AGRICULTURE

AND
TECHNOLOGY
WHAT IS AGRICULTURE?
 Agriculture is the science, art and practice of cultivating
plants and livestock.
 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.
 The word agriculture is a late Middle English adaptation of Latin
agricultūra, from ager, "field", and cultūra, "cultivation" or
"growing".
 While agriculture usually refers to human activities, certain
species of ant,[5][6] termite and beetle have been cultivating crops
for up to 60 million years.
 Agriculture is defined with varying scopes, in its broadest sense
using natural resources to "produce commodities which maintain
life, including food, fiber, forest products, horticultural crops, and
their related services“.
 Thus defined, it includes arable farming, horticulture,
animal husbandry and forestry, but horticulture and forestry are in
practice often excluded.
HISTORY
 PREHISTORY
 * The “hunter-gatherer” moniker can be a misnomer as it is believed today
that nomadic communities didn't suddenly just decide one day to stop moving and
to set up permanent settlements - though the reasons for the transition have been
explored in great deal and is still not settled. It is likely that some degree of semi-
nomadic lifestyle developed where people simply set up camps for several years at
a time, cordoning off areas of wild crops that had the most abundant resources . It
is also likely that they had herds of livestock that they took with them wherever
they moved, keeping them secure to exploit for milk, meat, fur and other
resources. The need to protect stores of food for the next season may also have
played a part.
 Archaeologists and palaeontologists have traced the origins of farming to around
10,000 years ago, to somewhere in the Indus Valley, and possibly as a separate
development in China along the Yangtze River. It is known that humans first
domesticated crops and later livestock in great enough numbers to recognize the
signs of deliberate exploitation.
EARLY CIVILIZATION


Early civilization can be considered a boom time in agricultural science and technology.
Around 5500 BC, the Sumerian civilization of the Middle East and other early pre Greco-
Roman civilizations understood the need for a specialized agricultural workforce for their
societies to thrive. It is in this period that we saw the invention of irrigation amongst other
things, and this specialised workforce, and focus on agricultural technology allowed the
development of the first cities. In turn, these drove the first written laws and led to the
development of complex societies. From this point of view, agriculture drives civilisation:
including religious practices, social attitudes and legal codes.
Ancient Egypt had one of the most complex societies of the ancient world before the rise of
the Greek civilization, and it was mostly thanks to their agricultural system . The River Nile
relied heavily on the seasons and each year, the river would flood its banks and part of the
surrounding countryside (called The Inundation). Their civilization and indeed their religious
structure , was built around the life-giving nature of the River Nile and the kingdom's heavy
reliance on the river and delta system . Most of Egypt was and still is desert with a few key
oases, which means that the agriculture centered on a very small part of the country.

