"Before the discovery of agriculture mankind was everywhere so divided, the size of each group being determined by the natural fertility of its locality"

This quote by Arthur Keith speaks to the importance of the discovery of farming in human history. Prior to the discovery of farming, mankind was divided into small groups, limited by the resources readily available in their regional environment. This implied that the size of each group was figured out by the natural fertility of its locality. This limited the ability of mankind to broaden and develop, as resources were limited and hard to gain access to. The discovery of agriculture changed this, permitting mankind to cultivate and collect crops, and to store food for later usage. This enabled bigger populations to form, and for the development of more complex societies. Agriculture permitted humanity to break free from the constraints of their local environment, and to expand and develop in manner ins which were previously impossible.