About 10,000 years ago, humans living in very different parts of the world nearly simultaneously began domesticating plants and animals. A. Some theories aim to explain the emergence of domestication everywhere – either by a single cause or by the interaction of several phenomena – but none are well supported by the evidence. B. One scholar does not attribute domestication to environmental or technical factors, arguing instead that it can be explained by a need for ever increasing amounts of food for competitive feasting. C. One assumption that all domestication theories have in common is that humans began the process that resulted in domestication only because of pressure from growing population. D. According to the broad-spectrum foraging argument, domestication was developed by human groups to provide a subsistence base that would permit the development of sedentary communities. E. Theories that take a regional approach to the development of domestication are able to take social factors into account rather than being limited to archaeological evidence. F. Currently, the most powerful theories focus on a particular area and try to explain the emergence of domestication there by the combined local effect of climate, environment, population, and other factors.