Jared Diamond says that “Archaeologists studying the rise of farming have reconstructed a crucial stage at which we made the worst mistake in human history”:
Forced to choose between limiting population or trying to increase food production, we chose the latter and ended up with starvation, warfare, and tyranny. Hunter-gatherers practiced the most successful and longest-lasting life style in human history. In contrast, we’re still struggling with the mess into which agriculture has tumbled us, and it’s unclear whether we can solve it.