Essential Techniques for the Peasantry

Essential Techniques for the Peasantry (Qimin Yaoshu) is a comprehensive agronomic book written by Jia Sixie in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581) and one of the earliest treatises in the world's rural history. It is also the earliest extant and best-preserved agronomic book in China. The "Qimin" in the name refers to civilians or peasantry, while "Yaoshu" means ways to make a living. The book was finished in around 533 to 534 A.D., which systematically summarized the agricultural technologies in north China and greatly influenced the development of the ancient agriculture in China.

The book covers a wide range of subjects and contents, which includes the methods to bed and foster crops, production of economic forests and utilization of varieties of wild plants, etc; meanwhile, the methods to raise livestock, poultry, fish and silkworm, prevention and cure of diseases, processing of agricultural and sideline products (for example, brewing), food processing, production of stationery and commodities are all included.

Darwin once said that his thought of artificial selection was formed under the influence of an ancient Chinese encyclopedia, which was referring to Qimin Yaoshu.