Portal:Agriculture

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Panoramic view of Ötlingen from the southeast; the hilly landscape is typical for the region of Markgräflerland

Panoramic view of Ötlingen from the southeast; the hilly landscape is typical for the region of Markgräflerland

Ploughing rice paddies with water buffalo, in Indonesia.

Modern agriculture: a center pivot irrigation system on a field

Agriculture is the practice of cultivating the soil, planting, raising, and harvesting both food and non-food crops, as well as livestock production. Broader definitions also include forestry and aquaculture. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated plants and animals created food surpluses that enabled people to live in the 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, of which the vast majority are one hectare (about 2.5 acres) or smaller, produce about one-third of the world's food. Moreover, five of every six farms in the world consist of fewer than 2 hectares (4.9 acres) and take up only around 12% of all agricultural land. In terms of total land use, large farms are dominant. While only 1% of all farms globally are greater than 50 hectares (120 acres), they encompass more than 70% of the world's farmland. Further, nearly 40% of all global agricultural land is found on farms larger than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres).

Farms and farming greatly influence rural economics and greatly shape rural society, affecting 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 and timber). 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 fibers 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. (Full article... )

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Soy field in Argentina's fertile pampas. The versatile legume makes up about half the nation's crop production and a fourth of its exports.

Agriculture is one of the bases of Argentina's economy . Argentine agriculture is relatively capital intensive, today providing about 7% of all employment and, even during its period of dominance around 1900, accounting for no more than a third of all labor. Having accounted for 20% of GDP as late as 1959, it adds, directly, less than 10% today; however, agricultural goods, whether raw or processed, still earn over half of Argentina's foreign exchange and, arguably, remain an indispensable pillar of the country's social progress and economic prosperity.

An estimated 10-15% of argentinian farmland is foreign owned.

In 2007, more than one fifth of Argentine exports of about US56ドル billion were composed of unprocessed agricultural primary goods, mainly soybeans, wheat and maize. A further one third were composed of processed agricultural products, such as animal feed, flour and vegetable oils. The national governmental organization in charge of overseeing agriculture is the Secretariat of Agriculture, Cattle Farming, Fishing and Food (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentos, SAGPyA).

Argentine beef and other meats are some of the most important agricultural export products of Argentina. Nearly 5 million tonnes of meats (not including seafood) are produced in Argentina, long the world's leading beef consumer on a per capita basis. Beef accounts for 3.2 million tonnes (not counting 500.000 tonnes of edible offal). Then, following in importance: chicken, with 1.2 million tonnes; pork, with 265,000 and mutton (including goat meat), over 100,000. Cattle is mainly raised in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe. Additional significant agricultural commodities include cereals, oilseeds, fruit, vegetables, sugar cane, dairy products and fish/seafood. (Full article... )

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Intercropping

Credit: Neil Palmer

Agriculture intercropping – Coffee with tomato in Darién, Colombia ^{[clarification needed ]}

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Did you know...

... some kinds of raw beans, especially red and kidney beans, contain a harmful toxin (lectin phytohaemagglutinin) that must be destroyed by cooking? A recommended method is to boil the beans for at least ten minutes; undercooked beans may be more toxic than raw beans.^[1]

Other "Did you know" facts... Read more...

General images

The following are images from various agriculture-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Native millet, Panicum decompositum, was planted and harvested by Indigenous Australians in eastern central Australia. (from History of agriculture)

Image 1Native millet, Panicum decompositum , was planted and harvested by Indigenous Australians in eastern central Australia. (from History of agriculture )
Image 2Agricultural research on potato plants (from Plant breeding)

Image 2Agricultural research on potato plants (from Plant breeding )
Image 3Bt-toxins in genetically modified peanut leaves (bottom) protect from damage by corn borers (top). (from History of agriculture)

Image 3Bt-toxins in genetically modified peanut leaves (bottom) protect from damage by corn borers (top). (from History of agriculture )
Image 4Agriculture terraces were (and are) common in the austere, high-elevation environment of the Andes. (from History of agriculture)

Image 4Agriculture terraces were (and are) common in the austere, high-elevation environment of the Andes. (from History of agriculture )
Image 5Early 20th-century image of a tractor ploughing an alfalfa field (from History of agriculture)

Image 5Early 20th-century image of a tractor ploughing an alfalfa field (from History of agriculture )
Image 6This Australian road sign uses the less common term "stock" for livestock. (from Livestock)

Image 6This Australian road sign uses the less common term "stock" for livestock. (from Livestock )
Image 7Jethro Tull's seed drill, invented in 1701 (from History of agriculture)

