The Art and Science of Agriculture

 Agriculture is the art and science of plowing, cultivating the land, and taking care of animals. This includes the preparation of plant and animal products for human consumption and their distribution in markets.

Agriculture provides most of the world’s food and textiles. Cotton, wool, and leather are agricultural products. Agriculture also provides timber for construction and paper products.

These products and the cultivation methods used may vary between continents.

Start of Farming

Over the centuries, the development of agriculture has contributed to the emergence of civilizations.

Before agriculture spread, people spent most of their lives finding food, hunting wild animals, and collecting wild plants. About 11,500 years ago, people gradually learned to grow cereals and root crops and adapted them to rural life.

2000 years ago, most of the world’s population depended on agriculture. Scientists do not know why these changes are happening in agriculture, but they may be a result of climate change.

When the people began to farm, they also began to raise wild animals. Domestication is the adaptation of wild plants and animals to humans.

Perhaps the first crop to be cultivated was rice or corn. It was built by Chinese farmers in 7500 BCE

The first pets were dogs used in hunting. Sheep and goats are likely to be cared for later. People also take care of cattle and pigs. Many of these animals were once hunted for meat and meat. There are now many sources of milk, cheese, and butter. After all, people use pets like bulls for plowing, transportation, and transportation.

Agriculture allowed people to produce excess food. If the harvest fails, they can use this surplus food or replace it with other goods. Overeating allows people to do other non-agricultural work.

Agriculture kept nomads close to their farms and led to the development of permanent villages. It's about trade. New economies have been successful in some areas as cities have grown and cultures have grown. The first civilizations based on intensive agriculture appeared in Mesopotamia (now Iraq and Iran) near the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and along the Nile in Egypt.

Advanced Technologies

For millennia, the development of rural areas has been very slow. The fire was one of the first agricultural implements. Native Americans used fire to control the growth of fruit plants that they knew would grow quickly after a massive fire. Farmers plowed small fields by hand, cut down trees with axes, and dug firewood to break up and cover the soil. Over time, advanced agricultural equipment made of bone, stone, copper, and iron was developed. New methods of storage have been developed. People began collecting food in pots and pits lined with clay to use during the famine. They have also started making pots and other containers for transportation and cooking.

About 5500 BC In the third century BC. BC. Farmers in Mesopotamia developed simple irrigation systems. By diverting water from streams to their farms, farmers are living in areas that were previously unsuitable for agriculture. In Mesopotamia and later in Egypt and China, people organized and worked together to build and maintain better irrigation systems.

Early farmers also developed advanced types of crops. For example, about 6000 B.C. New grain in South Asia and Egypt. It is stronger than previous flakes. The crusts are easier to remove and can be baked into bread.

As the Romans expanded their empires, they adopted the best agricultural practices from the people they conquered. They wrote manuals on agricultural activities in Africa and Asia and adapted them for Europe.

The Chinese also adapted agricultural equipment and methods from neighboring empires. The rice variety from Vietnam matures quickly, allowing farmers to harvest multiple crops in one planting season. This rice quickly became popular throughout China.

Many medieval European farmers used an outdoor growing system. One field was sown in the spring, another in the fall, and one field was not sown or set aside. This system retains soil nutrients and increases agricultural production.

The leaders of the Islamic Golden Age (peak around 1000 AD) in North Africa and the Middle East made agriculture a science. Islamic farmers in the golden age learned crop rotation.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, explorers brought new types of plants and agricultural products to Europe. They brought coffee, tea, and indigo, a plant in Asia from which blue dyes were made. They brought plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, corn, beans, nuts, and tobacco from America. Some of these became staple foods and expanded the human diet.

Machinery

A period of significant rural development began in the early 18th century for Britain and the Netherlands (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands below sea level). New inventions in agriculture greatly increased food production in Europe and the European colonies, especially in the United States and Canada.

One of the most important of these developments was the improved seed drill invented by Jethro Tull in England. Prior to this, farmers sowed by hand. The seeder makes sets of holes for the seeds. By the end of the 18th century, bones were common in Europe.

