Different mechanisms shaped the transition to farming in Europe and the North American Woodland

The introduction and emergence of agriculture into Eastern North America and Europe proceeded very differently: it varied in timing, speed, and mechanism—despite similar woodland environments. To resolve the different subsistence paths, I employ the Global Land Use and technology Evolution Simulator, a numerical model for simulating demography, innovation, domestication, migration and trade within the geoenvironmental context. I demonstrate how Europe receives a large package of foreign domesticates and converts rapidly. In contrast, Eastern North American trajectories exhibit a gradual transition: hunting-gathering and agropastoralism coexist for a long time, and agriculture is integrated slowly into the existing subsistence scheme.