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Definition: Agriculture |
AgricultureNoun1. A large-scale farming enterprise. 2. The practice of cultivating the land or raising stock. 3. The federal department that administers programs that provide services to farmers (including research and soil conservation and efforts to stabilize the farming economy); created in 1862. 4. The class of people engaged in growing food. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "agriculture" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1517. (references) |
Etymology: Agriculture \Ag"ri*cul`ture\, noun. [Latin expression agricultura; ager field cultura cultivation: compare to the French expression agriculture. See Acre and Culture.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Bible | Agriculture Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession of the Promised Land, their circumstances favoured in the highest degree a remarkable development of this art. Agriculture became indeed the basis of the Mosaic commonwealth. The year in Palestine was divided into six agricultural periods:- I. SOWING TIME. Tisri, latter half (beginning about the autumnal equinox.) Marchesvan. Kisleu, former half. Early rain due = first showers of autumn. II. UNRIPE TIME. Kisleu, latter half. Tebet. Sebat, former half. III. COLD SEASON. Sebat, latter half. Adar. [Veadar.] Nisan, former half. Latter rain due (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24; Hos. 6:3; Zech. 10:1; James 5:7; Job 29:23). IV. HARVEST TIME. Nisan, latter half. (Beginning about vernal equinox. Barley green. Passover.) Ijar. Sivan, former half., Wheat ripe. Pentecost. V. SUMMER (total absence of rain) Sivan, latter half. Tammuz. Ab, former half. VI. SULTRY SEASON Ab, latter half. Elul. Tisri, former half., Ingathering of fruits. The six months from the middle of Tisri to the middle of Nisan were occupied with the work of cultivation, and the rest of the year mainly with the gathering in of the fruits. The extensive and easily-arranged system of irrigation from the rills and streams from the mountains made the soil in every part of Palestine richly productive (Ps. 1:3; 65:10; Prov. 21:1; Isa. 30:25; 32:2, 20; Hos. 12:11), and the appliances of careful cultivation and of manure increased its fertility to such an extent that in the days of Solomon, when there was an abundant population, "20,000 measures of wheat year by year" were sent to Hiram in exchange for timber (1 Kings 5:11), and in large quantities also wheat was sent to the Tyrians for the merchandise in which they traded (Ezek. 27:17). The wheat sometimes produced an hundredfold (Gen. 26:12; Matt. 13:23). Figs and pomegranates were very plentiful (Num. 13:23), and the vine and the olive grew luxuriantly and produced abundant fruit (Deut. 33:24). Lest the productiveness of the soil should be exhausted, it was enjoined that the whole land should rest every seventh year, when all agricultural labour would entirely cease (Lev. 25:1-7; Deut. 15:1-10). It was forbidden to sow a field with divers seeds (Deut. 22:9). A passer-by was at liberty to eat any quantity of corn or grapes, but he was not permitted to carry away any (Deut. 23:24, 25; Matt. 12:1). The poor were permitted to claim the corners of the fields and the gleanings. A forgotten sheaf in the field was to be left also for the poor. (See Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19.) Agricultural implements and operations. The sculptured monuments and painted tombs of Egypt and Assyria throw much light on this subject, and on the general operations of agriculture. Ploughs of a simple construction were known in the time of Moses (Deut. 22:10; comp. Job 1:14). They were very light, and required great attention to keep them in the ground (Luke 9:62). They were drawn by oxen (Job 1:14), cows (1 Sam. 6:7), and asses (Isa. 30:24); but an ox and an ass must not be yoked together in the same plough (Deut. 22:10). Men sometimes followed the plough with a hoe to break the clods (Isa. 28:24). The oxen were urged on by a "goad," or long staff pointed at the end, so that if occasion arose it could be used as a spear also (Judg. 3:31; 1 Sam. 13:21). When the soil was prepared, the seed was sown broadcast over the field (Matt. 13:3-8). The "harrow" mentioned in Job 39:10 was not used to cover the seeds, but to break the clods, being little more than a thick block of wood. In highly irrigated spots the seed was trampled in by cattle (Isa. 32:20); but doubtless there was some kind of harrow also for covering in the seed scattered in the furrows of the field. The reaping of the corn was performed