Question: when does farming start in the near east

title: History of agriculture
text: By AD 900 , developments in iron smelting allowed for increased production in Europe , leading to developments in the production of agricultural implements such as ploughs , hand tools and horse shoes . The carruca heavy plough improved on the earlier scratch plough , with the adoption of the Chinese mouldboard plough to turn over the heavy , wet soils of northern Europe . This led to the clearing of northern European forests and an increase in agricultural production , which in turn led to an increase in population . At the same time , some farmers in Europe moved from a two field crop rotation to a three field crop rotation in which one field of three was left fallow every year . This resulted in increased productivity and nutrition , as the change in rotations permitted nitrogen - fixing legumes such as peas , lentils and beans . Improved horse harnesses and the whippletree further improved cultivation .