ABSTRACT
This chapter presents new archaeological and ethno archaeological research on agriculture, and mostly on early agriculture, for several non-Eurasian regions, including Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and Africa. The lack of a clear definition for agriculture, particularly early agriculture, reflects its multifaceted nature. The resultant porosity of the concept of agriculture mirrors a diffuseness in its geographical, social and temporal manifestations in the past. The idea of food exploitation mosaics across space, including early agriculture, based on the cultivation of varying assemblages of plants is likely to be the norm rather than the exception. Alternative conceptions centre on animal and plant domestication, as determined by genetic and morphological changes attributed to human agency, environmental change, and social dependence. The presence of morphologically domesticated plants and animals does not assure the presence of agriculture. In addition to advances in microfossil, molecular and palaeoecological studies, some researchers are advancing more socially oriented interpretations.