either by pulling it up by the roots, or cutting it with a species of sickle, according to circumstances. The corn when cut was generally put up in sheaves (Gen. 37:7; Lev. 23:10-15; Ruth 2:7, 15; Job 24:10; Jer. 9:22; Micah 4:12), which were afterwards gathered to the threshing-floor or stored in barns (Matt. 6:26). The process of threshing was performed generally by spreading the sheaves on the threshing-floor and causing oxen and cattle to tread repeatedly over them (Deut. 25:4; Isa. 28:28). On occasions flails or sticks were used for this purpose (Ruth 2:17; Isa. 28:27). There was also a "threshing instrument" (Isa. 41:15; Amos 1:3) which was drawn over the corn. It was called by the Hebrews a moreg, a threshing roller or sledge (2 Sam. 24:22; 1 Chr. 21:23; Isa. 3:15). It was somewhat like the Roman tribulum, or threshing instrument. When the grain was threshed, it was winnowed by being thrown up against the wind (Jer. 4:11), and afterwards tossed with wooden scoops (Isa. 30:24). The shovel and the fan for winnowing are mentioned in Ps. 35:5, Job 21:18, Isa. 17:13. The refuse of straw and chaff was burned (Isa. 5:24). Freed from impurities, the grain was then laid up in granaries till used (Deut. 28:8; Prov. 3:10; Matt. 6:26; 13:30; Luke 12:18). Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. |
Statistics | One of the broad groups in the ISCED, composed of fields of education having similarities which are:agriculture, forestry and fishery, veterinary. Source: European Union. (references) |
| All deliveries to users classified as agriculture, hunting and forestry by the ISIC and therefore includes energy consumed by such users whether for traction(excluding agricultural highway use), power or heating(agricultural and domestic). Also includes fuels used for ocean, coastal and inland fishing. ISIC Divisions 01, 02 and 05. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(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."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Class S: Agriculture is a classification used by the Library of Congress classification system. This article outlines the subclasses of class S.
- S -- Agriculture (General)
- SB-- Plant culture
- SD-- Forestry
- SF-- Animal culture
- SH-- Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling.
- SK-- Hunting sports
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Library of Congress Classification:Class S -- Agriculture."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Dept. of Agriculture Established: February 9, 1889 Activated: February 15, 1889 Secretary: Ann M. Veneman Deputy Secretary: Jim Moseley Budget: $72.8 billion (2003) Employees: 114,040 (2003) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a Cabinet department of the United States government. Its purpose is to develop and execute policy on farming and food. It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers throughout America, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protects natural resources, foster strong rural communities, and fights hunger in America and abroad.
History
The United States was largely an agrarian economy early in its history. Officials in the federal government had long sought new and improved varieties of seeds, plants, and animals for importation to the United States. In 1836 Henry L. Ellsworth, a man interested in improving agricultural, became Commissioner of Patents, a position within the Department of State. He soon began collecting and distributing new varieties of seeds and plants through members of the Congress and agricultural societies. In 1839 Congress established the Agricultural Division within the Patent Office and allotted $1,000 for "the collection of agricultural statistics and other agricultural purposes."
Ellsworth's interest in aiding agriculture was evident in his annual reports that called for a public depository to preserve and distribute the various new seeds and plants, a clerk to collect agricultural statistics, the preparation of statewide reports about crops in different regions, and the application of chemistry to agriculture. In 1849 the Patent Office was transferred to the newly created Department of the Interior. In the ensuing years, agitation for a separate bureau of agriculture within the Department or a separate department devoted to agriculture kept recurring.
On May 15, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln established the independent Bureau of Agriculture to be headed by a Commissioner without cabinet status. Lincoln called it the "people's department." At the time, 48 percent of the U.S. population were farmers.
