Agriculture is an activity that deals with the production of soil cultivation, the development and collection of crops, as well as the exploitation of forests and jungles (forestry), the breeding and development of livestock. It is one of the activities of the primary sector of each nation, being the most important resource and the one that man has for his subsistence, since a portion of agricultural products is consumed directly and another is provided to the industry to obtain derived foods, textile, chemical or manufacturing materials.
What is agriculture
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This term is defined according to its genesis in Latin "agri", which means field and its complement "culture", which means cultivation, so it can be said that agriculture is nothing more than the set of technical and economic activities that are relate to the treatment and cultivation of the land to soon produce food.
This encompasses different human-like actions that manage to transform the environment that is known today, that is, the natural one. To study this branch, it is necessary to know agronomy, since this is the science in charge of studying and explaining all agricultural phenomena.
The term also encompasses a global demand for the service of world food, thus depending both on the techniques for making the land fertile, as well as on the climate, but it must also speak of private property and the exploitation of the land that has It was given to different families so that they could establish themselves and stock up.
It is important to note that the person in charge of practicing agriculture is called agricultural, a term that refers to all those activities that are related to the cultivation of the land, the products or foods obtained from it and their distribution.
Agriculture has always been an active representative for the development and evolution of human civilization around the world, likewise, it represents the survival that people have managed to adapt for themselves since the beginning of humanity.
History of agriculture
The origin of agriculture dates from the growing fertile harvest located in Southwest Asia, India and Egypt, locations in which planting and harvesting of plants was fully developed.
During 7000 BC the care and production of the soil began in Egypt and then in India, beginning with the sowing of wheat and barley. Then, in 6000 BC, the care and production of soils with peasant methods began to be known, thus barricading themselves on the banks of the Nile River, regardless of having better locations.
But the Egyptians decided to do it that way because special irrigation techniques for growing and harvesting food had not yet been fully developed. It was in this same century that sowings, crops and harvests were developed independently right in the Far West, but they did it very different from Egypt, since they started with rice as the main crop and left aside wheat. Chinese and Indonesian farmers started growing potatoes, soybeans, azuki and beans, and they also implemented quite new techniques to supplement these carbohydrates.
The techniques are based on placing very well organized fishing nets on different lakes, rivers and ocean shores. Each new method influenced the boom in human growth and the decrease in expansions for the production of soils, in fact, this is something that continues to happen today.
Subsequently, agriculture was widely occurring in New Guinea, southern China, Africa and in different locations in North America and Latin America. According to studies, there were 8 founding crops of the Neolithic of agriculture, which were called cereals, that is, spelled, mocho wheat and barley, followed by legumes such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, yeros and flax.
In 5000 BC the main agricultural techniques were developed by the Sumerians, also adding intensive large-scale cultivation, monoculture, risk techniques and also encouraged the use of specialized labor, in fact, this happened by all along the waterways that are now known as the Shatt Channel in Arabia and the Persian Gulf Delta, which has the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
During the first years of Rome, the main crop was based on cereals, vegetables and legumes, but when the imperial and republican expansion occurred, wheat and other elements were included that were called the Mediterranean trilogy or the triad.
Then, in Europe, right in the Middle Ages, technological innovations emerged that brought positive elements to the peasants. These medieval innovations were carried out thanks to the dynamic techniques of feudal production, which represented a huge incentive for the serfs, in fact, it was an incentive that benefited them more than the slaves themselves.
During the existence of Alfonso X of Castilla, peasants were defined within society as the people who were in charge of tilling the land and carrying out all the special activities so that people could survive and stay on the land. It was precisely the peasants and their hard work that generated an enormous force in medieval society.
Later, with the Old Regime, the nations of eastern and southern Europe further increased the feudal system as economic production, mainly the care and production of soils.
A kind of refeudalization began in the seventeenth century, in which the difference in positions between the lords and the peasants was quite evident, who continued to position themselves as the majority population of the time, however, they did not enjoy the capacity or possibilities to begin with the so-called capital accumulation that was needed to carry out an agrarian transformation.
