what is agriculture

Agriculture

The Modern Agriculture : A Normative Critique. 

 Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, bio fuel, medicinal and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies. In the civilized world, industrial agriculture based on large-scale mono culture farming has become the dominant agricultural methodology.

Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agro chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological developments have in many cases sharply increased yields from cultivation, but at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and the health effects of the antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production. Genetically modified organisms are an increasing component of agriculture, although they are banned in several countries. Agricultural food production and water management are increasingly becoming global issues that are fostering debate on a number of fronts. Significant degradation of land and water resources, including the depletion of aquifers, has been observed in recent decades, and the effects of global warming on agriculture and of agriculture on global warming are still not fully understood.

The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials. Specific foods include cereals, vegetables, fruits, oils, meats and spices. Fibers include cotton, wool, hemp, silk and flax. Raw materials include lumber and bamboo. Other useful materials are produced by plants, such as resins, dyes, drugs, perfumes, bio fuels and ornamental products such as cut flowers and nursery plants. Over one third of the world's workers are employed in agriculture, second only to the services' sector, although the percentages of agricultural workers in developed countries has decreased significantly over the past several centuries.

Etymology and terminology  

The word agriculture is a late Middle English adaptation of Latin agricult?ra, from ager, "field", and cult?ra, "cultivation" or "growing". Agriculture usually refers to human activities, although it is also observed in certain species of ant, termite and ambrosia beetle. To practice agriculture means to use natural resources to "produce commodities which maintain life, including food, fiber, forest products, horticultural crops, and their related services." A distinction is sometimes made between forestry and agriculture, based on the former's longer management rotations, extensive versus intensive management practices and development mainly by nature, rather than by man. Even then, it is acknowledged that there is a large amount of knowledge transfer and overlap between silviculture  and agriculture. In traditional farming, the two are often combined even on small landholdings, leading to the term agroforestry.

History  

Agriculture and civilization  

Civilization was the product of the Agricultural Neolithic Revolution. In the course of history, civilization coincided in space with fertile areas  and most intensive state formation took place in circumscribed agricultural lands . The Great Wall of China and the Roman limes demarcated the same northern frontier of the basic  agriculture. This cereal belt nourished the belt of great civilizations formed in the Axial Age and connected by the famous Silk Road.

Ancient Egyptians, whose agriculture depended exclusively on Nile, deified the River, worshiped, and exalted in a great hymn. The Chinese imperial court issued numerous edicts, stating: "Agriculture is the foundation of this Empire." Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese, and Inca Emperors themselves plowed ceremonial fields in order to show personal example to everyone. "Thus the most exalted men in human history—the Beloved of the Gods, the Son of Sun, the Son of Heaven, and Inca—although ceremonially but nonetheless personally tilled the earth."

Ancient strategists, Chinese Guan Zhong and Shang Yang and Indian Kautilya, drew doctrines linking agriculture with military power. Agriculture defined the limits on how large and for how long an army could be mobilized. Shang Yang called agriculture and war the One. In the vast human pantheon of agricultural deities there are several deities who combined the functions of agriculture and war. Great granaries were the inevitable feature of great empires.

As the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution produced civilization, the modern Agricultural Revolution, begun in Britain, made possible the Industrial civilization. The first precondition for industry was greater yields by less manpower, resulting in greater percentage of manpower available for non-agricultural sectors. The most industrial world appeared in the most fertile cereal regions of the world. Today's Industrial North  originally was the belt of civilizations formed in the Axial Age.

The link between the basic  agriculture and military power survived in the Industrial Age too. All modern great powers were first of all great cereal powers, as had been the greatest of their predecessors. The cereal domestic product closely correlates with the Gross Domestic Product and it was argued that the cereal product is the basis of the GDP. The Cold War was waged between two cereal superpowers.The outcome of the Cold War corresponds to the cereal factor too—the United States produced its agricultural miracle, while the USSR suffered a progressive cereal crisis. In 1976, French sociologist Emmanuel Todd, impressed by the magnitude of Soviet grain purchases, predicted the collapse of the USSR within ten years.

