Lesson 1

Agriculture is the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and
raising livestock. It includes the preparation of plant and animal products for people to
use and their distribution to markets. Agriculture provides most of the world's food and
fabrics.

Etymology and scope:

The “agriculture’’ word is derived from two Latin words, agricultūra, from ager, "field",
and cultūra, "cultivation" or "growing".
It is commonly states to the activities of human beings, specific species of beetle, ant
and termite have been cultivating crops for 60 million years earlier. It’s described with
varying scopes, in its widest concept by utilization of natural resources to "produce
commodities which sustain life, including diet, fiber, forest products, horticultural crops,
and their related services". This is including the arable farming, horticulture, animal
husbandry and forestry.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Why Is Agriculture Important?

A key to why agriculture is important to business and society is its output — from
producing raw materials to contributing to the global supply chain and economic
development.

Providing Raw Materials

Raw materials are a core building block of the global economy. Without access to raw
materials, manufacturers can’t make products. Nonagricultural raw materials include
steel, minerals, and coal. However, many raw materials derive from agriculture — from
lumber for construction materials to herbs for adding flavor to food. Corn, for example, is
used to produce foods and serves as a foundation for ethanol, a type of fuel. Another
example is resins: plant products used in various industrial applications, such as
adhesives, coatings, and paints used in construction.

Encouraging Economic Development

Agriculture impacts global trade because it’s tied to other sectors of the economy,
supporting job creation and encouraging economic development. Countries with strong
agricultural sectors experience employment growth in other sectors, according to
USAID. Countries with agricultural productivity growth and robust agriculture
infrastructure also have higher per capita incomes, since producers in these countries
innovate through technology and farm management practices to boost agricultural
productivity and profitability

How Is Agriculture Important?

When global supply chains are disrupted, considerable attention is given to the

technology sector. For example, the lack of computer chips — made from silicon, a
nonagricultural raw material — limits a manufacturer’s ability to make computers, cars,
and other products. This impacts many areas of society and business.
Agriculture also plays a central role in meeting consumer and business market demand
in a world with interconnected economies. Here are different types of products derived
from agriculture.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are essential sources of fiber, proteins, and carbohydrates in
human diets. Vitamins, such as A, C, and E, and minerals, such as magnesium, zinc,

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

and phosphorus, are naturally occurring in many fruits and vegetables. In addition to
health benefits, fruits and vegetables add flavors to the human palette.

Animal Feed

Some fruits and vegetables are grown to provide feed for animals, from poultry to
livestock. The American Industry Feed Association reports that about 900 animal feed
ingredients are approved by law in the U.S. These include ingredients that come from
agricultural production, including hay, straw, oils, sprouted grains, and legumes.
Natural Rubber Production

The number of vehicles in the world is more than 1.4 billion, according to Hedges &
Company market research. Every single one runs on rubber tires. According to GEP,
the top rubber-producing countries are Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia — collectively
representing approximately 70% of global natural rubber production — and about 90%
of suppliers are small-scale farmers.
Cotton for Clothing

From cotton to clothes, the journey starts with agricultural production. Cotton is grown,
harvested, and then processed, spun, and woven into fabric before it becomes a piece
of clothing. Cotton production encompasses an expansive global supply chain, and
according to Forum for the Future, it’s a leading commodity, making up
approximately 31% of all textile fibers globally.
Biofuels

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports favorable economics of

biofuels, produced from biomass sources including agricultural products such as corn,
soybeans, sugarcane, and algae. The benefits include reduced greenhouse gas and
pollutant emissions and the potential for increased incomes for farmers. However,
biodiesel production requires the use of land and water resources that can affect food
costs.
Industrial Products

Bio-based chemistry involves using raw materials derived from biomass to develop

industrial products. Different industrial products derived from bio-based chemicals
include bioplastics, plant oils, biolubricants, inks, dyes, detergents, and fertilizers. Bio-
based chemicals and products offer an alternative to conventional products derived
from petroleum products. Bio-based chemistry is considered a type of green chemistry
because it promotes the reduction of environmental impacts in industrial production.
Pharmaceutical Products

For thousands of years, humans have turned to plants to help treat what ails them. For
example, ginger, a plant root typically consumed in tea, can help aid digestion.
Substances derived from plants and herbs can also help in healthcare. For example,
extracted chemicals from the foxglove plant are used for digoxin, a drug used for heart
failure. Another example is polylactic acid (PLA), a chemical produced when glucose is
fermented into lactic acid in green plants. PLA has applications in tissue engineering,

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

cardiovascular implants, orthopedic interventions, cancer therapy, and fabrication of
surgical implants, according to a study published in Engineered Regeneration.

