Man has domesticated many plants and animals for other purposes besides food. Look at the horses, cats, dogs and aquarium fish plus the unending varieties of flowers. Many of these have been domesticated to satisfy man’s love of beauty and others to alleviate his work load. The process is continuing; new varieties appear yearly. This year a new variety of garden peas has appeared, whose pods are just as palatable as the mature peas, so that, for many, the food value of the common pea will be doubled.

All the multiform varieties of animals, fish, birds and plants that domestication has produced are possible because within the genetic makeup of each life form (kind) there are certain hidden or recessive genes (hereditary characteristics) that can be brought out and used to develop new varieties. While it is true that new varieties can be developed, new kinds of life cannot be made. When a species becomes extinct, its gene pool is lost and there is no human way to recover it. Man, as the highest form of life on earth, charged with caring for the lower forms of life, has a heavy responsibility, not to destroy but to preserve.

Just 30 major crops and seven animal sources of meat supply us with almost all our nutritional needs. In every case, the hundreds of millions of metric tons of food are provided by domesticated plants and animals that are in a unique, harmonious relationship with man. Without these faithful coworkers, the present population of over 4,000 million people could not survive. Inversely, the majority of domesticated plants and animals would likewise perish without man’s constant care and attention.

Plant and Animal Domestication

From the very beginning of human history man could see the qualities and the possibilities of certain plants and animals as sources of food. In fact, the Bible states that the Creator set the example for man by becoming the first Agriculturist. He planted a beautiful garden with all the necessary variety to provide the first human pair with their food. (Gen. 2:8, 9) Also, in the first part of the Bible, mention is made of domestic animals for man’s use. It was the Creator’s will for man to exercise dominion over the lower forms of life and to use them wisely to provide for his needs. Intelligently, man could use and cooperate with all the other forms of life on the earth to ensure his own survival as well as that of the endless variety of plant and animal life.

Man’s relationship to the lower forms of life can be likened to that of the potter and his clay. The skilled potter uses his raw materials to fashion ceramic vessels of endless variety and uses. Man, by selection and crossbreeding, fashions from the host of living organisms the plants and the animals that satisfy his needs. Of course, these organisms themselves have the inner potential to respond to this domestication by man.

The term “domesticate” reveals something about the process. The word comes from the Latin root meaning “house.” To domesticate, then, means to bring the plant or animal into the household arrangement, under the direct supervision and care of man. An interdependent relationship is built up. Man becomes dependent on his domesticated plants and animals for survival, and they, in turn, depend on him. It is a process of reorganization of the wild forms according to the interests of man.