Another great read, but I wonder if you fall into the same trap of mischaracterising "totalitarian agriculture". Most preindustrial settled agricultural systems relied on long fallow periods to restore fertility (usually tied in to rotational mixed livestock grazing). Annual plowing and cropping is only possible in most places with industrial fertility inputs. An exception might be paddy rice systems, but the most successful of these recycled human waste on a gargantuan scale (itself supplemented by input of seafood into the human diet).
I also wonder about the symbiosis between settled and swidden agriculture. The latter presumably couldnt maintain the social complexity to forge their own iron tools, so they relied on trade with the settled agriculturalists in order to use much more efficient tool kits. In many ways this system is reminiscent of the relationship between farmers (on the flat/rich land) and pastoralists (on the hilly/dry land) in many parts of the world. Perhaps if there were tropical adapted grazing livestock that could move around the rainforest hills they would replace the swidden farmers to some extent.
Another great read, but I wonder if you fall into the same trap of mischaracterising "totalitarian agriculture". Most preindustrial settled agricultural systems relied on long fallow periods to restore fertility (usually tied in to rotational mixed livestock grazing). Annual plowing and cropping is only possible in most places with industrial fertility inputs. An exception might be paddy rice systems, but the most successful of these recycled human waste on a gargantuan scale (itself supplemented by input of seafood into the human diet).
I also wonder about the symbiosis between settled and swidden agriculture. The latter presumably couldnt maintain the social complexity to forge their own iron tools, so they relied on trade with the settled agriculturalists in order to use much more efficient tool kits. In many ways this system is reminiscent of the relationship between farmers (on the flat/rich land) and pastoralists (on the hilly/dry land) in many parts of the world. Perhaps if there were tropical adapted grazing livestock that could move around the rainforest hills they would replace the swidden farmers to some extent.
Looking forward to part III