Agriculture
and domestication of plants only started in the Eastern and Western hemispheres
within the last 8000 years, though the rise of flowering plants began 100
million years ago. It can be said that agriculture is still a modern invention
as decisions on the best way to plant, tend, reap, and adapt plants continue
today. As civilization is wholly dependent on the domestication of plants and
animals, plants have impacted lifestyles throughout the centuries.
Examples of
crops of the Americas that have had global economic importance are peanuts and
chili peppers in Asia, tomatoes in Italy, potatoes in Ireland, and cacao bean
products worldwide. The success of these crops, and the world population boom
for the last 200 years, is attributed to their ability to thrive in adverse
conditions (Foster and Cordell, 1996).
