The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to agriculture: Agriculture – cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life.
What type of thing is agriculture? Agriculture can be described as all of the following:
A type of work An academic discipline A science An applied science An industry
Agricultural activities Agricultural cycle – annual cycle of activities related to the growth and harvest of a crop. Land use – management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements.
Agricultural production Cash crop – agricultural crop which is grown for sale for profit. Agricultural products Food – any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. Natural fibers – class of hair-like materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to pieces of thread. They can be spun into filaments, thread, or rope. Natural fibers are made from plant, animal and mineral sources. Lumber – wood in any of its stages from felling to readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production. Paper – sheet material used for writing on or printing on (or as a non-waterproof container), usually made by draining cellulose fibres from a suspension in water. Medicine great quantity of herbal and animal parts are used for medicinal purposes worldwide, especially in traditional and naturopathic medicines. Biofuels wide range of plants and plant products are used for converting to fuels, such as firewood, biodiesel, methane gas etc.
Agricultural resources Agricultural land – denotes the land suitable for agricultural production, both crops and livestock. It is one of the main resources in agriculture. Labor (economics) – measure of the work done by human beings. Water – chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. Agricultural machinery – machinery used in the operation of an agricultural area or farm. Fertilizers – any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin (other than liming materials) that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants.
Branches of agriculture
By type of life form produced or harvested Agronomy – science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Organic gardening – science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation. Animal husbandry – agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.
By industry
Aquafarming Aquaculture – farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Mariculture – specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater.
Farming
Types of farming Alligator farming – establishment for breeding and raising of crocodilians in order to produce meat, leather, and other goods. Aquaculture – farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Contract farming – agricultural production carried out according to an agreement between a buyer and farmers Dairy farming – class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale. Integrated farming – more integrated approach to farming as compared to existing monoculture approaches. It refers to agricultural systems that integrate livestock and crop production and may sometimes be known as Integrated Biosystems. Orchardry – managing orchards, intentional planting of trees or shrubs that are maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Organic farming – form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Pig farming – Poultry farming Sericulture – silk farming, the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk. Sheep husbandry – specifically dealing with the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. Viticulture – the cultivation and harvesting of grapes.
Farming facilities Crops – non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Orchard – intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Farm – an area of land, together with the buildings on it, that is used for growing crops or raising animals, usually in order to sell them. Greenhouse – building in which plants are grown.
Farming equipment Farm equipment – any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming.
Baler – piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, straw, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport and store. Combine harvester – or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. Farm tractor – vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction. Manure spreader used to distribute manure over a field as a fertilizer. Mower – machine for cutting grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g. with reapers and combines. Pickup truck – is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area (bed). Plough – is a tool (or machine) used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture.
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