In the 1880s, varied special interest groups were lobbying for Cabinet representation. Business interests sought a Department of Commerce and Industry. Farmers tried to raise the Bureau of Agriculture to Cabinet rank. In 1887, the House and Senate passed bills creating a Department of Agriculture and Labor, but farm interests objected to the inclusion of labor, and the bill was killed in conference. Finally, on February 9, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law establishing the Cabinet level Department of Agriculture.
The USDA is administered by the United States Secretary of Agriculture.
Operating Units include:
- Extension Service of the USDA
- Farm Service Agency (FSA)
- Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
- Risk Management Agency (RMA)
- Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)
- Forest Service (FS)
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- Rural Business - Cooperative Service (RBS)
- Office of Community Development (OCD)
- Rural Housing Service (RHS)
- Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
- Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
- Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP)
- Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
- Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)
- Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
- Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
- Economic Research Service (ERS)
- National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
Related Legislation
Important legislation setting policy of the USDA includes the:
- 1890, 1891, 1897, 1906 Meat Inspection Act
- 1906 - Pure Food and Drug Act
- 1914 - Cotton Futures Act
- 1916 - Federal Farm Loan Act
- 1917 - Food Control and Production Acts
- 1921 - Packers and Stockyards Acts
- 1922 - Grain Futures Act
- 1922 - National Agricultural Conference
- 1923 - Agricultural Credits Act
- 1933 - Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
- 1933 - Farm Credit Act
- 1935 - Resettlement Administration
- 1936 - Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act
- 1937 - Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act
- 1941 - National Victory Garden Program
- 1941 - Steagall Amendment
- 1946 - Farmers Home Administration
- 1946 - National School Lunch Act PL 79-396
- 1946 - Research and Marketing Act
- 1948 - Hope-Aiken Agriculture Act PL 80-897
- 1956 - Soil Bank Program authorized
- 1957 - Poultry Inspection Act
- 1947 - Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act PL 80-104
- 1949 - Agricultural Act PL 81-439
- 1954 - Food for Peace Act PL 83-480
- 1954 - Agricultural Act PL 83-690
- 1956 - Mutual Security Act PL 84-726
- 1957 - Poultry Products Inspection Act PL 85-172
- 1958 - Food Additives Amendment PL 85-929
- 1958 - Humane Slaughter Act
- 1958 - Agricultural Act PL 85-835
- 1961 - Agricultural Act PL 87-128
- 1964 - Agricultural Act PL 88-297
- 1964 - Food Stamp Act PL 88-525
- 1964 - Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Extension PL 88-305
- 1965 - Appalachian Regional Development Act
- 1965 - Food and Agriculture Act PL 89-321
- 1966 - Child Nutrition Act PL 89-642
- 1967 - Wholesome Meat Act PL 90-201
- 1968 - Wholesome Poultry Products Act PL 90-492
- 1970 - Agricultural Act PL 91-524
- 1972 - Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act PL 92-516
- 1970 - Environmental Quality Improvement Act
- 1970 - Food Stamp Act PL 91-671
- 1972 - Rural Development Act
- 1972 - National School Lunch Act Amendments (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) PL 92-433
- 1973 - Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act PL 93-86
- 1974 - Safe Drinking Water Act PL 93-523
- 1977 - Food and Agriculture Act PL 95-113
- 1996 - Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act PL 104-127
- 1996 - Food Quality Protection Act PL 104-170
- 2002 - Farm Security and Rural Investment Act PL 107-171
External Links:
- United States Department of Agriculture
- History of American Agriculture
- National Archives document of the USDA's origins
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "United States Department of 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 |
| agr. | English | Agriculture | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: AgricultureSynonyms: agribusiness (n), husbandry (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Agriculture | Noun: agriculture, cultivation, husbandry, farming; georgics, geoponics; tillage, agronomy, gardening, spade husbandry, vintage; horticulture, arboriculture, floriculture; landscape gardening; viticulture. |
Government | Office of the president, office of the prime minister, cabinet; senate, house of representatives, parliament; council; courts, supreme court; state, interior, labor, health and human services, defense, education, agriculture, justice, commerce, treasury; Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI; Central Intelligence Agency, CIA; NIH; Postal Service, Post Office; Federal Aviation Administration, FAA. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | Agriculture Canada (1970) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
