History and Origins of Agriculture
– Agriculture allowed the human population to grow larger than hunting and gathering could sustain.
– Agriculture developed independently in different parts of the world.
– Wild grains were consumed over 105,000 years ago.
– Domestication of various crops and animals occurred in different regions over thousands of years.
– The horse was domesticated in the Eurasian Steppes around 3500 BC.
– Agriculture began in at least 11 separate centers of origin.
– Rice was domesticated in China around 11,500 to 6,200 BC.
– Sheep were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 13,000 to 11,000 years ago.
– Cattle were domesticated in modern-day Turkey and Pakistan around 10,500 years ago.
– The potato was domesticated in the Andes of South America around 10,000 to 7,000 years ago.
– Agriculture was introduced to Europe by early farmers from Anatolia around 9,000 years ago.
– The Sumerians in Mesopotamia relied on irrigation systems for farming around 8,000 BC.
– Ancient Egyptian agriculture relied on the Nile River and seasonal flooding.
– Wheat, barley, and jujube were domesticated in India by 9,000 BC.
– China had a nationwide granary system and widespread silk farming from the 5th century BC.
– Mesoamerica domesticated crops like squash, beans, and cacao.
– Mayo Chinchipe domesticated cocoa in the upper Amazon.
– Turkey was likely domesticated in Mexico or the American Southwest.
– Aztecs and Mayas developed advanced agricultural techniques like irrigation and terraced hillsides.
Types and Practices of Agriculture
– Pastoralism involves managing domesticated animals and is practiced in arid regions.
– Shifting cultivation involves clearing small areas of forest for crops and is practiced in areas with abundant rainfall.
– Subsistence farming is practiced mainly in Monsoon Asia and South-East Asia.
– Intensive farming maximizes productivity with high inputs and is practiced mainly in developed countries.
– An estimated 2.5 billion subsistence farmers worked in 2018, cultivating about 60% of the earth’s arable land.
– Intensive agriculture increased crop productivity but caused water pollution and soil degradation.
– Organic, regenerative, and sustainable agriculture movements emerged as a backlash against conventional agriculture.
– The European Union played a major role in promoting organic farming and reforming agricultural policies.
– Concerns exist about lower yields and the impact of organic farming on global food security.
– Genetically modified food is a recent mainstream technological development.
– Tillage and its impact on soil
– Pest control methods
– Nutrient management and use of manure
– Water management and irrigation
– Impact of agriculture on freshwater use and water withdrawal ratios
Impact of Agriculture
– Small farms produce about a third of the world’s food, while large farms are prevalent.
– The largest one percent of farms operate more than 70 percent of the world’s farmland.
– Farms larger than 1,000 hectares make up nearly 40 percent of agricultural land.
– Five out of six farms in the world are less than two hectares in size but occupy only 12 percent of agricultural land.
– Agriculture greatly influences rural economics and shapes rural society, impacting the agricultural workforce and supporting businesses.
– Overall agricultural production varies by country.
– Cropping systems vary among farms depending on various factors.
– The twenty largest countries by agricultural output include China, India, and the United States.
– Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
– Deforestation for agriculture leads to loss of biodiversity.
– Intensive farming practices can lead to soil degradation and water pollution.
– Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides can harm ecosystems.
– Sustainable agricultural practices can help mitigate the environmental impact.
Workforce in Agriculture
– Agriculture provides about one-quarter of all global employment.
– More than half of employment in sub-Saharan Africa is in agriculture.
– Almost 60 percent of employment in low-income countries is in agriculture.
– Labour-saving innovations increase agricultural productivity.
– Combination of labour supply and demand trends have driven down the share of population employed in agriculture.
– Women make up a large share of the population employed in agriculture.
– Women already make up about 50 percent of the agricultural workforce in East and Southeast Asia.
– Women make up 47 percent of the agricultural workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.
– Roles and responsibilities of women in agriculture may be changing.
– Inadequate education and limited access to basic infrastructure and markets limit women’s opportunities for off-farm work.
– Agriculture remains a hazardous industry.
– Farmers worldwide remain at high risk of work-related injuries and illnesses.
– Tractor rollovers are a common cause of fatal agricultural injuries.
– Pesticides and other chemicals used in farming can be hazardous to worker health.
– Entire families can be at risk for injuries, illness, and death in agriculture.
Agricultural Automation and Climate Change
– Agricultural automation refers to autonomous navigation by robots without human intervention.
– It can also be defined as the accomplishment of production tasks through mobile, autonomous, decision-making, mechatronic devices.
– Agricultural automation includes robotic milking machines, motorized machinery, and digital tools like sensors.
– The use of machinery and equipment in agricultural operations improves diagnosis, decision-making, and reduces the drudgery of agricultural work.
– Technological evolution in agriculture has progressed from manual tools to robotics with artificial intelligence.
– Climate change affects agriculture through changes in average temperatures, rainfall, and weather extremes.
– It also impacts pests and diseases, atmospheric carbon dioxide and ground-level ozone concentrations, nutritional quality of foods, and sea level.
– Global warming has already affected agriculture, slowing down productivity in mid and low latitudes.
– Methane emissions have negatively impacted crop yields by increasing temperatures and surface ozone concentrations.
– Ocean warming and acidification have decreased sustainable yields of wild fish. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities. While humans started gathering grains at least 105,000 years ago, nascent farmers only began planting them around 11,500 years ago. Sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Plants were independently cultivated in at least 11 regions of the world. In the 20th century, industrial agriculture based on large-scale monocultures came to dominate agricultural output.
As of 2021[update], small farms produce about one-third of the world's food, but large farms are prevalent. The largest 1% of farms in the world are greater than 50 hectares (120 acres) and operate more than 70% of the world's farmland. Nearly 40% of agricultural land is found on farms larger than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres). However, five of every six farms in the world consist of less than 2 hectares (4.9 acres) and take up only around 12% of all agricultural land. Farms and farming greatly influence rural economics and greatly shape rural society, effecting both the direct agricultural workforce and broader businesses that support the farms and farming populations.
The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels, and raw materials (such as rubber). Food classes include cereals (grains), vegetables, fruits, cooking oils, meat, milk, eggs, and fungi. Global agricultural production amounts to approximately 11 billion tonnes of food, 32 million tonnes of natural fibres and 4 billion m3 of wood. However, around 14% of the world's food is lost from production before reaching the retail level.
Modern agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, and technological developments have sharply increased crop yields, but also contributed to ecological and environmental damage. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns about animal welfare and environmental damage. Environmental issues include contributions to climate change, depletion of aquifers, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and other agricultural pollution. Agriculture is both a cause of and sensitive to environmental degradation, such as biodiversity loss, desertification, soil degradation, and climate change, all of which can cause decreases in crop yield. Genetically modified organisms are widely used, although some countries ban them.