Contemporary agriculture  

In the past century agriculture has been characterized by increased productivity, the substitution of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for labor, water pollution, and farm subsidies. In recent years there has been a backlash against the external environmental effects of conventional agriculture, resulting in the organic and sustainable agriculture movements. One of the major forces behind this movement has been the European Union, which first certified organic food in 1991 and began reform of its Common Agricultural Policy  in 2005 to phase out commodity-linked farm subsidies, also known as decoupling. The growth of organic farming has renewed research in alternative technologies such as integrated pest management and selective breeding. Recent mainstream technological developments include genetically modified food.

In 2007, higher incentives for farmers to grow non-food biofuel crops combined with other factors, such as overdevelopment of former farm lands, rising transportation costs, climate change, growing consumer demand in China and India, and population growth, caused food shortages in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Mexico, as well as rising food prices around the globe. As of December 2007, 37 countries faced food crises, and 20 had imposed some sort of food-price controls. Some of these shortages resulted in food riots and even deadly stampedes. The International Fund for Agricultural Development posits that an increase in smallholder agriculture may be part of the solution to concerns about food prices and overall food security. They in part base this on the experience of Vietnam, which went from a food importer to large food exporter and saw a significant drop in poverty, due mainly to the development of smallholder agriculture in the country.

Disease and land degradation are two of the major concerns in agriculture today. For example, an epidemic of stem rust on wheat caused by the Ug 99 lineage is currently spreading across Africa and into Asia and is causing major concerns due to crop losses of 70% or more under some conditions. Approximately 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded. In Africa, if current trends of soil degradation continue, the continent might be able to feed just 25% of its population by 2025, according to UNU's Ghana-based Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

Agrarian structure is a long-term structure in the Braudelian understanding of the concept. On a larger scale the agrarian structure is more dependent on the regional, social, cultural and historical factors than on the state’s undertaken activities. Like in Poland, where despite running an intense agrarian policy for many years, the agrarian structure in 2002 has much in common with that found in 1921 soon after the partitions period.

In 2009, the agricultural output of China was the largest in the world, followed by the European Union, India and the United States, according to the International Monetary Fund . Economists measure the total factor productivity of agriculture and by this measure agriculture in the United States is roughly 1.7 times more productive than it was in 1948.

Workforce  

, the International Labour Organization states that approximately one billion people, or over 1/3 of the available work force, are employed in the global agricultural sector. Agriculture constitutes approximately 70% of the global employment of children, and in many countries employs the largest percentage of women of any industry. The number of people employed in agriculture varies widely on a per-country basis, ranging from less than 2% in countries like the US and Canada to over 80% in many African nations. In developed countries, these figures are significantly lower than in previous centuries. During the 16th century in Europe, for example, between 55 and 75 percent of the population was engaged in agriculture, depending on the country. By the 19th century in Europe, this had dropped to between 35 and 65 percent. In the same countries today, the figure is less than 10%. Pesticides and other chemicals used in farming can also be hazardous to worker health, and workers exposed to pesticides may experience illness or have children with birth defects. As an industry in which families commonly share in work and live on the farm itself, entire families can be at risk for injuries, illness, and death. Common causes of fatal injuries among young farm workers include drowning, machinery and motor vehicle-related accidents. It estimates that the annual work-related death toll among agricultural employees is at least 170,000, twice the average rate of other jobs. In addition, incidences of death, injury and illness related to agricultural activities often go unreported. The organization has developed the Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention, 2001, which covers the range of risks in the agriculture occupation, the prevention of these risks and the role that individuals and organizations engaged in agriculture should play.

Shifting cultivation  is a system in which forests are burnt, releasing nutrients to support cultivation of annual and then perennial crops for a period of several years. Then the plot is left fallow to regrow forest, and the farmer moves to a new plot, returning after many more years . This fallow period is shortened if population density grows, requiring the input of nutrients  and some manual pest control. Annual cultivation is the next phase of intensity in which there is no fallow period. This requires even greater nutrient and pest control inputs.

Further industrialization led to the use of mono cultures, when one cultivar is planted on a large acreage. Because of the low biodiversity, nutrient use is uniform and pests tend to build up, necessitating the greater use of pesticides and fertilizers., 30% of Earth's ice- and water-free area was used for producing livestock, with the sector employing approximately 1.3 billion people. Between the 1960 s and the 2000 s, there was a significant increase in livestock production,

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Farmers Want - Their Land

agriculture definition

First, there is something very basic in human instinct to try and protect our territory.

agriculture definition

What's lovely for the goose

In the event you own the land that your house stands on, you may have a garden. You most likely would not like to see people jogging onto it and beginning to have a footy kick-around because they'd spotted a small bit of grass.

