ABSTRACT
Early Chinese texts often present agriculture and food production as the root of society. This chapter traces the main developments in agriculture and food production in early China against the background of scholarship produced over the last three decades. It discusses the sources through which agronomic knowledge was transmitted, climate and ecology, evolving diets, as well as technological advances in agriculture and silviculture. Throughout the analysis we pay attention to the important role of agriculture as a political ideology, the fate of the farmer, and his relationship to both land and those who ruled. Finally, we turn to religious cults and patron deities associated with agriculture.
