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Agriculture is production of a product that is grown or produced in an environment that is controlled by people. For example, clothing, crops and animals are all a product of agriculture.

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Agriculture is the production of food, fibre, timber and foliage. A more holistic description would include the use of natural resources to produce food, industrial raw materials and energy sources. However agriculture is more than merely production - it includes the inputs into production, the social and environmental setting of farms and people, and the downstream transport and processing of commodities to prepare them for consumption as food, clothing, building materials and energy.

Traditional agricultural practices have included cropping, the management of pasture for livestock, and market gardening. These practices are evolving to embrace new technologies, operational innovation, different crops and new purposes such as energy and carbon sequestration.

The following definition of agriculture has been adopted by QFF:

Agriculture - Any activity connected with the growing of food, fibre, timber and foliage including, but not limited to, cropping*, intensive horticulture*, animal husbandry*, intensive animal industry*, animal keeping*, aquaculture*, permanent plantation* wholesale nursery*, production nursery, roadside stall*, winery* and rural industry*; and also including ancillary activities concerned with accommodation of farm workers, visitors and tourists; the storage of water; irrigation and drainage works; the storage of equipment for the production and transport of agricultural products; and the on-farm processing, packaging, storage and sale of agricultural products.

The uses marked with an asterisk in this definition are drawn from definitions in the Queensland Planning Provisions.

For more information on see the Rural Planning page.

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Agriculture is the production of food, fibre, timber and foliage. A more holistic description would include the use of natural resources to produce food, industrial raw materials and energy sources. However agriculture is more than merely production – it includes the inputs into production, th…

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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.

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the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.

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The growing/producing of things such as lifestock and crops.

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Agriculture is the science of farming, it includes the cultivation of soil for growing crops, rearing animals to provide food, wool and other products, and harvesting grown crops as effectively as possible.

What is Agriculture? | Twinkl Wiki - Twinkl

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Download FREE teacher-made resources covering 'Agriculture'

What is Agriculture?

To answer the question of what is agriculture, let's look at the definition first, then we can dive into history, and learn how agriculture started and how it looks today.

It is agriculture that has allowed human civilization to expand to the great heights that it is at today, and it is agriculture that took humanity from the simple hunter-gatherer way of life to a more complex society.

The Origin of Agriculture

Agriculture was not "invented" in a single flash of genius by one of our ancestors. The domestication of plants and animals happened very gradually over centuries, and often independently around the world. Though, such a development was only made possible after the last great Ice Age, when climates around the world became more stable and human populations could thrive again.

Historians have been able to track the development of agriculture in four major places around the world. The earliest signs come from the Middle East and Chinabefore it spread into the Mediterranean and Europe and finally developed independently again in the Andes and mountains of South America. Let's dive back into time and see how each of these civilizations used the skills of agriculture to improve their world.
Ancient Egyptian art depicting agriculture.
Middle East

The hunters and gatherers of early human societies, particularly in the fertile crescent (modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq,) were experts on the plants and animals around them, the movement, needs, and abilities of each animal were well-known to these people because they relied on that knowledge to feed themselves and their children.

Around 11,000 B.C., people began to protect and herd the wild herds of goats, sheep, cows, and pigs that moved up and down the valley. They also harvested wild cereals such as einkorn, emmer, and barley. At first, the methods they used were random and unorganized, people will pull weeds out of the ground to promote the growth of more of the plants they ate, or they would bring water from the river to water the plants. They would herd the animals in the open country but did not build farms for them yet.
A farmer binding crops in the ancient Middle-East.
At around 8800 B.C., scientists noticed a change in our genetics, for the first time humans in this area had switched from eating primarily wild food to primarily farmed food.

China
The Yellow River Valley where farming and agriculture began in China.
By 8000 B.C., this same area had become a center of millet cultivation and alongside the industry of pig farming, sustained large villages such as Cishan. The domestication of wild rice soon followed and is still a stable ingredient in Asian cooking to this day.
To find out more about Ancient China, take a look at our handy Teaching Wiki.
Europe

The development of agriculture within Europe differs slightly from its development in China or the Middle East, as early European societies benefited from the work done by the societies in the Fertile Crescent. Knowledge was traded back and forth between the cultures living on the shores of the Mediterranean for many centuries, and with it came the knowledge of farming.

Around 7000 B.C., farming was introduced to areas that would become modern-day Greece, Italy, and Spain, before moving north into Central Europe. It is thought that new arrivals from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East brought with them domesticated plants and animals while elsewhere, local people adopted the same skills.
Grapes, one crop that allowed many Mediterranean cultures to flourish.
Once the skills had been taught, the art of farming exploded in Europe, with much of the land well suited to growing plants and feeding livestock.

The Americas
A llama - an example of one of the native animals of South America domesticated for use in agriculture.
The hunter-gatherer way of life existed alongside farming here because there were far fewer species of animals suited to domestication and the land was more difficult to farm.

How did agriculture change human civilization?

The cultivation of crops and animals allowed humans to evolve beyond the nomadic lifestyle they had relied on for many thousands of years. Hunter-gatherer societies had to rely on the movements of animals, and this could lead to periods when hunting was very fruitful (but they could not store the meat for long) or periods with very little to eat.