But, in England and Holland, which was known as Northwest Europe, the bourgeois revolution was accompanied by the agricultural revolution, which took place long before the industrial revolution that took place in the 18th century.
In that same century, the number of crops intensified and employee yields increased due to productive and technical improvements, including 4-leaf crop rotation, Jethro implements and the induction of new crops. The proposition of economic liberalism as a political ideology started the imposition of private property and the liberation of the land market with different manifestations.
National markets were formed and unified according to their objectives, implying the unification of measures, weights and the liberation of prices.
The problem with all this is that it was a conflict, even more so with the liberation of prices that obviously looked different compared to the commercial protection that was carried out in the past. From there, enlightened despotism began alleged physiocrats at the end of the 18th century and was generated in Spain just in the year 1765, the suppression of the wheat tax, which caused the mutiny of Esquilache.
It was thanks to all this that the processing of the agrarian law was carried out slowly and did not obtain effective results.
Later, the abolition of serfdom took place, specifically during the Austrian empire. The same happened in the Russian empire, then in the revolution of 1789 in France, the year in which feudal rights were abolished and the base of small owners was provided but with the ideal and sufficient capitalization capacity, this made these people would once again have political and social strength within the French countryside.
To avoid the fall in the price of wheat, the protection of corn laws was maintained, this was thanks to the dominance of the landowners and the decisions of the parliament.
It should also be noted that within the evolution of agriculture, there was a quite drastic reduction in the agricultural population that was previously active, this due to the increase in labor production, since they lacked expectations in field work for population that was growing more and more, in addition, there was the breakdown of the traditional solidarity networks that were located in rural parishes.
All this caused a rural exodus that ended up feeding the suburbs located in the industrial cities of the greater Spain.
Now, as for Mayan agriculture or agriculture in Mexico, it should be noted that it began even before pre-Columbian times and that it continues to be maintained even today, in fact, agriculture in Mexico is based on the sowing and harvesting of yucca, corn, sweet potato, beans and cocoa. According to all this, it was totally exposed that temporary agriculture does not exist, that it is a permanent activity that provides wide benefits to human beings.
Characteristics of agriculture
Really, the success of production processes will always depend on the use of the technology that is available for agricultural activities, but it is also due to the techniques and elements that are involved in agriculture, from there some characteristics are born that will be widely explained then.
Sowing
It is a process by which some seeds are planted so that different types of plants germinate and develop. Sowing will always be effective as long as some conditions are met, including that the seeds are totally healthy, that the climate is suitable for cultivating and that the land is adequate for sowing. In itself, two types of planting are established, in the first place, there is the open field and it is known for having a land prepared for planting.
In second place is the sowing by hand and this is based on leaving the seeds in a field and that these are given by themselves. It is important to note that when launching the seeds, it must be done in a homogeneous way, in addition, sowing by hand has special modalities, among them, that the land is flat, in furrows or wide beds, since these have a very important level of elevation.
Culture
Although they are part of the agricultural work, there are too many types of crops, each with specific needs, all according to the region, subsoil and climate, in addition, we must talk about extensive cultivation, which is carried out in large areas of land. land, encompassing fairly low economic returns but with acceptable results.
On the other hand, there is the intensive cultivation, which is carried out in quite reduced land spaces, however, it is more productive and profitable for the farmer. The crops are mechanized and broad products are generally obtained and sent to large agro-industries.
- Monoculture: these are plantations that have a large extension of plants of a single species, among them, trees (either mango, apples, lemons, etc.). Monoculture processes make use of common planting methods, for example, fertilization, high production, pest control, etc. In general, the most cultivated plantations have to do with cereals, cotton, sugar cane and pine tree. Monoculture reaches maximum agricultural production in a fairly short period of time, in addition, it is carried out right in areas where there is no labor or man-made buildings.
- Polyculture: it is a system that uses many crops on one surface, being totally similar to the diversity of natural ecosystems of plants called herbaceous, in this way, it manages to avoid loads on the agricultural soil of monocultures or, if it occurs the case of single crops. This system includes the association of crops, their rotation, alley cropping and even multiple cropping.
