The importance of agriculture cannot be overstated; it surely ranks as one of the greatest innovations of all time. Without it, the human race would still number in the hundreds of thousands, and the sole chance of this planet defending itself from space-borne death -- through asteroids or aliens from Zeta Reticuli -- would never come to pass. But have it we do, and for thousands of years it has served us well. Not just by teaching us to plant cereal; the countless innovations that have come about since then have improved our diet, our knowledge and our capacity to fill the Earth.
