An agrarian society is the most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society, where members are primarily engaged in the production of food but increase their crop yield through innovations such as the plow. It is any community whose economy is fundamentally based on the production and maintenance of crops and farmland, with agriculture serving as the primary source of wealth. Agrarian societies emerged after hunter-gatherer and horticultural societies, marking a transition to settled agricultural communities around 10,000 years ago. Key characteristics include a predominantly rural population, social hierarchies often based on land ownership, the use of agricultural technologies, and cultural practices tied to agricultural cycles. The surplus of food enabled population growth and the development of more complex social structures, including specialised occupations and trade.