Importance of Agriculture in Everyday Life

For thousands of years, agriculture has played an important role in everyday life. Before
agriculture, hunting and gathering enabled humans to survive. It wasn’t until the
transition to the planned sowing and harvesting of crops that humans began to thrive.
Humans developed tools and practices to improve agricultural output with more efficient
means of sustaining themselves. From there, innovations that created industries led to
the modern era.

Today, the importance of agriculture in everyday life can’t be minimized. Without the
agriculture sector, activities such as getting dressed for work and cleaning the home
wouldn’t be possible. Here are examples of the agricultural products we use in our
everyday lives:

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

 Shelter. Wood and plant-based materials, such as bamboo, can be used for
indoor décor and construction materials.
 Morning routine. Mint is often an ingredient in toothpaste, adding flavor while
brushing your teeth, and the caffeine in coffee that keeps you awake is derived from the
coffee bean.
 Dressing up. In addition to cotton, clothing can be manufactured from hemp,
ramie, and flax. Bio-based materials can be used to produce grooming products such as
skin creams and shampoos.
 Cleaning. Two types of chemicals used in detergents, cleaning products, and
bath or hand soap — surfactants and solvents — can be produced from biomass.
 Driving to work. Plants make it possible to get to and from work. Think of rubber
(sourced from rubber trees) and biodiesel fuel, which often includes ethanol (sourced
from corn).
 Entertainment. Paper from trees enables you to write, and some musical
instruments, such as reed instruments, require materials made from plants.
 Education. From pencils (still often made of wood) to paper textbooks, students
rely on agricultural products every day.

Basic Source of Livelihood

Source

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

India is an agricultural-based nation because in our country around 70% of the
population depends on the agriculture sector for their livelihood and farming is their
main profession.

Especially, in the rural areas where you will see most of the people are completely
dependent on farming. There are two reasons behind this, first one is they possess the
farming ability and knowledge from their forefathers. The second reason is the lack of
industries and other sectors in the rural areas as they are only available in urban cities.

Contribution in National Revenue

Source

Agriculture plays a vital role in the national revenue as in developing countries like India
farming is the main source of revenue. Comparatively in developed nations where
conditions are different and they don’t completely rely on the agriculture sector for the
revenue. This national revenue helps the nation to grow financially.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Role in International Trade

Source

Every land has some unique characteristics like sand type, climate, water intake and
other factors that are the reason we can’t grow all the things and so others.

Thus, our country exports produce which are excessively grown in our country like tea,
sugar, rice, tobacco, spices, coffee and other things. Along with that, we import some
produce from other nations which we can’t grow.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Key Source of Raw Material

Source

Many major companies are running in our country that regularly requires basic raw
materials to manufacture different products and agriculture is the main source of that.

These industries can be of any category including jute and cotton fabric, tobacco, sugar,
edible and non-edible oils, fruits processing, rice and vegetable husking and much
more. This increases the importance of agriculture in every industry because they are
depending on this field for their raw material.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Transportation

Source

The transportation sector is majorly dependent on agriculture and generates most of its
revenue from transporting crops from one place to another. Mostly, farmers use
railways and roadways to transport their produce from their farms to factories.

Apart from this, if we talk about small farmers they also need tractors, pickups or other
vehicles to carry their crops from their farms to the market where they will sell them.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Unlimited Employment Opportunities

Source

Agriculture is the only sector where you can explore unlimited employment opportunities
no matter your education or skills. Either you belong to a labor group or you are a
professional employee this sector has employment for all.

As we all know that our nation is struggling from a huge employment crisis so this
enhances the importance of agriculture.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Food Security

Source

Food is a basic necessity and agriculture is one of the major sources of our food. To live
and to work we all need energy and we get energy through the food we eat daily. Along
with that, our body needs carbohydrates, enzymes, protein, vitamins and other essential
things to function properly and food is the main source of all these.

