If one doesn’t go by the strict definition of farming, then human beings are not the only mammals who do this activity. As per a report in sciencealert.com, scientists have found that another mammal — pocket gophers or Geomys pinetis — also pursue agriculture albeit in another form.

On measuring the field where these mammals have built burrows it was found that these creatures don’t just harvest the roots of longleaf pine that grows into their homes but also cultivate them.

These burrows which are winding tunnels and measure hundreds of meters long are endlessly changed and reworked and also fertilised.

Though it is still debated as to what activity does farming exactly entail and what it doesn’t, the scientists who conducted this study point out that there are numerous indicators which show that these mammals know what they are doing when it is the question of root management.

On this aspect Francis Putz who is a biologist from the University of Florida said: "Southeastern pocket gophers are the first non-human mammalian farmers. Farming is known among species of ants, beetles, and termites, but not other mammals."

This study on gophers was motivated by sewer pipes which come under pressure because of root growth. The scientists were eager to know if roots also intruded into the tunnels made by the gophers and how these rodents cultivate the food source in their burrows which already exist as well as the new ones.

For understanding this, the researchers studied an isolated part of the tunnel network created by the gophers. They calculated that the root growing in that network could supply 20 to 60 per cent of the daily calories which was required by these animals. And it must be noted that gophers need a lot of energy to maintain these underground networks.

With the roots reaching the tunnels, their growth is further goaded by the poop and pee of these mammals. This according to many may not qualify as  sophisticated farming but as per researchers it is something which even human beings do.

It was also evident that the gophers did expend energy and time to take care and defend their crops. Thus, by keeping the tunnels intact and running, they enable the roots to grow and this constitutes farming.

Highlighting this point, University of Florida’s zoologist Veronica Selden said: "They're providing this perfect environment for roots to grow and fertilizing them with their waste.”

Roots which poke into the tunnels are the one and only source of food for the gophers. They also play the role of “ecosystem engineers” according to the scientists as they aerate the soil as they burrow and return the nutrients to the surface.

Many would point that actual farming means planting of crops and also facilitating their growth and harvesting. The researchers pointed out that the same does not hold true about human farming.

They gave the example of forest fruit trees in which the crops are managed carefully and not planted. This holds true also for any perennial crop that grows on its own. Using this definition, gophers can also become farmers.

Talking about this, Putz remarked: "Planting the crop, for some people, is what constitutes agriculture. I think the whole issue is intellectually exciting because it's not really settled."

Details of this study were published in Current Biology.