Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Agricultural |
AgriculturalAdjective1. Relating to or used in or promoting agriculture or farming; "agricultural engineering"; "modern agricultural (or farming) methods"; "agricultural (or farm) equipment"; "an agricultural college". 2. "an agrarian (or agricultural) society"; "farming communities". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "agricultural" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1602. (references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, and fiber by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals. Agriculture is also known as farming.
Overview
Agriculture includes both subsistence agriculture, which is producing enough food to meet the needs of the farmer and family, but no more) and also (almost universally in the "developed" nations and increasingly so in other areas) the production of financial income from cultivation of the land or commercial raising of animals (animal husbandry). Agriculture is the practice -- the study of these disciplines is called agricultural science.
Increasingly, besides food for humans and animal feeds, agriculture produces goods such as cut flowers, ornamental and nursery plants, fertilizers, animal hides, leather, industrial chemicals (starch, ethanol, and plastics), fibers (cotton, wool, hemp, and flax), fuels (methane, biodiesel, biomass), and both legal and illegal drugs (biopharmaceuticals, marijuana, opium, cocaine). Genetically engineered plants and animals produce specialty drugs.
In the Western world, use of improved genetics, better management of soil nutrients, and improved weed control have greatly increased yields per acre. At the same time, use of mechanization has decreased labor requirements, releasing most of the populace from intense agricultural labor. The developing world is behind by Western measures of productivity, because of unavailability of the education, capital and technology base needed to sustain these advances, and usually ecoregion with less optimal climates and soils.
Animal husbandry means breeding and raising animals for meat or to harvest animal products (like milk, eggs, or wool) on a continual basis.
In recent years, some aspects of industrial intensive agriculture have been the subject of increasing discussion. The widening sphere of influence held by large seed and chemical companies and meat packers has been a source of concern both within the farming community and for the general public. The patent protection given to companies that develop new types of seed using genetic engineering has allowed seed to be licensed to farmers in much the same way that computer software is licensed to users. This has changed the balance of power in favor of the seed companies allowing them to dictate terms and conditions previously unheard of. Some argue these companies are guilty of biopiracy.
Soil conservation and nutrient management have been important concerns since the 1950s, with the best farmers taking a stewardship role with the land they operate.
Increasing consumer awareness of agricultural issues has led to the rise of community supported agriculture, local food movement, Slow food, and commercial organic farming, though these yet remain fledgling industries.
History
Determining the origin of agriculture is problematic since it pre-dates the invention of writing. Some authorities insist localized farming took place more than 10,000 years ago while others believe the earliest systematic plantings/harvestings took place no more than 7,000 years ago. The practice of agriculture is often used to distinguish the neolithic period from earlier parts of the stone age. The first crops that humans domesticated included wheat and barley. It is clear that farming was invented at least twice, probably more often: once in the Fertile Crescent (some say by the Natufian culture, others say by the Sumerians), once in East Asia, and probably once in Central America. Most likely, there was a gradual transition from a hunter-gatherer economy to an agricultural one, via a lengthy period when some crops were deliberately planted, and other foods were gathered from the wild. The reasons for the earliest introduction of farming may have included climate change. Farming allows a much greater density of population than can be supported by hunting and gathering.
Policy
Agricultural policy focuses on the goals and methods of agricultural production. At the policy level, common goals of agriculture include:
- Food safety: Ensuring that the food supply is free of contamination.
- Food security: Ensuring that the food supply meets the populations needs.
- Food quality: Ensuring that the food supply is of a consistent and known quality.
- Conservation
- Environmental impact
- Economic stability
Methods
- Hydroponic
- Tillage by plough
- Irrigation
- Fertilizers
- Crop rotation
- Weed removal
- Breeding
- Fencing
- Ranching
Crops
World production of major crops in 2002
In millions of metric tons, based on USDA estimates:
Note: There are two units of measure used for rice. Paddy rice is a measure of the tonnage of rice in its as-harvested state. Milled rice is a measure of the tonnage of rice after it is processed to remove the husk and, sometimes, polish the kernel.