| ||
Books |
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Periodicals |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Shows photo of Selman Waksman and associates testing Streptomycin, a bacterial antibiotic produced by the soil actinomycete - chiefly used in the treatment of tuberculosis. New Jersey Agriculture Experimental Station at Rutgers University. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |  | An educational poster produced by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the Southeast Pacific Ocean area. Credit: Fisheries. |
 | The Southeast portion of the Pacific Ocean corresponds to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Area 87. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Volunteers plant native hardwood trees along the bank to help stabilize the riparian habitat. Much of Pratt Farm was ditched and drained for agriculture, the restoration work was conducted to return the straight ditched area to a natural stream form with meanders and sinuosity. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |
 | ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve. Old rice fields, remnants of Sea Island agriculture are now managed impoundments. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |  | More of Illinois' prime farmland soils are converted from agriculture to real estate property every day. This field near Peoria, Illinois has produced its final crop. Credit: Bob Nichols. |
 | NRCS walks with the landowners on their family farm in Peoria County, Illinois. Many conservation practices have been installed on the farm which is used to teach local students and residents the values of the agriculture and the benefits it offers wildli. Credit: Bob Nichols. |  | Harvesting sugarcane in south Florida, where scientists in the ARS Sugarcane Production Research Unit are identifying research to help sustain both agriculture and natural Everglades ecosystems. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |
 | A small dairy farm in western Maryland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines "small farms" as those averaging $50,000 in gross sales annually—which net, on average, around $23,159. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |  | Clarno BLM agriculture field along the John Day River. Credit: John Craig. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Agriculture 09" by Chrien Károly Commentary: "Hungarian agricultural landscape." | "Olive Grove" by Wendy Cain Commentary: "Olive grove North Auckland, NZ. A relatively new agriculture - the oil is very good." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
E. P. Whipple | All history shows the power of blood over circumstances, as agriculture shows the power of the seeds over the soil. |
Gibbon | Agriculture is the foundation of manufactures, since the productions of nature are the materials of art. |
Johnson | Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own. |
Xenophon | Agriculture for an honorable and highminded man, is the best of all occupations or arts by which men procure the means of living. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Convention of March 19, l902, regarding the protection of birds useful to agriculture. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | He was giving Harriet information as to modes of agriculture, etc. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | They raised the material questions, questions of agriculture, of industry, of commerce, almost to the dignity of a religion |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | Of a life of luxury the fruit is luxury, whether in agriculture, or commerce, or literature, or art. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | The Food and Drug Administration and the U. S. Department of Agriculture monitor food regularly. (references) | |
Instructions on safe home canning can be obtained from county extension services or from the US Department of Agriculture. (references) | ||
In Southeast Asia, the organism has been repeatedly isolated from agriculture fields, with infection occurring primarily during the rainy season. (references) | ||
Business | Only agriculture grew by less than 5 percent. (references) | |
China is paying more attention to developing sustainable agriculture. (references) | ||
Horticulture is the fastest growing sub-sector of Kenya’s agriculture. (references) | ||
Children | Cambodia | Education is free but not compulsory through grade nine; many children leave school to help their families in subsistence agriculture, begin school at a late age, or do not attend school at all. (references) |