Image 7Jethro Tull's seed drill, invented in 1701 (from History of agriculture )
Image 8Ancient rice terraces in Yuanyang County, Yunnan (from History of agriculture)

Image 8Ancient rice terraces in Yuanyang County, Yunnan (from History of agriculture )
Image 9Cows on a pasture in Austria (from Livestock)

Image 9Cows on a pasture in Austria (from Livestock )
Image 10Garton's catalogue from 1902 (from Plant breeding)

Image 10Garton's catalogue from 1902 (from Plant breeding )
Image 11Agricultural calendar, c. 1470, from a manuscript of Pietro de Crescenzi (from History of agriculture)

Image 11Agricultural calendar, c. 1470, from a manuscript of Pietro de Crescenzi (from History of agriculture )
Image 12Inca farmers using a human-powered foot plough (from History of agriculture)

Image 12Inca farmers using a human-powered foot plough (from History of agriculture )
Image 13Modern facilities in molecular biology are now used in plant breeding. (from Plant breeding)

Image 13Modern facilities in molecular biology are now used in plant breeding. (from Plant breeding )
Image 14Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from History of agriculture)

Image 14Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from History of agriculture )
Image 15Magnified 100X, and stained with H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) staining technique, this light photomicrograph of brain tissue reveals the presence of prominent spongiotic changes in the cortex, and loss of neurons in a case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). (from Agricultural safety and health)

Image 15Magnified 100X, and stained with H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) staining technique, this light photomicrograph of brain tissue reveals the presence of prominent spongiotic changes in the cortex, and loss of neurons in a case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). (from Agricultural safety and health )
Image 16Wichita village of grass houses surrounded by maize fields in the United States. (from History of agriculture)

Image 16Wichita village of grass houses surrounded by maize fields in the United States. (from History of agriculture )
Image 17Agricultural scenes of threshing, a grain store, harvesting with sickles, digging, tree-cutting and ploughing from Ancient Egypt. Tomb of Nakht, 15th century BC. (from History of agriculture)

Image 17Agricultural scenes of threshing, a grain store, harvesting with sickles, digging, tree-cutting and ploughing from Ancient Egypt. Tomb of Nakht, 15th century BC. (from History of agriculture )
Image 18Noria wheels to lift water for irrigation and household use were among the technologies introduced to Europe via Al-Andalus in the medieval Islamic world. (from History of agriculture)

Image 18Noria wheels to lift water for irrigation and household use were among the technologies introduced to Europe via Al-Andalus in the medieval Islamic world. (from History of agriculture )
Image 19In vitro-culture of Vitis (grapevine), Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute (from Plant breeding)

Image 19In vitro-culture of Vitis (grapevine), Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute (from Plant breeding )
Image 20Roman harvesting machine, a vallus, from a Roman wall in Belgium, which was then part of the province of Gallia Belgica (from History of agriculture)

Image 20Roman harvesting machine, a vallus, from a Roman wall in Belgium, which was then part of the province of Gallia Belgica (from History of agriculture )
Image 21A Northern Song era (960–1127 AD) Chinese watermill for dehusking grain with a horizontal waterwheel (from History of agriculture)

Image 21A Northern Song era (960–1127 AD) Chinese watermill for dehusking grain with a horizontal waterwheel (from History of agriculture )
Image 22Biomass distribution of humans, livestock, and other animals (from Livestock)

Image 22Biomass distribution of humans, livestock, and other animals (from Livestock )
Image 23Yam festival in the Ashanti Empire. Thomas E. Bowdich – 1817. (from History of agriculture)

Image 23Yam festival in the Ashanti Empire. Thomas E. Bowdich – 1817. (from History of agriculture )
Image 24The Harvesters. Pieter Bruegel – 1565 (from History of agriculture)

Image 24The Harvesters . Pieter Bruegel – 1565 (from History of agriculture )
Image 25Farrowing site in a natural cave in northern Spain (from Livestock)

Image 25Farrowing site in a natural cave in northern Spain (from Livestock )
Image 26Pesticide application for chemical control of nematodes in a sunflower planted field. Karaisalı, Adana - Turkey. (from Agricultural safety and health)

Image 26Pesticide application for chemical control of nematodes in a sunflower planted field. Karaisalı, Adana - Turkey. (from Agricultural safety and health )
Image 27Origin and dispersal of domestic livestock species in the Fertile Crescent (dates Before Present). (from History of agriculture)

Image 27Origin and dispersal of domestic livestock species in the Fertile Crescent (dates Before Present). (from History of agriculture )
Image 28Domesticated animals on a Sumerian cylinder seal, 2500 BC (from History of agriculture)