- Maize 624
- Wheat 570
- Rice 381.1
- Cotton 96.5
Crop improvement
Domestication of plants is made in order to increase yield, disease resistance, drought tolerance, ease of harvest, and to improve the taste and nutritional value and many other characteristics. Centuries of careful selection and breeding have had enormous effects on the characteristics of crop plants. Plant breeders use greenhouses and other techniques to get as many as three generations of plants per year, so that they can make improvements all the more quickly.
For example, average yields of corn (maize) in the USA have increased from around 40 bushels per acre (2.5 t/ha) in 1900 to about 150 bushels per acre (9.4 t/ha) in 2001, primarily due to improvements in genetics. Similarly, worldwide average wheat yields have increased from less than 10 q/ha (=1 t/ha) in 1900 to more than 25 in 1990. South American average wheat yields are around 20 q/ha, African under 10 q/ha, Egypt and Arabia up to 35 to 40 q/ha with irrigation. In contrast, the average wheat yield in countries such as France is over 80 q/ha. Higher yields are due to improvements in genetics, as well as use of intensive farming techniques (use of fertilizers, chemical pest control, growth control to avoid lodging).
[Conversion note: 1 quintal (q) of wheat = 60 pounds (lb) ≈ 27.215 kg. 1 quintal of corn = 56 pounds ≈ 25.401 kg]
Very recently, genetic engineering has begun to be employed to speed up the selection and breeding process. The most widely used modification is a herbicide resistance gene that allows plants to tolerate exposure to glyphosate. A less frequently used but more controversial modification causes the plant to produce a toxin to reduce damage from insects (c.f. Starlink).
There are specialty producers who raise less common types of livestock or plants.
Aquaculture, the farming of fish, shrimp, and algae, is closely associated with agriculture.
Apiculture, the culture of bees, traditionally for honey, increasingly for crop pollination.
See also : List of domesticated plants, List of vegetables, List of herbs, List of fruit, List of domesticated animals
Environmental problems
- Nitrogen surplus in rivers and lakes.
- Detrimental effects of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and other biocides.
- Conversion of natural ecosystems of all types into arable land.
- Erosion
- Weeds - Feral Plants and Animals
See also
- USA agriculture
- Agricultural science
- International agricultural research
- Timeline of agriculture and food technology.
- Agricultural sciences basic topics
- List of subsistence techniques
- List of sustainable agriculture topics
- Arid-zone agriculture
- Community Supported Agriculture
External links
- U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service : Current World Production, Market and Trade Reports
- Agriculture at the United States National Academies
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Agriculture."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| AGC | English | Agricultural Genetics Company | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: AgriculturalSynonyms: agrarian (adj), farming(a) (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Agriculture | Adjective: agricultural, agrarian, agrestic. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | There was to be a pageant representing our county's agricultural products (To Kill a Mockingbird; writing credit: Harper Lee; Horton Foote) When I retire, I'd like an agricultural station like this, in Alaska (The Andromeda Strain; writing credit: Michael Crichton; Nelson Gidding) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
| ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Shows photo of test tubes and flasks of streptomycin, a bacterial antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis set in Waksman Laboratory at the Agricultural Experimental Station, Rutgers University, New Jersey. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |  | View of the Wye Island Natural Resources Area from the Wye River. Preserved from development, most of the island is still in agricultural use. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Prime agricultural land in north-central Iowa. Credit: Lynn Betts. |  | Yamilette Suarez, NRCS Agricultural Engineer, and dairy farmer, York County, PA, discuss the construction of a manure storage tank on dairy farm. [Slide 97CS3107]. Credit: Bob Nichols. |
 | Mature soybeans- Most soybean varieties have the Agricultural Research Service in their pedigree. Agency scientists have released 66 varieties and 280 breeding lines between 1980 and August 1994. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |  | Many farm machines at ARS' Beltsville Agricultural Research Center are running on a mixture of diesel fuel and biodiesel, which is made from soybean oil. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Bob Nichols.. |
