Agriculture and food production systems have been, from early human history, essential factors in the survival of society and the development of market systems. Food shortages and surpluses shaped market exchanges and sales and built bridges of socialization and commerce between different regions and groups. Markets grew food surpluses, while farmers learned how to adapt to market conditions. Food production has also been indelibly tied to the changing needs and preferences of a growing public and its shifting preferences.

Food production and market mechanisms not only varied between cultures and regions but also changed over time. As societies grew, the complexity of the agricultural technologies and food markets also evolved. In general, agriculture tends to be studied along three types of societal models: hunter-gatherer, agrarian, and ...