What is Agriculture and the Importance of Agriculture?

We all use agriculture products daily and yet most of the people out there do not know the meaning of Agriculture and its true purpose.


So here we give you the definition of Agriculture to define what is agriculture in lay man terms and help you understand the importance of agriculture in your life.


Agriculture and its importance in every body's life

Importance of Agriculture
Importance of Agriculture


Agriculture is a very common practice of using lands space to grow crops, all fruits, all vegetables and to carry out the rearing and management of livestock. 


Agriculture is the word that comes from the word Latin ager or agriculture which means soil and culture. 


Approximately 70% of the world's population and 74% of India's population is engaged in the activities related to agricultural. 


The activities done in Forestry and fishing also come under technical agricultural practice.


Agriculture fulfils the all the basic and primary needs of the vast human population by providing food, shelter and clothing.


Agriculture needs to be improved to sustain all life on planet earth, so to improve the quality as well as quantity of the agricultural produce, many new techniques have been introduced in the field of agriculture. 


Better procurement of seeds, fertilizers, better methods of irrigation are some of the basic practices that have increased the level and produce of harvest and brought more productive land under cultivation.


The main use of Seeds, manure, fertilizer, machinery and labor are done to increase the productivity in agriculture. 


Crops, diary products, poultry products, fruits, silk and wool are some of the products we get of this system.


Why is Agriculture so Important?


The importance of Agriculture is very high in todays world although many out do not understand the need of agriculture but we need it the most right now, because:


For decades, agriculture has been related to the manufacturing of vital food products. 


Agriculture farming includes forestry, dairy, fruit cultivation, poultry, beekeeping, mushroom, arbitrary, and so on that all provides for our daily needs.


Today, processing, advertising, and distribution of vegetation and farm animals merchandise, and so on. Are all recounted as part of present day agriculture. 


Hence, agriculture might be called the manufacturing, processing, promotion, and distribution of agricultural products.


Agriculture has a crucial position inside the entire life of a given economic system. 


Agriculture is the backbone of the economic system of a given country. 


Similarly to offering food and raw material, agriculture additionally provides employment opportunities to a completely large percentage of the population. 


The main reason that makes agriculture important and crucial is for Supply of livelihood it provides for us.


As a fact main majority’s important source of livelihood is farming. Approximately 70% of people depend directly on agriculture as a livelihood. 


The result of the non-development of non-agricultural sports to soak up the quick-developing population is that this excessive percentage in agriculture. 


Furthermore, many people are engaged in agriculture in advanced countries.


All the above points prove the importance of agriculture in our life.


12 Main Types of Agriculture


There are mainly 12 types of Agriculture of which the three most important that are the utmost important, there are :


1) Shifting Cultivation (rotating crops) 


Shifting cultivation is a type of agricultural system in which plot of land are developed and cultivated temporarily.


Then it is abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot.


2) Intensive Pastoral Farming (focused on grazing animals) 


Intensive pastoral farming refers to farms with a number of high inputs (think labor, capital etc.) to obtain equally high outputs (production and income). 


Most modern-day traditional farms fall into this category. Intensive farming is very much about optimizing the overall productivity and profitability of land.


3) Subsistence Cultivation (seeking out a living, often on inhospitable land) 


Subsistence farming is a type of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer’s family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade.


4) Commercial Cultivation (usually focused on cash crops, such as cotton, palm oil - and poppy for heroine) 


Commercial and industrial algae cultivation has numerous uses, including production of food ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids.


It also gives us natural food colorants and dyes, food, fertilizer, bioplastics, chemical feedstock (raw material), pharmaceuticals, and algal fuel, and can also be used as a good source of pollution control .


5) Dairy Farming (primarily cows for milk and chickens for eggs) 


Dairy farming is a type of agriculture done for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product .


6) Mixed crop Cultivation 


Mixed cropping or diverse cropping is a type of agriculture in which two or more crops are grown all at the same time in a field.


If by chance one crop fails, the other crops cover the risk of total crop failure.


7) Dry Farming (a growing area is modern Genetically Modified seeds that require less water than normal crops) 


Dryland farming and dry farming encompass specific agricultural techniques for the non-irrigated cultivation of crops.


Dryland farming is connected with drylands, areas characterized by a cool wet season followed by a warm dry season. 


8) Intensive Arable Farming (crop growing, often staples such as maize, wheat or corn) 


Intensive farming, also known as intensive agriculture and industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, arable farming, and animal husbandry, with a higher level of input and production per square unit of agricultural land area. 


It is characterized by usage of low tillage, higher use of inputs such as capital and labor, and higher crop yields per unit area of land.


9) Silk Farming (cultivating basic silk worms) 


Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Bombyx mori is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. 


10) Market Gardening (growing all types of fruit and salad vegetables) 


A basic market garden is a very small operation, usually done under one acre, used for the small-scale production of vegetables, flowers, and fruits as cash crops. 


Typically, a market garden will grow a diverse variety of crops as opposed to a monoculture


11) Extensive Pastoral Farming (eg Main Hill Sheep Farming) 


Extensive pastoral farming is the complete opposite of intensive farming. 


Extensive farms are often large in scale with very low inputs and inevitably lower outputs. 


A great example of extensive farming can be described by cattle ranches in central Australia, where there are a handful of farmworkers and cattle are primarily left to roam across large areas.

 

12) Plantation or Tree Farming (long term development of timber) 


A basic tree farm is a privately owned forest managed for the purpose of timber production. 


The main term, tree farm, also is used to refer to the rooted tree plantations, tree nurseries, and Christmas tree farms.


You could argue that fish farming should be in our list, but that is generally considered and defined to be a separate category.


Differences between Agriculture in India and agriculture in Usa


Below are some points to explain what are difference between agriculture in India and agriculture in Usa.


  1. In India, the agriculture is not a business but it is regarded as pride. It is hard to sell farm for a farmer. While in USA it is just another instrument for income.
  2. In India, people related with activities of agriculture are the demand generating sector. What I want to say is that, if agriculture had bad year, it will badly affect almost whole of Indian economy but in US the case is not the same.
  3. In India, there is pressure to feed more than 121 crore people. India has 1/3rd land as compared to USA and 4 times more population than USA. So, naturally, it will affect the policies of India and overall agriculture produce.
  4. In India we have more illiteracy in villages. So, it is hard to spread information about helpful government policies. If also govt. make efficient policies, they spend billions of rupees, but most farmers do not know about that policies. This fact also badly affects the modernization and use of technology in agriculture in India.
  5. India suffers from the rise of black markets. Either selling final products in mandis or elsewhere, farmers generally get less price than MSP. (Because farmers don’t know about MSP. And also don’t know about their other rights.) Also, stock mafia affects the agriculture. And fertilizer’s are sold at more than MRP.
  6. Indian agriculture is mostly dependent on rain. Because of rising frequencies of the black market sellers, agriculture in India have major step back. While USA is not dependent on rain. I mean they have better infrastructure in agriculture field.
  7. As population is rising rapidly, per head availability of per hectare farm is badly decreasing. And that directly affects the production and other things in India. In USA the condition is much better.


These are some the points that define what are difference between agriculture in India and agriculture in Usa.


We hope you got a detailed analysis on what is agriculture, agriculture definition and the overall importance of agriculture.



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