--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Alexander Stolbov" <astolbov@...>
wrote:
> I'd like to explain why I found the Richard's criticism true.
> Indeed, one of the meaning (and probably the most popular meaning?)
of the
> term 'agriculture' coincides with the word 'farming'.
> In the overwhelming majority of cultures the agricultural
population both
> grows plants and breeds livestock in different proportions, thus
using both
> terms ('agriculture' and 'farming') as synonyms is quite normal, I
think.
> However when we are speaking about earliest farmers it should be
specially
> investigated whether they cultivated plants, or bred livestock, or
both. In
> these situations in my opinion the term 'agriculture' should be
used only in
> the narrow sense ('cultivating plants') to avoid confusing readers.
...and also-
--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski
<piotr.gasiorowski@...> wrote:
>
> I agree that maximum precision is necessary in discussions of early
> Neolithic economies.
Alexander, Richard, Piotr, and all,
I understand the need to clearly differentiate between plant
production and animal production when discussing Neolithic cultures,
which was why I wondered if the exclusion of animal husbandry
from "agriculture" was a specialized usage in anthropology. It would
be very convenient if that is in fact the case. If it is not the case
however, unilaterally coming up with such a definition for use on
this list could lead to more confusion, not less. Quotes from other
sources could include the broader definition while listmembers might
assume only the narrower definition was meant. Is the
term "horticulture" appropriate for all non-livestock farming? I have
seen it used for various cultures, including maize-growing ones.
Could it be used for any plant-producing, non-livestock-raising
culture?
Ned Smith