Many machines were built in the United States. Invented by Eli Whitney in 1794, gin shortened the time required to separate cotton fiber from the bone. In the 1830s, Cyrus McCormick’s mechanical grinder helped modernize the process of grinding grain. At the same time, John and Hiram Pitts introduced the horse-drawn threshing machine, which shortened the process of separating grain and seeds from rye and chaff. Introduced in 1837, the John Deere steel plow made it possible to plow pastures into hard ground with less power. Along with the new machines, many significant advances were made in cultivation techniques. Through selective animal breeding (breeding animals with desirable characteristics), farmers have increased the size and productivity of their animals.

Cultures have bred animals for centuries - there is evidence that Mongolian nomads chose horses in the Bronze Age. Europeans began large-scale selective breeding as early as the 18th century. One of the earliest examples of this is the Leicester sheep, an animal chosen bred in England for its high meat quality and long and thick coat.

Plants can also be bred specifically for certain traits. In 1866, Gregor Mendel's work on inheritance was published in Austria. In his experiments on pea plants, Mendel learned how traits are passed from generation to generation. His work paved the way for crop improvement through genetics.

During this time, new ways of crop rotation were developed. Many of these were adopted throughout Europe in the next century. For example, the Norfolk four-domain system, developed in England, has proven very successful. This includes the annual crop rotation of many crops, including wheat, beets, barley, alfalfa, and rye. It puts nutrients into the soil, allowing farmers to grow enough to sell part of their crop without affecting the soil.

However, most of the world was not affected by these events. Farmers in Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America continue to use old farming methods.

Agricultural Science

In the early 1900s, the average American farmer produced enough food to feed a family of five members. Today, many farmers can feed this family and hundreds of others. How did this huge jump in productivity happen? The main reason for this is scientific progress and the development of new energy sources.

Until the late 1950s, most farmers in developed countries used both fuel and electricity to run their machinery. Tractors replaced tractors and steam engines. Farmers used machines in almost every stage of agriculture and animal husbandry.

Electricity first became a source of electricity on farms in Japan and Germany in the early 1900s, and by the 1960s, most farms in the U.S. and other developed countries were electrified. Farm buildings and electrical equipment such as water pumps, milking machines, and feeding equipment. Today, electricity controls the entire environment of farms and poultry.

Traditionally, farmers use a variety of methods to protect crops from pests and diseases. They used plant herbicides, cut insects from plants, grew strong plant stems, and used alternative plants for insect control. Today, almost all farmers, especially in developed countries, rely on chemicals for pest control. The definition of “pest” ranges from insects to animals such as rabbits and rats, weeds, and disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The use of chemicals has greatly reduced losses and crop prices.

For millennia, farmers have relied on natural fertilizers (materials such as manure, wood ash, soil seeds, pieces of fish or fish, and bird and bat droppings called manure) to supplement or increase soil nutrients.

In the early 1800s, scientists discovered which elements were most important for plant growth: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Fertilizers containing these elements were later produced in the US and Europe. Many farmers now use chemical fertilizers that contain nitrates and phosphates because they greatly increase yields.

However, pesticides and fertilizers cause other problems. Excessive use of chemicals results in environmental degradation and often sweeps away both beneficial and harmful species. The use of chemicals can also pose a risk to human health, especially from contaminated water sources. Agronomists are looking for safer chemicals to use as fertilizers and pesticides. Some farmers use physical control and rely less on chemicals.

Farming in Water

Agriculture includes forms of cultivation such as hydroponics and aquaculture. Both relate to water management.

Hydroponics is the science of growing plants in nutrition solutions. One hectare of the nutrient solution can produce more than 50 times the amount of lettuce planted in the same amount of soil.

Aquaculture, especially fish and shellfish, was practiced thousands of years ago in China, India, and Egypt. It is currently used in lakes, ponds, oceans, and other forms of water around the world. Certain types of aquaculture, such as shrimp farming, have become important industries in many countries in Asia and Latin America.

Climate change and new technologies are changing the way freshwater and marine fisheries are managed. Global warming has pushed hot water species to the poles and reduced cold-water habitats. Traditional fishing communities in both developed and developing countries are experiencing a decline in fish numbers.

Bottom trawling has affected ocean ecosystems. Under trawling, fishing boats haul in large nets and drag them to the ocean floor. Nets catch halibut and squid, but they also stir up sediment under the sea. It destroys the marine life (plankton and algae) that forms the basis of the food chain.

