importance of agriculture from the perspective of neoevolutionary theory

Agri can be fruitfully conceptualized as a basic form of technology which contributes signif'ly to the energy level of societies & therefore affects their evolution. The basic hyp here is that the evolutionary level of a society will closely correspond to the efficacy of the energy source, type of tool materials, & systems of agri. A partial test of the theory, based on data drawn from 63 contemporary & historical societies, sought to relate the agri'al variables to 3 indexes: societal scale (pop size, settlement pattern), econ diff'iation (internal trade, markets, DofL, system of exchange, unit of production), & mode of intergation (center of power, pol'al cohesion, type of authority). The r's support the hyp. Future res should include other technologies besides agri & should relate technology to other aspects of society. Modified HA.