who aren’t searching for detailed science, will find the anthropological discussion enjoyable and informative.