ABSTRACT
In any of its multifarious definitions farming is always about making a living from the land. In earlier and simpler economies the emphasis is on direct utilization of the resources immediately available in order to provide for the needs of family and community. With the evolution of greater complexity in societies specialization and geographical integration develop apace, making the community and the greater social construct of which it is now part more vulnerable to the consequences of change in one or more of the variables necessary to the maintenance of the broader culture. Even without such evolution of greater social complexity, even the most isolated agricultural community cannot be isolated entirely. Almost inevitably there is a slow influx and outflow or know-how and resources – of improved cultivars or techniques developed in nearby communities: and of people. There are very few Easter islands.
