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The rise of agriculture is a complex topic but from what we do know the earliest region to witness the domestication of plants and animals was in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, spanning modern day Iraq, Syria, western Iran, southern Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel (Figure 1). <ref>For a discussion on the regions that witness the rise of agriculture see: Wengrow, D. 2010. ''What Makes Civilization?: The Ancient Near East and the Future of the West''. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.</ref>The rise of agriculture is so significant that the earliest cereal crops and animals domesticate still form the basis of agriculture in many countries today. This includes the domestication of sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, dogs, donkeys, onager, wheat, barley, oats, and others. Many of these varieties of plants and animals were domesticated between 12,000-9000 years ago.<ref>For a discussion on domestication characteristics see: Zeder, Melinda A., ed. 2006. ''Documenting Domestication: New Genetic and Archaeological Paradigms''. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press.</ref>

==Genetic Factors==

Genetics in animals and plants are very different and these differences make domestication more complicated in plants than in animals. In particular, wild varieties of many cereals, such as wheat and barley, can be grown for many generations with only minor or subtle differences noticeable even when humans select and replant those cereals that are best suited for their food needs. This could perhaps partially be explained that plants that are subtly different from their wild progenitors can still bread with them, slowing the process of change down.<ref>For a discussion on the domestication of plants and why they might be slow see: Miller, Allison J. 2007. “Crop Plants: Evolution.” In ''Encyclopedia of Life Sciences'', edited by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</ref>

==Geographical and Climatic Factors==

We see domestication and agriculture occurring so early in the Near East because of two main reasons. One is the geography, where the Near East contains many wild progenitors of domesticates. <ref>See: Zeder, M. A. 2008. “Domestication and Early Agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin: Origins, Diffusion, and Impact.” ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105'' (33): 11597–604. dos:10.1073/pnas.0801317105.</ref>The region along the Zagros and Taurus mountains , valleys, and lowlands is home to wild varieties of wheat, lentils, oats, barley, sheep, dogs, goats, pigs, and cows. On the other hand, many other regions do not contain such a rich variety of plants and animals that are genetically susceptible to domestication.

==Social Factors==

Greater dependence on agriculture appears to have encouraged greater emphasis on settlement. With greater dependence on plant and animal domestication, it became a greater hindrance to travel farther distances and exploit hunting and gathering resources. Therefore, settled societies became possible with the rise of agriculture. This had a profound importance in social development, as it led to new household institutions, including nuclear and extended families, and adaptation to greater numbers of people in smaller spaces.<ref>For a discussion on the social changes associated with domestication see: Bender, Barbara. 1978. “Gatherer‐hunter to Farmer: A Social Perspective.” ''World Archaeology'' 10 (2): 204–22. dos:10.1080/00438243.1978.9979731.</ref> The latter is significant because this ultimately leads to the rise of cities and the development of laws, governments, and formal religions. In essence, agriculture creates new social problems, whereby greater numbers of people living in more confined spaces need to create new social practices to manage their social interactions. In many respects, the foundations to our societies whereby laws, governments, and social norms that regulate how we marry, interact, and structure our families were initially developed at the time of agricultural domestication and its spread becoming the norm.</ref> In time, social structures created began to reinforce the need for agriculture, that is societies becoming dependent on them, encouraging people to stay settled and follow given social norms such as those that developed with the rise of agriculture.

==Conclusion==

We can safely say there are few inventions that have had as profound an effect as the development of agriculture, affecting both animals and crop plants, but also how societies have subsequently developed across the globe. The factors that caused the rise of agriculture range from genetic circumstances, geographical factors, favorable climatic conditions, and social developments that encouraged greater dependence on agriculture over time. All of these events ensured that our own societies developed on the path in which they are evident today. In summary, understanding the rise and factors of agriculture helps to explain how we have arrived to our given social state today.