If that is something that would offend you, you may need to ask why a farmer ought to feel differently. True, the amount of land they own may be huge compared to a typical domestic garden but the same basic principle and human instinct applies.

Safety

They ought to, therefore, not necessarily condemn it out of hand when farmers display it.

Farms are often places where tractors and agricultural machinery are operating flat out.

By definition, much of this equipment is dangerous when in use. However unlikely you may think it to be, ought to there be an accident arising from the use of such equipment involving a member of the public on the farmer's land, the farmer concerned may have a legal and insurance liability.

It is therefore perfectly understandable that they will seek to control access to their land both to protect the safety of the public and their own legal and insurance positions.

It is as well as a fact that occasionally farmers use products that may be potentially harmful if inhaled or ingested immediately after use. That is again something that farmers will understandably need to keep the public away from.

Although the stereotypical picture is of the friendly hiker who basically wishes to cut across farmland, regrettably not every individual is well-intentioned.

Destroy - Intentional or otherwise

You may be surprised to know that destroy caused by deliberate and malicious vandalism is not unknown in the countryside. Some farm machinery and related equipment may even be very costly and valuable, so theft is also sometimes a significant challenge.

agriculture definition

Understandably therefore, farmers are uneasy when they see strangers around their property and farmland.

Bio containment

Then there's all the issues associated with unintentional destroy. That is something that can usually be associated with unaware people causing destroy to crops or to livestock through gates being left open etc.

Plenty of farmers go to great lengths to try and prevent the introduction of disease, be it plant or animal, on to their land.

That often involves being rigorous about disinfecting things such as agricultural machinery and even the boots of visitors. So, one time again, they may be uneasy about diseases or other undesirable elements being accidentally introduced onto their land by members of the public who happen to be 'passing through' unofficially.



agriculture definition

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the Public Road

agriculture definition

Different countries and even sometimes the states or administrative regions within a country, may have different rules and regulations on this subject. There is no substitute to research in the context of your own individual legal jurisdiction.

Right at the beginning, it is vital to confirm that there is no single answer to this query.

agriculture definition

one. In lots of countries it is legal to drive lots of forms of agricultural equipment on public roads. They may need to be formally registered with the appropriate authorities and over licence plates. In sure countries the hours that they may do so might be restricted to keep away from peak rush-hour times and huge vehicles may need special road transport permission or police escorts.

However, what follows are some general principles covering the driving of tractors and other agricultural vehicles on the public highway.

three. Not all tractors are necessarily suitable (or legally licensed) for use in road traffic conditions. There is a huge range of such agricultural vehicles and by definition some would not meet the safety standards necessary for use on public roads.

two. It ought to be noted that lots of insurance policies might cover something like a tractor or mobile agricultural vehicle for use on a farm or usually off-road. That is not to say that they will necessarily automatically cover public road use. It is also important to be sure that you have countless third-party liability cover in the event you are going to be using the public highway.

five. Regulations are usually more flexible in terms of transporting tractors. In the event you have an appropriate low-loader type trailer and providing it meets maximum weight, height and width regulations, you can usually transport the tractor from spot to another. Of work, one time again the driver must have the appropriate insurance and licence permissions.

four. If tractors are being used on the highway, the driver must meet all appropriate age and licence-category requirements. In lots of countries there is a strict maximum age limit to legally operate such equipment even off-road and those limits might be lower again in the event that they are being driven in public.

agriculture definition

7. Lots of agricultural vehicles, even those licensed for normal road use, will usually have legal single occupancy status. Don't try and offer lifts to friends or relatives members unless you enjoy the prospect of a lengthy heart-to-heart exchange of views with the police. Unless, of work, you live in a country where such things are taken lightly!

6. It is worth noting that there is sometimes an inherent assumption that the police will ignore road traffic issues caused by agricultural vehicles. While in some countries there could be a significant degree of 'turning a blind eye' to tractors generating disruption, in other countries the police are much less understanding. It is always a lovely suggestion to think two times about setting off for a long drive on public roads in the work of peak traffic times or where the opportunities to overtake you are restricted. Where feasible, pull over regularly and permit traffic queuing behind you to pass, so as to keep away from the build-up of considerable jams.



agriculture definition

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Definition of Pollution

agriculture definition

It may be simple to define pollution but the impacts of pollution are definitely deadly. The method which fully or partially disturbs the natural or balance composition of any part of the nature is called pollution. Flow of untreated waster water in to the water bodies, mixing of poisonous or harmful gases in to the air or absorption of unsafe waste in soil are dismal examples of the method of pollution.