Civil Liberties | Panama | Also in December, Omar Rodriguez, a journalist for La Prensa in the province of Cocle, was threatened with legal action by the regional director of the Ministry of Agriculture for reporting on corruption in the Ministry. (references) |
Yemen | In August 2000, Saif al-Hadhri, the editor in chief of al-Shumu newspaper, was convicted of libel in connection with a series of articles reporting high-level corruption in the Ministries of Electricity, Agriculture, Education, and Finance. (references) | |
Economic History | Russia | U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (references) |
Morocco | The code does not apply to agriculture. (references) | |
Uganda | Most industry is related to agriculture. (references) | |
Human Rights | Afghanistan | The focus of their activities is primarily humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation, health, education, and agriculture. (references) |
Belarus | In late August, former Prosecutor Oleg Bozhelko was quoted publicly by former Minister of Agriculture Vasily Leonov as having confirmed the speculation surrounding his dismissal, the existence of the Lopatik report, and the veracity of its allegations (see 1.a.). Bozhelko neither confirmed nor denied this report. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Sweden | Sami issues fall under the Ministry of Agriculture. (references) |
Minorities | Trinidad and Tobago | Indo-Trinidadians also predominate in agriculture. (references) |
Andorra | A small but growing group of immigrants, especially from North Africa, work mostly in agriculture and construction. (references) | |
Vietnam | This also has the effect of making more land available to ethnic majority Kinh migrants to the mountainous areas who clear the forests for cash crop agriculture. (references) | |
Political Economy | SWITZERLAND | Two exceptions are telecommunications and agriculture. (references) |
Ghana | Service sector growth outpaced both agriculture and industry. (references) | |
Mexico | There is extensive child labor in agriculture and the informal economy. (references) | |
Political Rights | Qatar | Its role is to advise the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. (references) |
Trade | El Salvador | D. Authorization of the Ministry of Agriculture when required. (references) |
Zambia | Duty on productive machinery for agriculture and mining is zero percent. (references) | |
Travel | Ghana | There is a 10-year tax holiday for enterprises in the export processing zones and agriculture. (references) |
Honduras | March and April are particularly hot and dry, with considerable smoke in the air from slash-and-burn agriculture. (references) | |
Women | Guatemala | Women are employed primarily in low-wage jobs in the textile industry, agriculture, retail businesses, and the public sector. (references) |
Worker Rights | United Kingdom | Some also work in agriculture. (references) |
Angola | Family-based child labor in subsistence agriculture is common. (references) | |
Papua New Guinea | This type of employment is rare, except in subsistence agriculture. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | GUNPOWDER, n. An agency employed by civilized nations for the settlement of disputes which might become troublesome if left unadjusted. By most writers the invention of gunpowder is ascribed to the Chinese, but not upon very convincing evidence. Milton says it was invented by the devil to dispel angels with, and this opinion seems to derive some support from the scarcity of angels. Moreover, it has the hearty concurrence of the Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture. Secretary Wilson became interested in gunpowder through an event that occurred on the Government experimental farm in the District of Columbia. One day, several years ago, a rogue imperfectly reverent of the Secretary's profound attainments and personal character presented him with a sack of gunpowder, representing it as the sed of the Flashawful flabbergastor, a Patagonian cereal of great commercial value, admirably adapted to this climate. The good Secretary was instructed to spill it along in a furrow and afterward inhume it with soil. This he at once proceeded to do, and had made a continuous line of it all the way across a ten-acre field, when he was made to look backward by a shout from the generous donor, who at once dropped a lighted match into the furrow at the starting-point. Contact with the earth had somewhat dampened the powder, but the startled functionary saw himself pursued by a tall moving pillar of fire and smoke and fierce evolution. He stood for a moment paralyzed and speechless, then he recollected an engagement and, dropping all, absented himself thence with such surprising celerity that to the eyes of spectators along the route selected he appeared like a long, dim streak prolonging itself with inconceivable rapidity through seven villages, and audibly refusing to be comforted. "Great Scott! what is that?" cried a surveyor's chainman, shading his eyes and gazing at the fading line of agriculturist which bisected his visible horizon. "That," said the surveyor, carelessly glancing at the phenomenon and again centering his attention upon his instrument, "is the Meridian of Washington." H |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | Your own observations in your respective situations will have satisfied you of the progressive state of agriculture, manufactures, commerce, and navigation. