Definition of agriculture

  

Definition of agriculture

Farming

Defined agriculture as ( the process of production of food, fodder, fiber, and fuel by breeding plants and animals ). Agriculture is related to the development of the human race and its transformation from a life of mobility, relying on hunting, and gathering wild plants to secure its food to a life of stability, and it is currently the most common profession; It employs 42% of workers in the world. 

The word cultivation in the Arabic language originates from the verb sow. That is, he casts the seed on the land. [2] As for the origin of the English word (agriculture), it is from the two Latin words: (Ager), meaning: field, and (Cultura), which means: plowing. Indeed, the term was used in the past to refer to cultivating and cultivating the land. It has expanded to include livestock as well. [1]

History of cultivation

Primitive man relied on hunting and on what he gathered from wild plants, so he wandered from one place to another, then humans began to settle down gradually in conjunction with their learning how to grow grains and root crops about 11,500 years ago, but the real interest in agriculture only began Only two thousand years ago; Many people went to agriculture, and it is believed that the reason is due to the climate change at that time. [3]

As humans went to cultivate wild plants themselves, they also began to domesticate and domesticate wild animals. Dogs were the first animals domesticated and used for hunting, followed by sheep, goats, cows, and pigs that were hunted for meat and skins. Butter, cheese, and to aid in transporting and plowing the land. [3]

With the development of agriculture , humans were able to produce food surplus to their needs, so they began to store crops for use in bad seasons, farmers established permanent villages near their fields, and trade began between these villages, and among the most important civilizations that arose in fertile places of agriculture; The civilizations that emerged along the Nile River in Egypt, and near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Iran). [3]

Agricultural development

In the past, humans relied on cutting and burning trees and plants to obtain agricultural lands, and the use of fire in agriculture is one of the oldest agricultural practices known to the indigenous people of America to encourage the growth of some plants, such as berries. , Stone, bronze, and iron, and made of clay utensils for cooking and storing food that was surplus to need, and irrigation methods and systems developed, which enabled farmers to plant in places that were not thought to be suitable for cultivation. [3]

Agricultural crops witnessed a great development as a result of the practice and the exchange of experiences between different peoples, so improved wheat appeared in South Asia and Egypt, and improved wheat was distinguished by its strength, and the ease of disposing of its husks for use in making bread. The Chinese are Vietnamese rice , which has become famous for its rapid maturity. This allowed the cultivation of more than one crop per growing season, and an open field system appeared in Europe, and under this system the land was divided into three parts; The first section is planted in the spring, the second section is planted in the fall, and the third section is left without planting to restore its fertility. [3]

Development of agricultural equipment and technologies

Among the most important developments in agricultural equipment and technologies are the following: [3]

Using the seed spreading and planting machine made by Jethro Tull in England, instead of planting seeds by hand, and this machine became widespread in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century.

Using the cotton gin, a machine invented by the American Eli Whitney in 1794; To separate the cotton fibers from the seeds quickly and easily.

The use of machine harvesting grain invented by Cyrus McCormick (Cyrus McCormick).

Use of Horse Threshing Machine; It made it easier to separate the grains and seeds from the stems, and were invented by John and Haram Bates.

The use of the steel farm plow invented by John Deere in 1837 AD, facilitated the process of preparing tough soils for planting.

Using the technique of artificial selection (in English: Selective Breeding), which is intended to multiply plants and animals with desirable characteristics, such as: Dishley Leicester, an English sheep breed that was developed to obtain meat and wool of high quality, as the studies of the scientist Gregor Mendel In the transmission of the desired genetic characteristics in agricultural crops from one generation to another.

Following the rotation method, which involves planting a different crop every year; This increases the fertility of the soil, and this method has been successfully applied to cultivate several agricultural crops, including: wheat, turnip, olives, barley, and alfalfa.

The use of machines that run on gasoline and electricity in agricultural and livestock projects, such as: tractors, water pumps, milking machines, and feeding equipment since the beginning of the twentieth century, which constituted a qualitative leap in production.

Farmers' methods have developed in controlling agricultural pests, and begin to use chemicals to eliminate insects , rabbits, and mice that attack agricultural crops, harmful weeds, and disease-causing organisms, such as: bacteria , viruses, and fungi.

Replacement of natural fertilizers such as manure, and the use of chemical fertilizers that contain the most important elements necessary for plant growth , such as: nitrates and phosphates, and in view of the negative effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on the environment and human health, the search for safer chemical alternatives for use as fertilizers and pesticides is underway.

The main food crops

The main food crops can be defined as the foods that provide a large proportion of the individual's energy and nutrients needs, and among the more than 50,000 types of edible plants around the world, there are only 15 vegetable crops that provide 90% of the food energy consumed worldwide, Among these crops: [4]

Rice: Rice is the staple food for more than 1.6 billion people around the world, and among the world's largest rice producers are China, India, Indonesia and Brazil.

Corn: The first to cultivate the corn plant are the Maya and Aztec peoples in Central America, and among the most important producers now: the United States, which produces more than 40% of it in the world, in addition to China, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. They are stored, and used to make corn flakes for breakfast, and corn flour from which the tortilla bread is made . Corn is eaten grilled or boiled, and popcorn is made from it, and corn oil is extracted from it.

Wheat: Wheat was grown for the first time in the Middle East, and among the largest producers of wheat now is China , India, the United States, Russia and France, and wheat is used to produce bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, noodles, bulgur, and others.

Tubers and root vegetables: including potatoes , sweet potatoes (yams), cassava, which is the staple food of more than 500 million people in the world, and taro.

References

^ A b "Agriculture" , /www.newworldencyclopedia.org , 26-10-2015, Retrieved 3-11-2017.

↑ “Definition and Meaning of Agriculture in the Whole Dictionary of Meanings” , www.almaany.com , accessed on 11-3-2017. Acted.

^ A b t w c h "Agriculture" , Www.nationalgeographic.org/ , Retrieved 3-11-2017. Edited.

↑ "food staple" , www.nationalgeographic.org/ , Retrieved 3-11-2017. Edited.