From day one in my Anthropology undergrad I was taught that farming was the driving factor behind humans demographic success -> helping us maximise fertility rates with increased energy availability and efficiency. This has become a truism which is often assumed but rarely tested

Or when tested, there are methodological limitations. If we just compare foragers from whom we have demographic data we're stuck with tiny sample sizes making inference difficult Also - to what degree is being part of a 'foraging' group predictive of what YOU do??? 👩‍🌾