As soon as man began to cultivate the earth, he began to grow grain. The importance of grain as a foundation to the diet of human’s throughout history has been well established. Civilizations such as those of Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were dependent on grain as a part of their daily diet-- bread has been a staple for many groups for thousands of years and “wheat has been eaten since prehistoric times“ (Flandrin, 82). Such dependency on grain led to a predictable and critical demand for it, which grain supplies were not always able to meet. As asked in question number two, what were some of the hardships faced by earlier peoples to produce enough grain to feed everyone? And, also, what were some of the managing strategies that the grain dependent civilizations of ancient Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe developed to deal with demand and shortages?

As populations grew, so did the need for grain. If populations grew too quickly and grain supplies could not keep up, supplies were stressed and shortages could be experienced. This increased the need for slave or peasant labor and for more land to put under cultivation. There were other social factors influencing grain supplies, too, which could impact the crop available and thus how many people could be fed. Thievery, crop destruction, and the hording of grain in anticipation of a shortage could cause the available supplies to strain since anything stolen or withheld was also withheld from the market or reserves. In times of uncertain peace, wars decimated crops. Raising animals was also an influence on available grain. Since animals eat grain, if people used heavy duty farm animals or slaughtered animals for meat, grain had to be divided among people and beast.

Nothing could be as devastating to grain supplies as unpredictable weather and pest destruction. Every crop is subject to the limitations of its growing season, which can be significantly shortened by anomalous weather. Inconsistencies with the weather or a drought could lead to crop failure, reducing output. Without modern pesticides, crops were susceptible to insect infestation and disease. Early civilizations lacked modern, sophisticated farming equipment and farming techniques that would help soil yield its full potential. In some places, such as Greece, the soil is just very poor for farming but certain crops.

How did earlier peoples manage production difficulty and shortage in order to feed people? The most obvious answer is that they increased land quantity. In the middle ages, increasing amounts of land was stripped of its forest for cultivation and Rome inhabited vast land from which to pull grain resources. There was also the advantage of trade. The Roman Empire was especially adept at this. A large portion of Roman plebs ate “quantities of wheat imported from Egypt and Africa…” while Greece “imported [barley and wheat] from as far away as Sicily and the Black Sea” (Flandrin, 85 & 179). When planting, a more productive grain like barley could be grown to get a higher yield. Grain could be saved, too, when making bread. Instead of using white flour, sifting out much of the grain in the process, whole wheat grain breads could be eaten instead. Also, in addition to that, the grain could be mixed with other things like nuts and legumes to stretch it farther. Romans ate grain in the form of a gruel, which fed more people than it would have in other forms.

Planting a variety of crops would safeguard against shortages and crop destruction. By giving people alternate foods, they were not so dependent on just one or two things in their diet. The rationale is simple to understand: If numerous types of foods are planted and grown, chances are that something will survive to supplement the diet. Along with grain, foods such as lentil, chickpeas, beans, and various garden vegetables were eaten. In the middle ages, in addition to the land of the Lord worked by the people, peasants kept a private garden from which they grew foods only to serve at their tables. Instead of raising and feeding a lot of grain animals that would be slaughtered and eaten, priority could be given to other animals like goats and chickens. Goat cheese and chicken eggs could make more than a few meals and feed more people than a single fat cow; those animals can produce until death.

Since land was so important, laws were made to protect crops and punish those who violated them. In the middle ages, a lot of cities did what they could to keep foreigners out, not wanting to add additional mouths to feed to their population. Communities could also tax in grain. These taxes would go to storage to then be distributed among the people or kept for times when crops did not produce enough. Despite the lack of modern farming technology, there were methods in place to give nutrition to the soil and make it more productive. The Romans put legumes in the soil to replenish nitrogen. Crop rotation, a system of leaving land fallow so that nutrients sapped could be naturally replenished, was practiced, too. By returning nutrients to the soil, more grain was grown and more people were fed.