Once more permanent, settlements were established around farming communities allowing people to store food that they could use during the winter months when hunting and gathering wasn't possible. It also meant that for the first in human history, people could specialize into different tasks. Until the advent of agriculture, each person dedicated their time to food production for themselves, their family, and their communities. Once farming took hold, people had more food than they needed. They had time to develop new ways of building, new tools, and new skills such as art, pottery, blacksmithing, and even music.
Pottery, one example of an art-form allowed to flourish with agriculture that also enabled farmed foods to be stored for longer.
Let's have a deeper look at some changes and innovations that were made possible by agriculture.

Population Growth

The earliest farming villages were small huddles of mud-brick houses, nestled together and separated by narrow spaces. These soon started to grow as more animals were added to the herds and as more crops were planted. Jericho, in the Jordan Valley, is one of the earliest villages known to have flourished in this way. By 8000 B.C. the population had gone from a few families to a huge community of hundreds who created stone houses and a wall to protect their town and animals.
Jericho, one of the oldest permanent human settlements.
The ability to produce more food from a smaller area of space allowed populations to grow together and develop into towns and even cities. Without that, our society would not be possible.
New York, an example of a modern city made possible by agriculture and modern methods.
Better diets
Bread, a staple of many cultures and civilizations made possible by agriculture.
Such a stable diet saw changes in human health, with less evidence of intestinal diseases or parasites!

Specialization

Living in farming communities meant that not everyone had to be working towards producing food all day, every day. A network of people would live together for generations, which meant that they could develop specific skills and roles in their communities. For example:

Some people herded and gathered animals.

Some people worked on the farms and cropland.

Others prepared food.

More importantly, not everyone had to have a job on the farm:

Some people started to make pottery or build houses.

Some could become traders or merchants.

Some people could develop tools for better farming.

Without the diversification of all these skills, we would not have invented all the wonderful technology and creations that we have today.

What does agriculture look like now?

Now, we certainly don't farm our crops and look after our animals the same way we did 10,000 years ago. After ten thousand years, our skills and understanding of agriculture have increased beyond the wildest dreams of those early farming villages.

We can now make use of the incredible technological advancements of the human race to create enough food for billions of people around the world, to offer a variety of diets and types of food from fish and livestock to grains, fruits, and vegetables. 21st-century farming is even looking to benefit the planet through sustainable and organic farming methods.

Mechanized agriculture

Current mechanized agriculture includes the use of tractors, trucks, combine harvesters, countless types of farm implements, airplanes, and helicopters (for aerial application,) and other vehicles. Precision agriculture even uses computers in conjunction with satellite imagery and satellite navigation (GPS guidance) to increase yields.
A modern tractor used in modern methods of mechanized agriculture.
Mechanization was one of the large factors responsible for urbanization and industrial economies. Besides improving production efficiency, mechanization encourages large-scale production and sometimes can improve the quality of farm produce

Free-range farming and care for animals

Free-range denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals, for at least part of the day, can roam freely outdoors, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day. On many farms, the outdoor ranging area is fenced, thereby technically making this an enclosure, however, free-range systems usually offer the opportunity for the extensive locomotion and sunlight that is otherwise prevented by indoor housing systems. Free-range may apply to meat, eggs, or dairy farming.

In ranching, free-range livestock are permitted to roam without being fenced in, as opposed to intensive animal farming practices such as the concentrated animal feeding operations of the past. In many agriculture-based economies, free-range livestock are quite common.

Farmers truly and deeply care for animals, which is often a reason they chose farming as a career. From a sustainability perspective, animal welfare is regularly emphasized as being a social responsibility of farmers. Farmers deeply care for animals and do their utmost to ensure that they are cared for and kept healthy.
Modern domesticated cattle.
Animals are a vital aspect of the lives and livelihood of farmers and as such, making sure they are happy and healthy is very important to keep their business alive. From a sustainability perspective, the long-term success of farming is reliant on healthy animals

Local and organic farming

Organic farming is an agricultural system that uses fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal while also placing emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation and companion planting. It originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices

Since 1990, the market for organic food and other products has grown rapidly, reaching $63 billion worldwide.

Teaching about Farming and Agriculture to Kids?

Teaching Video

The Seasons are an important part of farming and agriculture across the world, so what better way of teaching your kids or students about them than with our handy teaching video? Take a look below:

All About Farm Animals PowerPoint

Perfect for children in pre-k through second grade, this interactive resource is bursting with fun facts, hand-drawn illustrations, and discussion topics.Each slideis packed with fascinating facts about all your children's favorite farm animals, including cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, geese, and pigs. All the slides are bold, vibrant, and crammed full of hand-drawn animals, making them ideal for young children.

Farming in Asia Activity

Building on the the theme of agriculture in Asia, encourage your children to research crops grown there, and answer the questions to draw what the crop looks like above and below the ground.

Create Your Own Almanac Activity

Our fun Create Your Own Almanac Activity allows students to take what they have learned from other research texts to create their very own almanac! Students choose what they think is the most important information to include in their almanac. This is a fun way to apply learning that will keep students engaged and invested in your lessons.

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What is Agriculture? | Social Studies | Twinkl USA - Twinkl

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Download FREE teacher-made resources covering 'Agriculture' To answer the question of what is agriculture, let's look at the definition first, then we can dive into history, and learn how agriculture started and how it looks today.