 | Readying for nighttime surveillance of migrating moths, agricultural engineer Wayne Wolf (left) adjusts a radar dish. When initial moth flight is detected, meteorologist Ritchie Eyster will launch a constant-altitude tetroon. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Jack Dykinga.. |  | Geneticist Anson E. Thompson holds a vial of lesquerella oil processed and refined at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Jack Dykinga.. |
 | Bailed hay or straw in the Bridge Creek agricultural fields. Credit: John Craig. |  | Bridge Creek agricultural fields from ridge. Credit: John Craig. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Agriculture 09" by Chrien Károly Commentary: "Hungarian agricultural landscape." | "Got Milk?" by Bobbie Osborne Commentary: "I don't know why I have been wanting to do a cow phto shoot. Where I live their is an agricultural farm just down the road that is run by the SIU (Southern Illinois University) Well it's actually about a mile away (far enough away that I don't smell it)" |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Convention of June 7, 1905, regarding the creation of an International Agricultural Institute at Rome. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | Yet the Middlesex Cattle Show goes off here with eclat annually, as if all the joints of the agricultural machine were suent |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Anthrax is most common in agricultural regions where it occurs in animals. (references) | |
This virus causes Argentine hemorrhagic fever in a limited agricultural area of the pampas in Argentina. (references) | ||
Bats play key roles in ecosystems around the globe, from rain forests to deserts, especially by eating insects, including agricultural pests. (references) | ||
Business | Investment in agricultural machinery has grown rapidly. (references) | |
Fruit tree yards are also fundamental agricultural activities. (references) | ||
All ten depend on mainly on agricultural and/or mineral exports. (references) | ||
Children | Equatorial Guinea | Pregnancy and the requirement to assist in agricultural work make this level of education less likely for girls. (references) |
Ghana | During that time, she helps with the upkeep of the shrine, which may include working on the shrine's farm, drawing water, and performing other agricultural or household labor. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Colombia | In August agricultural workers blockaded 15 major highways throughout the country, and state security forces reportedly used tear gas to disperse the crowd. (references) |
Economic History | Guyana | Its major agricultural import is wheat. (references) |
Georgia | Titling of agricultural land has begun. (references) | |
Switzerland | Another anomaly is the agricultural sector. (references) | |
Human Rights | Mozambique | On October 3, Fernando Santos died in custody at the Agricultural Penitentiary of Chimoio. (references) |
Mauritania | In some cases, the fallow land was granted to wealthy Moors who developed commercial agricultural enterprises. (references) | |
Mozambique | The DNP's also hold prisoners at an agricultural penitentiary in Mabalane and industrial penitentiaries in Nampula and Maputo. (references) | |
Indigenous People | El Salvador | Indigenous people reportedly earn less than other agricultural laborers. (references) |
Bolivia | Although the Agrarian Reform Law extended the protection of the national labor law to all paid agricultural workers, including indigenous workers, the problem persists due to lack of effective enforcement. (references) | |
Philippines | There were reports that in October armed guards employed by an agricultural company forcibly dispersed 33 families of the T'boli and B'laan tribes in South Cotabato province from what the tribes claimed was their ancestral land. (references) | |
Minorities | India | Many rural Dalits work as agricultural laborers for higher caste landowners. (references) |
Fiji | A number of agricultural landlord and tenant agreement leases have expired, and many more will expire in the next few years. (references) | |
Greece | Others are either mobile, working mainly as agricultural laborers, peddlers, and musicians throughout the country, or they live in camps. (references) | |
Political Economy | EL SALVADOR | For general agricultural workers, it is $2.47 per day. (references) |
SAUDI ARABIA | Saudi Arabia requires licenses to import agricultural products. (references) | |
FRANCE | Support of the agricultural sector is a key government priority. (references) | |
Trade | Ukraine | Many agricultural enterprises are exempted from the VAT. (references) |
Philippines | The program covers a wide range of agricultural commodities. (references) | |
Australia | State agricultural quarantines prohibit interstate trade of some items. (references) | |