Genetic modification

Over the centuries, humans have created new species of plants and animals through random experiments. In the 1950s and 1960s, scientists developed new high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice. They have been introduced to Mexico and some parts of Asia. As a result, cereal production in these regions increased rapidly. This daring agricultural experiment was called the Green Revolution.

The victories of the Green Revolution brought problems. New varieties require chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation to achieve high yields. In many developing countries, independent farmers could not afford to buy new technologies, and large corporations took over agriculture. New crops with high yields also tax native plants and animals.

Later, scientists and farmers understood why new species emerged. This has led to a new green revolution: the genetic modification of food.

Each cell contains genes, the material that determines many of the characteristics of an organism. Genetics is the study of traits inherited by organisms and how those traits are passed on.

People more versed in genetics can choose which scientific traits they want to acquire. New technologies have changed the process of plant and animal reproduction.

Since the 1970s, scientists have discovered that they can rearrange and add new genes to increase disease resistance, productivity, and other desirable traits in crops and animals.

These genetically modified organisms (GMOs or genetically modified foods) are now prevalent in developed countries. Thanks to biotechnology, scientists can modify the DNA of germs, plants, and animals. GMOs that contain genetic material or DNA of other species are called transgenic organisms.

For example, an arctic gene can be inserted (inserted) into strawberry DNA to increase strawberry cold tolerance and thus prolong the growing season. Strawberries are considered transgenic plants.

The companies sell genetically modified seeds to farmers who are resistant to some of the company’s pesticides and herbicides. (Herbicides kill weeds and other crops that threaten crops.) These seeds allow farmers to use toxic chemicals without damaging crops.

Biotechnology has allowed progress in animal care (caring for animals or pets). Modern animals are larger and grow faster than their ancestors.

For example, cattle graze animals. Their digestive system evolved to process vegetables and other crops. Corn and other grains cause acidity in the digestive system of cattle. It encourages the growth of harmful bacteria (such as E. coli). Bacterial infections can harm cattle and can also contaminate milk and meat eaten by humans. Antibiotics bind to corn DNA feeding to prevent such infection. Antibiotics have been used to promote the growth of cattle since the 1950s. Over time, this practice has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in cattle and humans. Many cows are also given anabolic steroids or growth hormones to help them grow faster.

There is a lot of debate about genetically modified foods. Farmers who grow GM foods are increasing their production with less labor and land. Many consumers prefer genetically modified products. Fruits and vegetables stay longer and bruise less. The meat is fatter - more tender and salty.

Critics say genetically modified foods have less nutritional value and reduce biodiversity. The organic and “free-range” food industry has thrived against “factory farming”.

Many cultivate the land the way their ancestors did hundreds or even thousands of years ago. They do not use expensive chemicals, production methods, or agricultural technology.

These people are survival farmers. Unlike commercial farmers who only sell, they use most of the food they make for themselves and their families.

Methods of Cultivation

Farming practices vary greatly around the world, often depending on climate, soil, tradition, and available technology.

Low-tech agriculture includes the cultivation of perennial crops: food planted in the ground that is not planted after each harvest. Citrus and coffee trees are examples of perennials. High-tech cultivation includes crop rotation, which requires knowledge of arable land. Designers and engineers use not only crop rotation and irrigation but also plants depending on the time of year, soil type, and amount of water needed.

On the coast of West Africa, farmers, mostly women, plant corn shortly after the first rains of the growing season. They often use an old method of cleaning called “cut and burn”. First, the farmer cuts the entire bush on his land. When this plant dries up, it burns here. The heat of the fire easily alters the soil, and the burnt plants fertilize it. The farmer then plants the corn grains last year.

Between rows of corn, an African farmer plants other major crops: legumes such as peas or root vegetables such as yams. The practice of planting several plants in one place is called mixed growing. The plant covers most of the soil with vegetation, preventing moisture loss and soil erosion caused by seasonal rainfall.

Rain provides water for plants. The farmer feeds his property with a hoe. During the harvest, he and his family pick corn, peel it, and layout the cobs to dry in the sun. Mix the dried corn.

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Traditionally, an African farmer uses the same plot for several years until his fertility drops. He then moves to another property and leaves the first inactive for up to 10 years. As the population increased, rest periods decreased and permanent cultivation became more common.