In this manner, we rely on farming for growing our food thus it increases the importance
of agriculture in our daily life.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

From another source:

10 Reasons Why Agriculture Is Important

by Emmaline Soken-Huberty

Civilization began with agriculture, and though humanity has changed significantly,
agriculture still remains very important. In certain countries, its significance is more
obvious, but the reality is that every country in the world depends on agriculture for one
thing or another. Here are ten reasons why agriculture is important:

#1. It’s the main source of raw materials

Many raw materials, whether it’s cotton, sugar, wood, or palm oil, come from agriculture.
These materials are essential to major industries in ways many people aren’t even
aware of, such as the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, diesel fuel, plastic, and more.
In fact, raw materials are so important in production that the economic health of a
country strongly depends on how many raw materials it possesses.

#2. It’s important to international trade

Raw materials from agriculture make up a huge portion of what’s traded internationally.
Countries with plenty of those supplies export them and trade for materials they don’t
have. If a country’s agriculture suffers for some reason, prices can go up and it disrupts
the flow of trade. Currently, the EU is the first trader of agricultural products in the world,
both for imports and exports.

#3. It plays a big role in a nation’s revenue

Speaking of trade, developing countries still get most of their national income from
agricultural exports. While developed countries don’t depend on agriculture as much as
they used to, their economies would definitely take a hit if all exports suddenly stopped.

#4. It provides employment

The agricultural industry is still one of the biggest sources of employment and in many
areas, it’s actually booming.  Whether it’s working as a farmer, harvester, technician for
farm equipment, scientist, and so on, there are plenty of jobs available in this field. In
developing countries, agricultural jobs help reduce high rates of unemployment. When it
comes to reducing poverty, evidence shows that focusing on agriculture is significantly
more effective than investing in other areas.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

#5. It’s crucial to a country’s development

Economic development is tied to a country’s agriculture sector. When trade, national

revenue, and employment are combined in a positive way, a country enjoys reduced
poverty and boosted economic growth. Because strong agriculture results in benefits
fairly quickly, focusing on it is one of the best ways to speed up development and
improve a country’s standing in the world.

#6. It can help heal the environment 

Agriculture possesses the power to harm or heal. When farmers

prioritize biodiversity on their land, it benefits the earth. Having more biodiversity results
in healthier soil, less erosion, better water conservation, and healthier pollinators. This is
all good news for the environment as a whole, making agriculture an important part of
the cycle of life.

#7. It goes hand-in-hand with war

Agriculture is such an important part of a country’s infrastructure, it makes sense it

would impact conflicts and war. Throughout history, the need for land to
grow food fueled many conflicts. In more modern times, specifically WWI, America’s
farming industry boomed because they needed to supply Europe with agricultural
products. For countries who don’t have assistance, war can break down the agricultural
sector, affecting people for decades to come. When discussing agriculture, it’s
impossible to not at least mention its connection to conflict.

#8. It’s the source of our food supply

Arguably the most important aspect of agriculture is that it’s the source of the world’s
food supply. No matter where or what you are eating, the ingredients in your meals
came from somewhere. All roads lead to agriculture. In countries dealing with food
insecurity and severe malnourishment, it’s because their agriculture sectors are
suffering. When agriculture thrives, fewer people go hungry.

#9. It drives innovation in technology

Because healthy agriculture is so essential to a country’s well-being, it’s been the

setting of some of the most exciting innovations in technology. Through artificial
intelligence, blockchain software, gene manipulation, and more, scientists and farmers
have been figuring out ways to increase crop productivity, use less water, and reduce
negative impacts on the environment. For scientists and tech companies, agribusiness
is one of the most fascinating and productive fields to work in.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

#10. The state of agriculture reflects our future

When it comes to pollution and climate change, the environment and agriculture suffer
the quickest and with the most clear consequences.  If effective changes aren’t made,
climate change’s impact on agriculture will decimate a country’s economy and
eventually wipe out the food supply. To get a better idea about where humanity is going
to end up, look at agriculture. What’s being done to adapt to a rapidly-changing climate?
What will our food supply look like? The state of agriculture is a good litmus test of what
we can expect the future to look like.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri

Activity 1.1

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/agriculture

In this link you can see several photographs , choose 1 photograph and and make an
essay, create your own title.

Recitations will be done next meeting.

Ajellorin’2022 Intro. to Agri