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | With many of the other Indian tribes improvements in agriculture and household manufacture are advancing, and with all our peace and friendship are established on grounds much firmer than heretofore. |
James Monroe | 1817-1825 | Our agriculture, commerce, manufactures, and navigation flourish. |
John Quincy Adams | 1825-1829 | This accession to the profits of agriculture in the middle and western portions of our Union is accidental and temporary. |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | Agriculture, the first and most important occupation of man, has compensated the labors of the husband-man with plentiful crops of all the varied products of our extensive country. |
William H. Taft | 1909-1913 | In the Department of Agriculture the use of scientific experiments on a large scale and the spread of information derived from them for the improvement of general agriculture must go on. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | We can look to the future of agriculture with greater confidence than in many a year in the past. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | Agriculture and resources A strong America also depends on its farms and natural resources. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | American agriculture, the envy of the world, has become the victim of its own successes. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Last year, the Congress provided substantial assistance to help stave off a disaster in American agriculture. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Agriculture" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.66% of the time. "Agriculture" is used about 3,867 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 |
| Noun (singular) | 99.66% | 3,854 | 2,536 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.34% | 13 | 97,576 |
| Total | 100.00% | 3,867 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "agriculture". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Harosheth | N/A | Biblical | Agriculture |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
| Country | Name |
| New Zealand | Tasman Agriculture Limited |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "agriculture": agriculture Department ♦ agriculture on terraces ♦ agriculture Secretary ♦ agriculture yield ♦ arable agriculture ♦ chamber of agriculture ♦ department of agriculture ♦ food and Agriculture Organization ♦ food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ♦ minister of agriculture ♦ ministry of agriculture ♦ roving agriculture ♦ scientific agriculture ♦ secretary of Agriculture ♦ shifting agriculture ♦ United States Department of Agriculture. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "agriculture": agriculture-related. | |
Ending with "agriculture": capital-invested-in-agriculture, food-and-agriculture, non-agriculture. | |
| 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 "agriculture"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | akkerbou (farming, tillage), agronomie (agronomics), landbou (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Albanian | agronomi (agronomics, agronomy). (various references) | |
Arabic | زراعة (cultivation, farming, husbandry, seeding). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | агрикултура. (various references) | |
Chinese | 農業 (farming), 農 , 农业 (Agricultural, Agronomic, Agronomical). (various references) | |
Czech | zemìdìlství (farming). (various references) | |
Danish | landbrugssektor, landbrug (agricultural holding, agricultural undertaking, DG VI, farm, farming, farmstead), GD VI (DG VI), økonomisk-,landbrugs-og statstælling (and governments censuses, economic). (various references) | |
Dutch | landbouw (farming, tillage), akkerbouw (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Esperanto | agronomio, agrokulturo, agrikulturo (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Finnish | maatalous (farming). (various references) | |
French | agriculture (agronomics), agronomie (agronomics, agronomy). (various references) | |
Frisian | lânbou (farming, tillage), bou (construction, farming, farmland, tillage). (various references) | |
German | Landwirtschaft (agribusiness, farm, farming, husbandry), Ackerbau (farming, husbandry, husbands, tillage, tilth). (various references) | |
Greek | γεωργία (husbandry, tillage). (various references) | |
