This is an essay highlighting the fundamental importance of agriculture (historical and present) in the agro-socioeconomic evolution of human societies, from the times of the hunter/gatherers to the modern day. Attention is drawn in the text to the importance of deforestation in relation to micro and macro climate changes, and the vital role of carbon dioxide to plant and animal life. The essay also relates the world’s natural resources to the present unsustainable population pressures.