Travel | Australia | Country towns often stage annual agricultural, food and wine festivals, and ethnic groups hold their own celebrations. (references) |
Chad | A recently finished paved road connecting N'Djamena and Kelo in the south, has dramatically improved road links between the capital and the southern agricultural zone. (references) | |
Argentina | The middle third of the country, which includes Buenos Aires, contains the greatest part of the population, as well as most of the economic activity and agricultural production. (references) | |
Women | Malawi | Women have limited access to agricultural extension services, training, and credit. (references) |
Uganda | Women do most of the agricultural work but own only 7 percent of the agricultural land. (references) | |
Kenya | Women make up approximately 75 percent of the agricultural work force and have become active in urban small businesses. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Rwanda | It is rare to see child labor outside the agricultural sector. (references) |
Bhutan | Children often do agricultural work and chores on family farms. (references) | |
Colombia | Child participation in agricultural work soars at harvest time. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | POPULIST, n. A fossil patriot of the early agricultural period, found in the old red soapstone underlying Kansas; characterized by an uncommon spread of ear, which some naturalists contend gave him the power of flight, though Professors Morse and Whitney, pursuing independent lines of thought, have ingeniously pointed out that had he possessed it he would have gone elsewhere. In the picturesque speech of his period, some fragments of which have come down to us, he was known as "The Matter with Kansas." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
John Quincy Adams | 1825-1829 | This new element of prosperity to that part of our agricultural industry which is occupied in producing the first article of human subsistence is of the most cheering character to the feelings of patriotism. |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | By one class of reasoners the reduced price of cotton and other agricultural products is ascribed wholly to its influence, and by another the reduced price of manufactured articles. |
James K. Polk | 1845-1849 | As our boundaries have been enlarged and our agricultural population has been spread over a large surface, our federative system has acquired additional strength and security. |
Benjamin Harrison | 1889-1893 | The cotton plantation will not be less valuable when the product is spun in the country town by operatives whose necessities call for diversified crops and create a home demand for garden and agricultural products. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | Through the use of the waters of the Columbia River, for example, we are creating a rich agricultural area as large as the State of Delaware. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | I've cut Soviet access to high-technology equipment and to agricultural products. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Agricultural" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 94.90% of the time. "Agricultural" is used about 2,565 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 94.9% | 2,434 | 3,683 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.35% | 86 | 35,638 |
| Noun (singular) | 1.71% | 44 | 51,500 |
| Noun (common) | 0.04% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 2,565 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name |
| USA | Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "agricultural": Agricultural & Food Technology Services Ltd ♦ agricultural agent ♦ Agricultural ant ♦ agricultural area utilized for farming ♦ agricultural biological diversity ♦ agricultural chemistry ♦ agricultural college ♦ agricultural community ♦ agricultural consolidation ♦ agricultural development ♦ agricultural district ♦ agricultural economics ♦ agricultural economy ♦ agricultural engineer ♦ agricultural equipment ♦ agricultural expert ♦ agricultural implement ♦ agricultural laborer ♦ agricultural labourer ♦ agricultural machinery ♦ agricultural mashine ♦ agricultural policy ♦ agricultural population ♦ agricultural product ♦ agricultural production ♦ agricultural products ♦ agricultural robotics ♦ agricultural society ♦ agricultural structure survey ♦ agricultural trailer ♦ agricultural workers ♦ Agricultural Workers' Diseases ♦ Community typology for agricultural holdings ♦ good agricultural practice ♦ royal Veterinary and Agricultural University. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "agricultural": agricultural-based, agricultural-botany, agricultural-development, agricultural-implement, agricultural-rural, agricultural-style. | |