Hawaiian | agronomi (agronomics), agrikulturë (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Hebrew | חקלאות (farming, husbandry). (various references) | |
Hungarian | agronómia (agronomics), mezõgazdaság (husbandry), mezőgazdaság (husbandry), földmûvelés (tilth). (various references) | |
Indonesian | pertanian (farming, husbandry). (various references) | |
Italian | agricoltura (farming, husbandry). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 農耕 (farming), 農事 (farming), 農業 , 農業 , 農学 , 農 (farming), 営農 (farming), アクリル繊維 (accommodator, accord, accordion, accordion door, accordion pleats, achromatic lens, acid, acidosis, acoustic, acoustic guitar, acoustic sound, acrobat, acrobatic, acrobatic dance, acrobatic dancer, acropolis, acrylic fiber, acrylonitrile, against, against wind, agglomeration, aggressive, agitation, agoraphobia, agreement, agribusiness, Asia, Asia dollar, aside, assassin, assault, assert, assertiveness training, assign, assignment, assist, assistance, assistant, assistant director, assistant manager, assistant purser, asymmetric design, asymmetry, contortionist, to instigate, to stir up). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | のうぎょう, のうがく (Noh play), のうこう (agriculture and industry, concentration, density, farming, richness, tension), のうじ (farming, one's work), のう (brain, farming, function, gift, memory, Noh play, talent), アグリカルチャー , えいのう (farming). (various references) | |
Korean | 농업 (Agricultural, husbandry). (various references) | |
Manx | eirinys (farming, farmwork). (various references) | |
Papiamen | agrikultura (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | agricultureay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | agricultura (farming, husbandry, tillage). (various references) | |
Romanian | agriculturã (farming, husbandry, tillage). (various references) | |
Russian | сельское хозяйство (agronomy, farming, husbandry). (various references) | |
Sepedi | bolemi. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | poljoprivreda (agronomy, farming, husbandry). (various references) | |
Spanish | agricultura (farming, husbandry, land). (various references) | |
Swedish | lantbruk (farm, farming, husbandry, tillage), jordbruk (farm, farming, husbandry, tillage), åkerbruk (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Tagalog | agrikultura (farming, tillage), pagsasaka (farming, tillage). (various references) | |
Turkish | ziraat (agrarian, agricultural, cultivation, cultural), tarım (agrarian, agricultural, cultivation, farming, growing, husbandry, tillage, tilth), çiftçilik (farming, husbandry, ploughing). (various references) | |
Turkmen | oba hojalygy, ekeranзylyk (farming). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | сільске господарство (agronomy), землеробство (agronomy, farming). (various references) | |
Welsh | amaethyddiaeth, amaeth. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | agricultio, agricultura, agriculturae, cultura, culturae, culturam. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "agriculture": agricultures. (additional references) | |
| |
"Agriculture" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: aggriculture, agiculture, agriclture, agricolture, agricuiture, agricultur, agricultura, agriculturam, agricuture, agroculture, argriculture, mariculture. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "agriculture" (pronounced a"gruku'lkher) |
| 6 | -u k u' l kh er | Aquaculture. |
| 5 | -k u' l kh er | counterculture, horticulture, subculture. |
| 3 | -l kh er | Belcher, culture, vulture, Welcher. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-e-g-i-l-r-r-t-u-u" | |
-2 letters: curtailer, curtilage, graticule, reticular, utricular. | |
-3 letters: ligature, reticula, ruralite, turrical. | |
-4 letters: article, augurer, auricle, cigaret, cirrate, culture, curlier, curtail, erratic, glacier, glarier, gracile, recital, recruit, regular, retrial, tegular, trailer, uralite, utricle. | |
-5 letters: aculei, acuter, aiglet, aigret, arguer, artier, atelic, augite, auteur, cagier, carrel, cartel, carter, citral, claret, crater, crural, curare, curari, curate, curiae, curial. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-e-g-i-l-r-r-t-u-u" | |
+1 letter: agricultures. | |
+4 letters: counterguerilla, preagricultural, ultracentrifuge. | |
+5 letters: counterguerillas, counterguerrilla, ultracentrifugal, ultracentrifuged, ultracentrifuges. | |
| 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: Familiar 10. Quotations: Historic 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Quotations: Speeches 14. Usage Frequency 15. Names: Derived from 16. Names: Company Usage | 17. Expressions 18. Expressions: Internet 19. Translations: Modern 20. Translations: Ancient | 21. Abbreviations 22. Acronyms 23. Derivations 24. Rhymes | 25. Anagrams 26. Bibliography |
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