Harvest
It is nothing more than the action of collecting the fruits or products that the land has provided after sowing, that is, it is the results of the crops. This term refers to a season in which the harvests of fruits and products are carried out.
The harvest refers to a rural work that is part of the benefits of man to feed himself or generate money to survive on the land. Harvests are made only when the fruits are ripe, or when it is believed that they can be used.
It is important to note that harvest is not only about collecting products, but also about cleaning, classifying, storing or packaging them and soon send them to the sites where they can be sold for their next consumption.
Types of agriculture
Just as there are characteristics that involve the care, production and use of soils, there are also their types, which can be classified according to different criteria.
According to the objective
It is about subsistence farming and commercial activity, both totally different and with quite marked objectives.
- Subsistence agriculture: it is a type of crop in which production is sufficient and surplus to feed a specific group of people, for example, a family or the people who have been in charge of cultivating it.
This aspect focuses more on survival than on obtaining economic benefits, in addition, the techniques used are rudimentary, that is, there is no use of machinery, only the help of animals or the use of few tools.
- Commercial agriculture: also called sustainable agriculture, it encompasses absolutely all the necessary methodologies to promote agricultural exploitation, in this way, it is possible to get a great profit and yield in agricultural production, taking it directly to national and international markets to start with marketing.
The main objective of this aspect is aimed at the total modernization of the cultivation techniques, as well as the use of the pertinent machinery to have less costs and more benefits in production. It is important to mention that there is currently a three-pronged classification on this topic.
It is important to highlight that there are different types of subsistence, among them, itinerant by cremation and is based on obtaining land in which different trees are cut down and burned to be able to cultivate, in this way, the ashes are taken of the trees and are used to fertilize the land and start cultivating.
There is also extensive rainfed agriculture, which is based on fertilizing the land with compost, but this must be of animal origin, because only in this way can agriculture and livestock be related.
In fact, this way the soil is used a lot, that is why agriculture and livestock are well given in the dry locations of Africa. Finally, irrigated rice production, which is carried out in locations with abundant rainfall where there are quite warm winters and very fertile lands.
This type of production is a great benefit because the plant does not weaken and does not end the land selected for cultivation, that is why it occurs in Asia, because it is an area where it rains constantly, at least for half of the year. year and that makes it possible for farmers to harvest rice at least twice a year.
In addition to growing rice, they also tend to grow cassava, corn, and millet. the tools used in this type of agriculture are manual plows, rakes, axes, sickle, etc.
The first is specialized agriculture, which is based on developing agricultural activity in the United States and Europe, in addition, it is based on the large areas of monocultures. The second is the Mediterranean agricultural activity, which takes place in the countries that are located on the Mediterranean coasts.
Its success is based on the cultivation of those foods that are not given all the time in some areas. Finally, there is the plantation, which is developed in the countries belonging to Latin America Africa.
Products produced on the plantation must be in great demand in the market, for example cocoa, coffee, rice, cereals, etc. They are characterized by having many monoculture plantations, which is why a labor force is needed because the products are not easy to industrialize.
According to the need for water
Here there are two slopes, the dry land and the irrigated one, both different and with a different form of action.
- Rainfed agriculture: this is an agricultural activity that takes place in semi-arid areas, in which there is no need for people to water the crops, as it tends to rain too much, in addition, annual rainfall is usually below the 500 mm.
This aspect is based on the cropping systems that manage to use the soil moisture scale very efficiently, that is why it should be mentioned the importance of taking into account each of the apparently critical factors that end up benefiting the farmers. desertification processes in these crops.
- Irrigated agriculture: it is about supplying water to crops using different execution methods, this makes this aspect require a greater investment in maintenance, structure and water costs. Among all the crops that predominate in this area are cotton, fruit trees, beets, rice and vegetables.
According to space performance
Here they are classified according to two divisions, the first is intensive and the second is extensive.