Ending with "agricultural": ex-agricultural, non-agricultural, pre-agricultural. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "agricultural"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | agronomies. (various references) | |
Albanian | agronomik (agronomic, agronomical), agrar (agrarian, farmer), bujqësor (agrarian, farm, rural). (various references) | |
Arabic | زراعي (agrarian). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | селскостопански, земеделски (agrarian, farming). (various references) | |
Chinese | 农业 (Agriculture, Agronomic, Agronomical). (various references) | |
Czech | zemìdìlský. (various references) | |
Danish | Internationale Union of Levneds-og Nydelsesmiddelarbejderforbund (Catering, Hotel, International Union of Food, International Union of Food and Allied Workers'Associations, Restaurant, Tobacco and Allied Workers'Association). (various references) | |
Dutch | agrarisch (agrarian, farm, farm-). (various references) | |
Esperanto | agronomia, agrara (farm). (various references) | |
Finnish | maataloudellinen. (various references) | |
French | agronomique (agronomical), agricole. (various references) | |
Frisian | agrarysk (agrarian, farm-). (various references) | |
German | landwirtschaftlich (agrarian, agriculturally). (various references) | |
Greek | γεωργικόσ, γεωργικος, αγροτικόσ (agrarian, countrified, rural, rustic). (various references) | |
Hawaiian | agronomik. (various references) | |
Hebrew | חקלאי (agrarian, agriculturist, farmer, farming, husbandman, yeoman). (various references) | |
Hungarian | mezõgazdasági (agrarian, agronomic, agronomical, farming). (various references) | |
Italian | agrario (agrarian). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 野良 (fields, rural). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | のら (fields, rural). (various references) | |
Korean | 농업 (Agriculture, husbandry). (various references) | |
Manx | eirinagh (agriculturalist, farmer). (various references) | |
Papiamen | agrario (agrarian, farm-). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | agriculturalay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | agronômico (agronomic, agronomical), agrícola (cultural, cultured, rural). (various references) | |
Romanian | agricol (farming), agrar (agrarian). (various references) | |
Russian | сельскохозяйственный (agriculturalist, rural). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | poljoprivredni. (various references) | |
Spanish | agrario (agrarian, farm, farm-, land, landed), agrícola (agrobusiness, farming). (various references) | |
Swedish | jordbruks- (agrarian, farming), jordbruks, jordbrukande. (various references) | |
Turkish | zirai (agrarian), ziraat (agrarian, agriculture, cultivation, cultural), tarımsal (agrarian), tarım (agrarian, agriculture, cultivation, farming, growing, husbandry, tillage, tilth). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | сільскогосподарський, землеробський. (various references) | |
Welsh | amaethyddol. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "agricultural": agriculturalist, agriculturalists, agriculturally. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "agricultural": nonagricultural, preagricultural. (additional references) | |
| |
"Agricultural" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Agrciutlural, agricuitural, agricultrural, agricultur, agricultura, agricul-tural, agriculturam, agrocultural, argicultural, gricultural. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "agricultural" (pronounced a'gruku"lkherul) |
| 8 | -u k u" l kh er u l | horticultural. |
| 7 | -k u" l kh er u l | countercultural, cultural, intercultural, multicultural, nonagricultural. |
| 4 | -kh er u l | architectural, structural, supernatural, natural, nomenclatural, prefectural, scriptural, sculptural, unnatural. |
| 3 | -er u l | admiral, behavioral, bilateral, collateral, Corporal, doctoral, doggerel, electoral, ephemeral, federal, femoral, funeral, Gen, general, guttural, humoral, inaugural, temporal, lateral, liberal, literal, littoral, mackerel, mayoral, mineral, multilateral, neoliberal, numeral, pastoral, pectoral, peripheral, pickerel, postdoctoral, procedural, sectoral, trilateral, unilateral, visceral. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-c-g-i-l-l-r-r-t-u-u" | |
-3 letters: articular, auricular, utricular. | |
-4 letters: auricula, cultural, tragical, turrical. | |
-5 letters: arugula, augural, curtail, glacial, ligular, railcar. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-c-g-i-l-l-r-r-t-u-u" | |
+2 letters: agriculturally. | |
+3 letters: agriculturalist, nonagricultural, preagricultural. | |
+4 letters: agriculturalists, ultracentrifugal. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Quotations: Speeches | 13. Usage Frequency 14. Names: Company Usage 15. Expressions 16. Expressions: Internet | 17. Translations: Modern 18. Abbreviations 19. Acronyms 20. Derivations | 21. Rhymes 22. Anagrams 23. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
