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Crops, Plants, and More: Learn About Farming!

Tractor in field

Agriculture is the foundation of civilization, and it's where all of the food you eat and the clothes you wear come from. Whether you think you want to have a career in agriculture, you want to learn more about how farmers work, or you'd like to start growing plants in your own backyard, finding out more aboreut agriculture is a good place to start.

What Is Agriculture?

Agriculture is the science of cultivating soil, raising animals, and growing crops. People who work in the agricultural industry may focus their efforts on growing one or more types of crops, or they might work to raise animals, which often involves planting crops to feed those animals. Agriculture is how people produce food to feed themselves, and it's also how people produce extra food to trade for other things or to store for times when the weather keeps crops from growing well.

History

Agriculture has been happening for thousands of years, but it's impossible to be 100% sure exactly where and when it started. It's likely that agriculture first started in the Fertile Crescent, an area that stretched from what's now the Nile Valley of Egypt through present-day Iraq to the Persian Gulf. Some of the first crops grown were wheat and barley. When farming caught on, it allowed people to give up their nomadic lifestyles; they could now settle down and live in one place instead of having to move around looking for food.

Types of Agriculture

Although agriculture usually involves growing food for humans and animals to eat, there are other types of agriculture, too. Some farmers grow non-food plants and flowers to sell. Others farm to produce manure to be sold as fertilizer. Agriculture can also produce special materials such as flax, hemp, wool, cotton, fungi, biofuels, and ingredients for medicines. Agriculture can also involve raising animals for their skins or furs. Some farms are just large enough to provide for the farmer's family, while other farms are very big and employ lots of workers.

Crops

Crops are the plants grown and harvested by farmers. Crops divide into different categories depending on how the plants will be used. Some crops are for human food, and other crops are for animal food. Crops can also be fiber crops, which are used to make fabric. Crops may also be used to produce oil. And some crops are ornamental: They're just grown to look nice. The main crops produced around the world are corn, wheat, rice, and cotton.

Animals and Livestock

Livestock farming is also called animal husbandry. This type of agriculture involves raising live animals such as cows, pigs, and chickens. Farmers have to take good care of the animals to ensure that they are healthy, which results in high-quality products such as milk, beef, eggs, and bacon. Farmers have to feed the animals, make sure they don't get sick, and follow rules about caring for the animals to make sure that both the animals and people are safe. At a certain point, the farmers will either sell products from the animals, such as milk or eggs, or they will sell the animals to be butchered for meat or skins.

Farming Around the World

Farming is different around the world. Farmers in Asia and Latin America sometimes grow crops in water, a practice called aquaculture. Farmers might use the oceans, lakes, and ponds to grow fish and shellfish, too. Another thing that varies about farming around the world is the way farmers cultivate crops. Farmers living in remote areas might use farming methods that are simple because they don't have access to expensive machinery. Other farmers might use high-tech equipment and more advanced farming methods such as crop rotation. This means that they rotate the crops regularly, not growing the same things in the same places year after year, which keeps the soil healthier.

Careers in Agriculture

People who want to work in the agricultural industry have lots of options. Owning or working on a farm is one of the obvious choices for a career in agriculture. Scientists also work in agriculture: Chemists and biologists help to develop new farming techniques and types of seeds. Engineers in the agricultural industry work to solve problems and develop new ways of farming. They may design new products or come up with methods for farmers to work more effectively.

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