- Intensive agriculture: it is only one of the many methods for agricultural production, but this is a generic designation of all foods produced by agriculture, which are used quite intensively in terms of means of production, for example, sowing.
- Extensive agriculture: it is defined as a method of agricultural production that does not increase the productive capacity of the soil in the short term with tools or chemical elements, on the contrary, it does so with natural resources that are part of the land that is going to be used for crops.
According to method
Here we talk about organic and traditional agricultural activities.
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Organic agriculture: this is an independent method of cultivation and the use of any type of product that has chemical derivatives is avoided at all costs, an example of this is fertilizers or pesticides, since their use implies the contamination of the products and the environment.
Using organic tools there is no damage, one is more creative and represents an advance in agricultural activity because it is always about seeking solutions to the problems that arise due to the destabilization of the activity.
Traditional agriculture: are the agricultural activities of indigenous origin and that were a consequence of the evolution of environmental and social systems, in addition, they reflect a fairly high ecological sense, thus expressing the wide use of indigenous natural resources and knowledge of a certain area, including agrobiodiversity.
Industrial agriculture: it is a type of modern production that is responsible for industrializing both crops such as birds, livestock and fish. Here both scientific and technical tools, methods or steps are carried out, as well as political and economic ones, for example, innovation in machinery for production, genetic technology, the creation of new markets for the distribution of products, protection through patents and, finally, international trade.
Natural agriculture: it is nothing more than a set of knowledge, tools and techniques that refer to the natural crops of the earth. Here it is not only spoken from a generic point of view, but also in the group of human activities that imply preserving the habitat of ecosystems, keeping the Nature-human complex in complete harmony.
Yes, man is in charge of sowing the products, watering them and taking care of them at all times until the result is obtained, that is, the harvest, but everything must be kept in complete balance to function.
Development of agriculture
Being quite clear, each country has different ways to develop agricultural activities and the trade that is generated thanks to agricultural activity is really great, however, it is important to note that the urbanization rate is very high and the industrialization of the different regions the world is still weak.
Agricultural activities continue to be an important productive sector in many countries of the world, including Mexico, in fact, there is a secretariat of agriculture and rural development that is responsible for carrying out everything related to the development of this activity.
If a comparison is made in the database of the countries of Central America, Latin America and the Caribbean, at least in the 1980s, many would realize that agriculture contributes 48% to GDP (domestic product gross), while industry contributes 52%. The difference is evident? It is not too high and, in fact, over the years both numbers have been maintained, however, the images of agriculture in the secretariats for the development of the activity by country will always be in constant change according to the crops.
Agricultural area
Here we talk about the extensions of land that are suitable for agricultural activities, implying its geography as it is very imperative for the inhabitants of the area (because it is the main economic means they have). These areas have a special type of climate for crops and that is why they are so identifiable.
Agricultural capital
When talking about capital, it refers to the money that was invested to buy the tools or materials necessary to use the agricultural activity. That money could have come from a single person, several subjects or the State. The objective of the investment is to obtain fruits that can be used for commercial distribution and, in this way, receive profits.
The capital will always vary according to the size of the land, the crop to be used and the cost of the material to be acquired, so a capital will never be similar to that of another person.
Agricultural tools and machinery
One of the elements that are used to carry out agricultural activities is machinery, as these are responsible for carrying out force based on an energy element. In agricultural fields, the machinery is powered and used for jobs that tend to speed up crop production and improve techniques.
Yes, there are too many machines for these activities, but the most common and important ones will be mentioned and explained in this area.
In the first place, there is the tractor, which is very useful because its chains and wheels were originated so that the machinery could move in a fairly simple way throughout the terrain, in addition, it has a power that speeds up activities even when the lands are flooded.
It is important to note that there are currently two types of tractors, the first is wheeled, which has a lot of speed and can move on the roads, the second is the caterpillar and this has strength and stability on the ground.
Another machinery is the rototiller, which has a shaft and is operated with a handlebar. It has a fairly weak power compared to the tractor, but it tends to be quite versatile with the rest of the tools in this activity.