Image 28Domesticated animals on a Sumerian cylinder seal, 2500 BC (from History of agriculture )
Image 29Global distribution data for cattle, buffaloes, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks in 2010 (from Livestock)

Image 29Global distribution data for cattle, buffaloes, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks in 2010 (from Livestock )
Image 30A Fordson Dexta tractor with a rollover protection structure bar retro-fitted. (from Agricultural safety and health)

Image 30A Fordson Dexta tractor with a rollover protection structure bar retro-fitted. (from Agricultural safety and health )
Image 31An organic farmer, California, 1972 (from History of agriculture)

Image 31An organic farmer, California, 1972 (from History of agriculture )
Image 32Clay and wood model of a bull cart carrying farm produce in large pots, Mohenjo-daro. The site was abandoned in the 19th century BC. (from History of agriculture)

Image 32Clay and wood model of a bull cart carrying farm produce in large pots, Mohenjo-daro. The site was abandoned in the 19th century BC. (from History of agriculture )
Image 33Sheep in Écrins National Park (France) (from Livestock)

Image 33Sheep in Écrins National Park (France) (from Livestock )
Image 34Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution of the 1970s, is credited with saving over a billion people worldwide from starvation. (from History of agriculture)

Image 34Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution of the 1970s, is credited with saving over a billion people worldwide from starvation. (from History of agriculture )
(from Livestock)

Image 35Livestock production requires large areas of land.
Image 36The Occupational Safety & Health Administration logo. (from Agricultural safety and health)

Image 36The Occupational Safety & Health Administration logo. (from Agricultural safety and health )
Image 37The creation of maize from teosinte (top), maize-teosinte hybrid (middle), to maize (bottom) (from History of agriculture)

Image 37The creation of maize from teosinte (top), maize-teosinte hybrid (middle), to maize (bottom) (from History of agriculture )
Image 38The agriculturalist Charles 'Turnip' Townshend introduced four-field crop rotation and the cultivation of turnips. (from History of agriculture)

Image 38The agriculturalist Charles 'Turnip' Townshend introduced four-field crop rotation and the cultivation of turnips. (from History of agriculture )
Image 39Centres of origin identified by Nikolai Vavilov in the 1930s. Area 3 (grey) is no longer recognised as a centre of origin, and Papua New Guinea (red, 'P') was identified more recently. (from History of agriculture)

Image 39Centres of origin identified by Nikolai Vavilov in the 1930s. Area 3 (grey) is no longer recognised as a centre of origin, and Papua New Guinea (red, 'P') was identified more recently. (from History of agriculture )
Image 40Sumerian harvester's sickle, 3000 BC, made from baked clay (from History of agriculture)

Image 40Sumerian harvester's sickle, 3000 BC, made from baked clay (from History of agriculture )
Image 41Selective breeding enlarged desired traits of the wild cabbage plant (Brassica oleracea) over hundreds of years, resulting in dozens of today's agricultural crops. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower are all cultivars of this plant. (from Plant breeding)

Image 41Selective breeding enlarged desired traits of the wild cabbage plant (Brassica oleracea ) over hundreds of years, resulting in dozens of today's agricultural crops. Cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower are all cultivars of this plant. (from Plant breeding )
Image 42Goat family with one-week-old kid (from Livestock)

Image 42Goat family with one-week-old kid (from Livestock )
Image 43The Yecoro wheat (right) cultivar is sensitive to salinity, plants resulting from a hybrid cross with cultivar W4910 (left) show greater tolerance to high salinity (from Plant breeding)

Image 43The Yecoro wheat (right) cultivar is sensitive to salinity, plants resulting from a hybrid cross with cultivar W4910 (left) show greater tolerance to high salinity (from Plant breeding )
Image 44Ploughing with a yoke of horned cattle in Ancient Egypt. Painting from the burial chamber of Sennedjem, c. 1200 BC. (from History of agriculture)

Image 44Ploughing with a yoke of horned cattle in Ancient Egypt. Painting from the burial chamber of Sennedjem, c. 1200 BC. (from History of agriculture )
Image 45Pigs being loaded into their transport (from Livestock)

Image 45Pigs being loaded into their transport (from Livestock )
Image 46An Indian farmer with a rock-weighted scratch plough pulled by two oxen. Similar ploughs were used throughout antiquity. (from History of agriculture)

Image 46An Indian farmer with a rock-weighted scratch plough pulled by two oxen. Similar ploughs were used throughout antiquity. (from History of agriculture )

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References

^ "Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Phytohaemagglutinin". Bad Bug Book . United States Food and Drug Administration . Retrieved 2009年07月11日.

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