As a matter of fact pollution cannot be defined as enthusiastically as it can be condemned and censured. Why? Because pollution definition is not as much important as its remedial measures are of utmost importance to save human life from its hazards. Anyway, whatever disturbs the natural composition of any thing is called pollution.

The definition of pollution can rightly be found at a place either at land or water which has been weakened by its hazards. A densely populated commercial hub of backward metropolis, a village at the coastal belt of Asia or Africa or an agriculture land damaged by undue spray of chemical fertilizer and pesticide can unequivocally tells the sorry state of harms of pollution.

agriculture definition

In slums of immense city the harms of pollution are visible in its standard of living. Squalid streets, unhygienic food, smelly restaurants, footpaths with heaps of rubbish and dirty urchins are to tell the fortune of individuals who lives in such underdeveloped areas. It shows the nexus of pollution and poverty. More the pollution, higher the poverty level and it is proved in poverty-ridden areas of the world.

In the method of pollution it does not evince what is affected most but results are same of all kinds of pollution. Either it is air pollution, water pollution or land pollution; they directly impact the human life apart from spoiling the natural beauty of surroundings. They breathe in air but can not feel the level of pollution in it. It dawn on us when after some times they face issues in breathing. They don't know how land pollution is contaminating the food they eat but when it becomes hard to digest even softer kind of food they come to know that our digestive method has been disturbed.

Therefore, definition of pollution is definitely important to understand how pollution is made but more important is to recognize the harms of pollution wherever they observe that pollution is directly or indirectly affecting the natural fabric of our lives. In this way they would be able to take precautionary measures to protect ourselves from its harm and to make efforts to contain it to the lower feasible level.



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Precision Agriculture

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As with any successful scientific endeavor, a lovely precision agriculture system requires correct knowledge. A lovely place to start is usually by generating soil composition & yield maps of the blocks you require to analyze. These maps represent the giant numbers of samples that will be the basic input for geospatial statistical analysis application that will produce recommendations for different processes such as fertilization, sowing density, & pest/disease control.

agriculture definition

Soil composition & yield maps

The issue with these types of maps is that they can be impossible to build correctly. A cumulative set of errors coming from lots of different elements such as GPS method accuracy limitations, usage of multiple harvesting machines on the same fields (Multiple yield monitors), & time delays on knowledge capture due to hardware capacity, can drive the margin of error exponentially even to the point of rendering it useless. This is why having a proper system for minimizing errors in the work of knowledge capture, & where the posterior filtering of suspiciously out of place knowledge (Outliers) become crucial activities.

Variable rate applications

One time you have decided which approach suits your current situation better, modern geospatial statistical analysis application tools will offer a myriad of mathematical methods for determining an optimal application pattern that takes in to account the specific circumstances of each individual site. This application patterns will then be transferred to an on-board computer that can automatically control application rates of the tools attached to the tractors (Planters, sprayers, etc.) based on the GPS position of the vehicle. Here again ensuring the minimization of errors in knowledge, such as ensuring an correct GPS position, can have a massive effect on the final results of the exercise.

agriculture definition

Currently there's major schools of thought behind variable rate applications & potentially even precision agriculture in general; on side they have those who require to increase the fields to further heights than had been historicallyin the past feasible with traditional methods. Their rationale lies behind the fact that since we are not using optimal agricultural methods for each specific site, then the maximum potential of fields has not been reached & massive benefits can be achieved by trying to maximize production. On the other side of the fence they have specialists who think that due to the fact that an very high level of production has already been reached on most crops, feasible gains in production due to site specific management of fields are marginal & not worth pursuing. The focus of these specialists in lieu is centered in cost-cutting by reducing waste & over application of agricultural supplies (Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.). What I have noticed is that actual precision agriculture savvy farmers in lots of cases have a position that sits halfway between both camps, & thus treat each field as a unique case that needs to be treated individually to choose the best approach.



