The Fertile Crescent—also sometimes called Mesopotamia—is the name given to a region of the Middle East that was particularly fertile several thousand years ago; thus, it was the first place where the Neolithic Revolution took place. All of these countries, at least partially, reside inside the Fertile Crescent except Afghanistan, which has a much more mountainous and relatively barren terrain.

The Neolithic Revolution took place in the Americas for the first time in Central America, in territory that comprises parts of present-day Mexico and Guatemala. From there it spread southwards to modern-day Panama and northwards towards modern-day America.

Large-scale agriculture and domestication of plants and animals first took place in South America in the region that comprises much of modern-day Peru. From there it spread north, south, and east throughout much of the rest of South America, although noticeably it did not penetrate into the Amazon Rainforest until very recently.

An agricultural hearth is known as the "birthplace" of a crop, or where a crop is known to have originated before its spread throughout the world. Squash, potato, cocoa, and maize (corn) are crops which originated in Southern Mexico. Southwest Asia was the agricultural hearth for barley and wheat. Ethiopia is the agricultural hearth for millet and sorghum. Australia is not considered a major agricultural hearth. Southern Europe is the agricultural hearth for olives and oats.

Terraces provide level fields on hillsides.

The Neolithic Revolution, sometimes referred to as the Agricultural Revolution is the term used to describe the widespread introduction of agriculture during the Stone Age. Settled ancient communities learned and experimented with plants leading to changes in their everyday actions and food producing techniques.

In 1923, V. Gordon Childe coined the term Neolithic Revolution. The term revolution refers to the widespread change in this area. The term neolithic refers to the later years in the Stone Age.

The Oasis Theory, Feasting Model and Evolutionary Theory are real concepts that explain why populations shifted to agriculture. The Green Theory is not. The Oasis Theory explains that as climates got drier, settlements flocked to areas with small amounts of water where they were put into contact with animals and seeds for planting. The Feasting Model explains that agriculture was driven by the settlements' eagerness to give feasts to show wealth and power. The final theory, Evolutionary Theory, explains that this move to agriculture was a natural adaption as humans embraced plants.

The Second Agricultural Revolution, also known as the British Agricultural Revolution, took place first in England in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. From there it spread to Europe, North America, and around the world. It involved the introduction of new crop rotation techniques and selective breeding of livestock, and led to a marked increase in agricultural production. It was a necessary prerequisite to the Industrial Revolution and the massive population growth of the last few centuries.

The mechanized reaper was invented in the 1830s by Cyrus McCormick. It quickly spread around the United States and was instrumental the growth of commercial farming in the plains of the central United States. To provide clarification, a “reaper” is a tool used by farmers to cut and gather crops.