In addition, it is a machinery whose use is really beneficial for smallholdings or small lots, which are quite common in Southeast Asia and southern Europe. Its strength is not too wide, in fact, it has single-cylinder engines that need diesel or gasoline. But to compensate for that detail, the machine has top speed and power for use on large plots.
For some years, farmers have stopped using this machine to give mobility to large tractors because they can carry out integration work in the plots, an example of this is the machinery activity in France and some other European countries, so the rototiller has passed to be used practically for horticultural activities, ornament and gardening.
It is important to mention that the rototiller has different functions, since it can sow, fumigate, harvest, transport and use force in the irrigation pumps of the crops.
For some time the walking tiller has stopped being used very frequently. but even so, it is a machinery that continues to form part of the fundamental tools of agricultural activities, even more so when the plots are fragmented or uneven.
Finally, there is the reaper or better known as the combine, which is characterized by having a powerful motor, carrying a cutting comb that is used to dry the plants that are mature, including cereals. It also has a rake that sits directly in front of the machine and begins to rotate on the horizontal axis.
On the other hand, there are the tools that are used in agricultural activities. These are instruments that are used to carry out tasks such as tilling, removing the earth, weeding, digging ditches, loading sand, transporting material, sand, compost, etc. As with machinery, the number of instruments is usually quite large, in fact, it could be said that more than the rest of the elements used in these activities.
The first to be mentioned and explained are the hoes, basic tools that have the shape of a shovel, their material is metal and have lower edges with a cutting edge capable of removing the earth.
Then there are the bars, although they are really levers made of steel. They have a flat and semi-flat blade with a medium length hand. Metal is what makes them special when it comes to working, because it is due to their weight and shape that they serve in crops.
There are the trucks whose shape is small, with one wheel and two rear supports that stabilize it when it is in one place. This tool is used to load, transport and unload any type of light weight material, for example, some bags of earth, compost or sand.
There are also the escardillas, which have a quite interesting description, with two long variants and not necessarily so wide, which are usually used to clean the crops of the herbs or those plants that end up damaging the crops.
Machetes, on the other hand, are tools that have a design or structure made to cut from plants to logs, since their steel blade is very sharp and long, and their handle is made of wood. Some tend to compare them to swords, but these are thicker and less elegant. There are the shovels, qualified with a steel or metal material and used to till the land.
It is important to mention the picks, a series of steel instruments very similar to blades but with a rectangular shape on one side and a vertical one. With these you can also till the land or open holes of different sizes. The rakes are in charge of raking or locating the seeds.
Its morphology is horizontal, with metal material and its lower part has teeth whose thickness can vary according to its use. Watering cans are known for being plastic or metal containers that are used as a water reservoir, which will be distributed throughout the crop to water the plants.
Lastly, the transplanters. These are smaller shovels, made of metal and with a morphology very similar to that of spoons, only they have quite sharp edges and a wooden handle. They are used to remove the seeds that had been planted or that will be next to be planted.
Agricultural marketing
The best explanation for this aspect is that it tries to cover all the services that are in charge of distributing and delivering the agricultural products that have been previously collected in the farms and that are sent to the consumer.
Thanks to this commercialization, there are activities that are connected or derived from that process, in which workers can sell their own crops to have money and invest in crops and crops in the near future. This commercialization is usually carried out by the public sector, but it is also carried out in the private sector and everything must generate a profit.
Consequences of agriculture
This activity provides endless consequences both positive and negative. If you start with the negatives, then you have broad problems - for example, the invaluable loss of biodiversity, poor water availability, and global warming.
Of course, with the increase in productivity, people have to supply themselves, but it also implies that workers will not have adequate nutrition and it always ends up showing that there is more poverty than wealth in a good part of the world.
But this activity also has good parts, including the development of the agricultural sector and new cultivation techniques that increase yields. This makes countries develop and there is more and more job opportunities in manufacturing, mining, etc. A developed country in the agricultural sector will always have profits, more production, more marketing and, of course, more profits.
