Mankind has lived a life intertwined with plants since the first day of its existence on earth and over time has become dependent on this lifestyle. While humanity was fed with the hunter-gatherer method in the early ages, this method left its place to agriculture due to the increase in population and need in time. The beginning of agriculture in human history is a 'revolutionary' turning point because; At the same time, settled order has been adopted.
Although not only plants but also animals are improved and grown with agriculture, the main source has always been agriculture dependent on plants. So much so that the animals reared are mostly herbivorous animals for this reason. Therefore, plants have caused a revolution for humanity and agriculture.
It is known that humanity in the ancient times who lived a hunter-gatherer life had an average population of 8 million on the planet. It is known that humanity, who lived with the first revolution of plants, and consequently by agriculture, had a population of 100 million on the planet. This has been a positive return, as humanity has continued its generation until today.
But apart from this significant return, the vegetative revolution had more negative effects. Humanity, who started agriculture with plants within the framework of agricultural methods, initially discovered which plants to cultivate and then had to increase the number of these plants. One of the most known issues; Since certain vitamins, minerals and other nutritional values are present in the cultivated plants, diversity has become a force majeure in agriculture. For example; Since all the vitamins that people should take are not available in a single agricultural plant, the agriculture of every possible plant has been required until today.
These were not the only negative effects of the agriculture and revolution of the plants. At the same time, the cultivation of plants and agricultural plant protection methods have increased; Accordingly, the need for machinery and especially pesticides has increased. Unfortunately, these have always had negative effects on nature. However, due to the increasing need for food, natural areas have been destroyed and converted into agricultural areas, so nature has always been damaged. Other natural plants and wild animals have been subjected to negative interventions "because of" the plants and animals chosen by humanity.
From Plant Revolution to Human Evolution
In addition to all these, the plant revolution has also had neutral effects. The most important of these effects has been that the plant revolution has driven human evolution. So much so that the body measurements of hunter-gatherers have changed with the cultivation of plants. For example; The face and jaw – in direct relation to this changing diet – became smaller and the teeth were large to the mouth. Naturally, dental ailments have increased with this.
This has improved over time – with adaptation to agricultural nutrition – but still, nutritional ailments are not exhausted.
In addition, communicable diseases have also occurred and multiplied through the increasing consumption of human beings, especially with agriculture. It is known that 75% of the infectious diseases that humanity goes through are zoonosis. In other words, infectious diseases originating from animals grown -that are improved- and feeding with them have a large share. This shows that the plant revolution has not only affected human evolution but also the evolution of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses) that are the source of disease.
From the Plant Revolution to the Benefits of Man
The answer to the question "Is it possible to turn the negative and neutral effects of the revolution of plants throughout human history into positive effects?" Will be "half yes". Because converting their neutral effects to positive effects would mean that the human species hinders its own evolution, which is not possible in the biological conditions in question. However, it is possible to turn its negative effects into positive effects, which is a situation that has begun to be done – even if it is insufficient. For example; A number of biotechnological studies have been made possible by genetic engineering in order to develop agricultural plants that are richer in terms of nutritional values. Or, biotechnological discoveries (eg insect-resistant transgenic-genetically modified-plants) have come into question without the need for pesticides to combat addicted pests (insects, etc.) to cultivated plants. By means of this and similar applied sciences, it is aimed to minimize the damage to humanity from the plant revolution.
Although the effects targeted here may be unpredictable, it is certain that it serves the benefit of humanity. The clearest example to this is; are genetically modified organisms (GMO).
The Herbal Revolution: Deprivation from the Concept of Property and World Domination
In what has been mentioned so far, the revolution of plants through agriculture has been mentioned. Yet the revolution of plants is not limited to this. When the biological life of plants is examined, it is understood that survival strategies on earth contain a great "revolutionary" detail. Although the success of this detail is present in every living thing except human species, it has been calculated that plants are by far the most successful: success in the detail of dominating the whole world by staying away from the concept of ownership.
As it is known, all living things – except the human species – aim to spread all over the world, devoid of the concept of property. But plants are the most successful in this regard. Because plants represent the most in terms of biomass (the mass occupied by living organisms on earth): about 99%. This shows that 99% of the living mass on earth is plants. So the success of the vegetative revolution has been possible. We humans are in a minority of 1% together with other living species other than plants.
As a result; All the details of the plants' own biological revolutions and the agricultural revolution made possible by man have not yet been fully resolved. Such that; Not all the details of this vegetative revolution, which plants have achieved by having the largest share in terms of biomass on earth, are yet to be understood. However, it is not yet scientifically certain why and how man first caused agricultural revolution when he was hunter-gatherer.
Human beings, who adapt to the plant-dependent lifestyle in this plant-covered earth, inspired by the biological revolution of plants, the revolutions they have caused have not happened once. There have been vegetative revolutions in multiple and different periods, and we anticipate that these revolutions will continue to occur in the future. In the mid-1900s, the so-called "green revolution" and realizing that today's technology and industry are staying away from plants with the advanced level of humanity, turning back to its "essence" and turning to plant-based consumption is an example of these revolutions.