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Agricultural Lubricants

agriculture definition

From tractors to ploughs and combines; modern-day farming has developed and is now far more efficient and productive thanks to a range of machinery. For farm owners, within today's competitive promote it is increasingly important to make sure that constant care is provided in order to keep these machines in working order. From regular maintenance to annual checks and services, plenty of attention is given to these machines including the use of agricultural lubricants.

We all know that for plenty of industries, large machinery is a must in order to make sure efficient operations which, is why whenever they think of factories they envision row on row of scary looking machinery that is crucial to the manufacture and production of products. Machinery makes the world go around and that doesn't cease at factories; they play a vital role in farming .

Whether you are new to it all or curious as to what agricultural lubricants are and can do, below are the basic facts...

agriculture definition

Designed to make sure the efficient and smooth operation of machinery; agricultural lubricants play a great part in the success of today's modern-day farms. With numerous oil companies throughout the country alone providing a range of oil products, it's seldom been simpler to look after machinery

There's a quantity of lubricants available but all of them operate with the same functions in mind; to protect and seal. By reducing the friction between different parts, agricultural lubricants will permit a machine to basically function without issue.
The engines of large machinery can be subject to rigorous use which is where agricultural lubricants come in as they are designed to help in today's operations by minimising the risk of wear and tear.

The right agricultural oil can both optimise the performance of the machine and maximise the part service life.
The large majority of lubricants can be used in plenty of environments and natural settings.

Oil oils can vary by viscosity; this refers to the physical ability of the liquid to maintain lubrication under different speeds, temperatures and pressures. The more powerful the machinery, the higher the viscosity of oil oil you will need.

Oil oils are classed by grades (grades are given depending on the viscosity of the oils as mentioned in the above point). 

Different machines will need different grades; this can be decide by the make and model number.

The large majority of lubricants will have been tested and approved by major machine manufacturers.

Large farming equipment requires plenty of different parts, not the engine, to work effectively but like all machinery; wear and tear is inescapable. With the use of the right agricultural oil, parts can be protected against destroy and the capability and general operation of the machinery in query can improve.



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Sustainable Agriculture

agriculture definition

Economic value of wild areas:

 argument for continued development is that the development is necessary for economic growth, and growth is necessary for economic health. I find this argument to be fallacious, for compelling reasons. is that the paradigm of indefinite economic growth without bound is a flawed. Resources are always limited, and there is only a sure capacity of goods that can be produced sustainably. Achieving sustainability requires abandoning this elderly model of economic growth.

agriculture definition

The key issue in sustainability, most important than all other issues, is leaving intact ecosystems, and not clearing or developing over a sure portion of wild areas for agriculture or human use. The rule of thumb or target that I am liking to shoot for is to leave 70% of land as intact wild ecosystem. This does not mean that the land is not being used in any way, but only that it is not being directly used for agriculture or other makes use of (i.e. crops are not being grown there, timber is not being harvested, people are not living there), and that whatever makes use of of the land only have negligible impacts on the ecosystem.

My second reason, however, is that intact wild ecosystems are actually necessary for sustained economic health, in the agricultural sector, but also in virtually all other aspects of society as well.

agriculture definition

Direct economic benefits of wild areas:

Indirect economic benefits of wild areas:

In terms of direct effects, intact wild ecosystems provide a buffer which prevents the spread of insects, diseases, and other pests which can destroy crops. Our current unsustainable agriculture system depends on expensive chemical control systems to control pests, which are continually adapting. A sustainable system would depend on natural buffer zones, which not only prevent the spread of disease, but also house predators which feed on insect pests, thus making it unlikely for pests to get established among crops in the first place. The organic farms and gardens that I have worked with which practice crop diversification and the use of wild buffer areas around the operation comment that they usually have  no issue with pests.

Indirect effects, however, are even stronger. Wild ecosystems stabilize climate and weather, which can greatly reduce or even prevent natural disasters like water, drought, and moderate temperature and humidity, diminishing the severity of extreme weather events like chilled or hot spells. Wild ecosystems can also produce numerous resources, including foods, which can be sustainably harvested, including wild fish and meat, and plants for food or medicinal use. Wild areas also provide beauty, increasing land value in nearby residential areas, and providing recreation and income to local economies through tourism. Often, an intact wild area can have numerous different makes use of. And finally, ecosystems also filter and purify water and air, thus lowering health care costs and diminishing the necessity for burdensome environmental regulations.



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