EARLY TO MODERN CIVILIZATION
The Middle East continued to see much innovation in the agricultural industries,
something that historians refer to as The Arab Agricultural Revolution . This was thanks
to the diversity of the local topographies, the crops grown in the Middle East and Indus
Valley that European societies coveted, and later acted as a trade bridge between Far
East and Europe.
In Europe, little changed before the rise of the kingdoms around the 11 th century when
the Church became major landholders and traders, leaders, educators and held both
temporal and spiritual powers. The systems instigated through feudalism, whether
secular lords or church holdings, sought to improve yields with the growing population,
and naturally we saw significant technological advances in this period too . It was a
period of massive selective cross-breeding, particularly in animal livestock, and systems
of organisation. In some areas of Europe, we can see the remnants of the agricultural
system today in the form of medieval ridge and furrow strip farming. It is thanks to the
monasteries of Europe that we see advances into what we call “marginal landscapes” -
areas where crops do not grow in great numbers the we see agricultural engineering on
an unprecedented scale..
ECOLOGICAL AGE
 “Sustainability” is the buzzword today as we look to balance several conflicting
needs - to protect the environment and to instigate practices that protects it
while providing for the growing needs of the future population growth. Today,
our food supply feeds 7 billion people and there is still enough surplus for more
going forward . We know though that some of these practices have had an
adverse effect on the land. Too many trees are being cut down to make way for
agricultural land (livestock and crops), and soils are becoming exhausted
quickly while destroying ecosystems.
 There have been questions about the use of some herbicides and pesticides
and the last few decades have seen many harmful substances banned in North
America and the EU. We are still agreeing on global standards and trying to
redefine the parameters of what is agriculturally and ecologically sound,
catering to our crop needs while not damaging it for future generations.
Agricultural technology may possibly be on the verge of another revolution as
biotech moves to the forefront of agricultural science
TYPES OF AGRICULTURE
 NOMADIC HERDING
 This type is based upon the rearing of animals on natural
pastures. This practice is followed by the people of the semi
arid and arid regions. They keep moving with their animals in
search of natural pastures and lead a nomadic life. The type
of the animals reared differ from one region to the other.
Northern Africa, parts of Arabia and parts of northern Eurasia
are the typical regions of this type of farming. This is a
subsistence type of activity.
 LIVESTOCK RANCHING
 Under this system of farming also the major emphasis is laid
on rearing of animals but the farmers live a settled life. This
type of farming has developed on a commercial basis in
those areas of the world where large areas are available for
animal grazing, such as the low rainfall areas of North
America, South America and Australia. Animals are reared
mainly for meat and wool and they are kept on large scale
farms called the ranches
 SHIFTING CULTIVATION
 This is the type of farming adopted generally in the rainy tropics. Under this
system the land for cultivation is obtained by cleared off the forests with the help
of slashing and burning technique and it is cultivated for a few years till the
fertility declines or the land is overtaken by the weeds etc. Then the land is
abandoned and a new plot is cleared for farming. This is a subsistence type of
farming done manually without much use of animal power or other types of
power. This is the subsistence type of activity adopted by the people living in the
tropical forest regions of southeast Asia. Major emphasis is on the grain crops.
This type of farming is now on a decline as due to its land spoiling nature it is
being discouraged by the government agencies.
COMMERCIAL GRAIN FARMING
 This type of farming is a response to farm mechanization and it is
the major type of activity in the areas of low rainfall and low density
of population where extensive farming is practiced. Crops are prone
to the vagaries of weather and droughts and monoculture of wheat
is the general practice. Prairies, steppes and the temperate
grasslands of South America and Australia are the main areas of this
type of farming.
DAIRY FARMING
 This type also had its origin in Europe from where it spread
to other areas. Close proximity to the market and a
temperate climate are the two favorable factors which
have been responsible for the development of this type of
farming. Countries like Denmark and Sweden have
witnessed the maximum development of this type of
farming
SPECIALIZED HORTICULTURE
 This type of farming has also developed to take advantage of a large
demand for the products of horticulture and the areas of large scale
urbanisation and high density of population in Europe have been
favorable for its development. This type of farming has best
developed in the vineyard cultivation areas of France, northern
Hungary and the Swiss Lakes regions.
 IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE
 In most parts of the world, agriculture is an important source of livelihood.
 This entails hard work, but it contributes to the nation’s food safety and
health.
 Agriculture was the primary source of the economy prior to the industrial
revolution.
 With many trade options coming up, many are dependent on their income
on agriculture.
 Agriculture is the most peaceful and environmentally friendly method.
 It is a very reliable source of life for humanity, as well as one of the honest
sources of income. Many people from developing countries rely for their
livelihood on agriculture.
 Some people still have agriculture as a side business in other businesses or
jobs.
 Agriculture is not limited to cultivation and farming alone. It also includes
dairy, poultry, forestry, beekeeping, and sericulture.
 WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY
 Technology is the sum of techniques, skills, methods, and
processes used in the production of goods or services or in
the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific
investigation. Technology can be the knowledge of
techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded
in machines to allow for operation without detailed
knowledge of their workings.
 IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY
IN AGRICULTURE
 Due to technology, it is even possible to grow crops
in a desert by the use of biotechnology. The plants
are engineered in such a way that they can
withstand severe climatic conditions such as
drought. Thus, technology is of immense
importance to agriculture as well as in all other
fields.
 USE OF MACHINES ON FARMS
 Now farmer can cultivate on more than 2 acres of
land with les labor. The use of planters and
harvesters makes the process so easy. In
agriculture , time and production are so important;
you have to plant in time, harvest in time and
deliver to stores in time.
 MODERN TRANSPORTATION
 Help farmers easily transport fertilizers or other
farm products to their farms , and it also speed
supply of agricultural products from farms to
market where consumers get them on daily basis.
 IRRIGATION OF PLANT
 Advance water sprinklers are being used to irrigate
big farms and this helps the crops get enough
water which is essential in their growth. Some
farmers mix nutrients in this water , so also
improves on the growth of these crops.