The farming practices used in the U.S. corn region are very diverse. The corn region is the region of the Northwest Territories where most of the corn crops in the country are grown. First, farmers rarely worked alone — the size of the American farm was too hard to produce. Shortly after harvesting corn in the fall, farmers bury the remnants of straw in the ground. In the spring, farmers again plow the soil using a device consisting of rows of sharp-edged steel discs called discs. The discs cut the soil, divide it into small pieces, and aerate it.

Then a seeder driven by a tractor sows rows of seeds. The machine digs ditches in the ground, pours high-yield genetically modified corn grains, and covers them with soil. After the corn seeds germinate, another machine injects liquid fertilizer into the soil.

Farmers then use chemicals to control weeds and pests and loosen the soil using a tractor cultivator during harvest.

American industrial farmers can only plant 1,000 acres of corn. The practice of specializing in a crop is called monoculture. For harvesting, farmers use a mechanical harvester that picks up corn cobs and throws them into a bucket.

Some of the corn grown in the corn region is for human consumption. Most corn grown in the United States is used for animal feed and for industrial purposes such as corn syrup sweeteners.

Livestock

From alpacas in Peru to zebras in India, billions of pets are raised and cared for in various ways around the world. Pets are an important source of food in many countries.

In Nigeria, for example, the Fulani have long been nomads. They are driven from pasture to pasture with herds of cattle. Cattle are fed shrubs and grasses on land that are not suitable for agriculture. The Fulani relied on cattle for milk, but rarely slaughtered their animals for meat.

In the United States, cattle are bred to grow quickly and produce a lot of fatty meat. At the age of five to twelve months, the animals are transferred to farms. There they are kept in cages and fed grains and vitamin supplements until they reach market size. Then they are killed.

In developing countries, two types of animal husbandry are opposed. In Uganda, Ankole cattle are bred to withstand the harsh climate in Central Africa: their long and curved horns help remove heat, and their digestive systems adapt to malnutrition and lack of water. However, the dairy market has prompted many farmers in Uganda to import Holstein cattle. The Holstein race originated in Northern Europe. A large number of antibiotics, vaccines, and other chemicals are needed to keep them healthy in the equatorial region. The ankle that produces little milk and no fat meat can disappear in a century.

Many farmers around the world take care of free-range poultry. Birds search for food on community farms or gardens and eat what they find: seeds, insects, household waste, and excess grain.

Poultry farming has become an important branch of agriculture in many developed countries. Birds receive the same types of vaccines and hormones as animals. Chickens are raised for eggs or meat. A poultry farm can hold more than a million birds. Machines often automatically deliver food and water, collect eggs, and dispose of trash.

Fight Against Hunger

Food production must keep pace with population growth and means of distribution. This is a major agricultural and political problem.

The problem is not food shortages, but the unequal distribution of food resources around the world. The ratio of population to arable land in some countries is more favorable than in others. Some experts believe that government policies in developed and developing countries hinder the equitable distribution of food. Drought, floods, and other natural disasters continue to cause local food shortages.

Congestion also contributes to the unequal distribution of food resources. Most population growth over the next 100 years will occur in developing countries, where hunger is already a major problem.

Exporting food or agricultural technology from super countries will not solve the problem of world hunger. Poor countries do not have the money to buy all the food they need, and they do not want to continue to depend on other countries. Many developing countries also view biodiversity as an important resource and do not want GMOs to threaten it.

Experts believe that the problem of hunger can be solved in two ways. First, citizens of all countries should be able to grow or buy their own food. Second, citizens of all countries should have responsible eating and spending habits. What if we solve the problem of overpopulation?

Agriculture will help countries adapt to healthier food-producing practices. Scientists are creating new types of high-yield crops that require less fertilizer or pesticides. Such facilities reduce the need to use and sell expensive chemicals.

The problems of feeding the hungry cannot be solved without the care of soil and water. Agricultural activities in both developed and developing countries have resulted in severe losses of valuable land, water, and other resources.

Many countries need more effective reforestation programs. The overpopulation is forcing a growing number of farmers to move to areas that are too weak to plant crops. The demand for food has led to increasing irrigation around the world. In some areas, irrigation has led to the collapse of aquifers, the drying up of rivers and wells. Agrochemicals that increase production often contaminate soil and groundwater, disrupting food chains.

Agriculture should not harm the environment. People can still find solutions to global hunger by conserving land, water, and air, and by sharing knowledge and resources.