[Retric]

Farming existed before people.

Humanity has gotten very good at it and weedkilling is a big part of it. But, wild plants propagate quite well on their own, spending seeds of things you want more of results in more of that species. Preparing the environment and selecting seeds ca push that much further but the absolute minimum threshold is very low. Toss eaten apples into your yard, and eventually you get apple trees.

[whimsicalism]

I think your definition of farming might be a wee bit broad.

[Retric]

What in your mind is the clear cut separation between ants cultivating fungus, people tossing specific seeds on the ground 20,000 years ago, and whatever you think of as farming?

[whimsicalism]

Okay I was wondering if you were going to bring ants up because I think that is a good point.

> people tossing specific seeds on the ground 20,000 years ago

This seems irrelevant to whether farming occurred before people.

I don't think the line is very clear cut at all, but it does involve intentional intervention by a species not the plant.

[Retric]

> > people tossing specific seeds on the ground 20,000 years ago

> This seems irrelevant to whether farming occurred before people.

It gets to if for example squirrels storing seeds underground is possibly farming or not. It's an intentional activity, but takes too long for a specific squirrel to see much benefit from it. IMO, it’s kind of a mind bender when you really dig into it.

I think a reassemble argument is squirrels as a species farm though individuals don’t.

[whimsicalism]

And I am to assume that these animals also do no form of weed killing?

https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/32461-fungusfarming-ants...

[Retric]

Squirrels don’t.

As to ants, do you think they evolved that trait before or after they started farming.