Agriculture Meaning

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Executive summary

Agriculture meaning

Agriculture is the science or occupation of cultivating land and rearing crops andlivestock; farming; husbandry.

What is agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals , plants , fungi , and other life forms

for food, fiber , biofuel , medicinals and other products used to sustain and enhance

human life

The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. The history of

agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and

defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies. However, all

farming generally relies on techniques to e pand and maintain the lands that are

suitable for raising domesticated species. !or plants, this usually requires some

form of irrigation, although there are methods of dryland farming. "ivestock are

raised in a combination of grassland#based and landless systems, in an industry that

covers almost one#third of the world$s ice# and water#free area. %n the developed

world, industrial agriculture based on large#scale monoculture has become the

dominant system of modern farming, although there is growing support

for sustainable agriculture, including perma#culture and organic agriculture.

&odern agronomy , plant breeding , agrochemicals such as pesticides and fertili'ers ,

and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation,

but at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative

human health effects. (elective breeding and modern practices in animal

husbandry have similarly increased the output of meat, but have raised concerns

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agronomyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breedinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrochemicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_breedinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agronomyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breedinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrochemicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertilizershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_breedinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal


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about animal welfare and the health effects of the antibiotics , growth hormones ,

and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production. )enetically

modified organisms are an increasing component of agriculture, although they are

banned in several countries. Agricultural food production and water managementare increasingly becoming global issues that are fostering debate on a number of

fronts.

The ma*or agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods, fibers, fuels ,

and raw materials . (pecific foods

include cereals +grains , vegetables , fruits , oils,meats and spices . !ibers

include cotton , wool , hemp , silk and fla . -aw materialsinclude lumber and bamboo . ther useful materials are produced by plants, such

as resins , dyes , drugs , perfumes , biofuels and ornamental products such as cut

flowers and nursery plants . ver one third of the world$s workers are employed in

agriculture

How agriculture is derived

The word agriculture is an adaptation of "atin word agricultūra , from ager ,

/field/, and cultūra , / cultivation / or /growing/. 012 Agriculture usually refers to

human activities, although it is also observed in certain species

of ant, termite andambrosia beetle .032 To practice agriculture means to use natural

resources to /produce commodities which maintain life,

History of agriculture

Although %ndians taught the colonists to plant fish with their corn, fertili'ation of

other crops was not a common practice. The native fertility of the relatively acid

and nutrient#poor eastern soils was rapidly e hausted, and pioneering families

commonly abandoned their farms and moved on to homestead the still fertile virgin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_welfarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibioticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormoneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organismshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organismshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_materialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_dyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drughttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfumehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursery_(horticulture)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_beetlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_welfarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibioticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormoneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organismshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organismshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_materialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerealhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_dyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drughttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfumehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursery_(horticulture)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_beetlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture#cite_note-3


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lands to the west. 4y 5678 one traveller wrote, /9astern :irginia appeared to have

suffered the ravages of a great war or an attack by another horseman of the

Apocalypse. % traveled for 78 miles on horseback and could find nothing but

abandoned farms and plantations with buildings in decay and fields overgrownwith nettles and brush. &other ature is reclaiming that which for 188 years has

been giving food and clothing to man./

Agricultural -evolution. The mid#5688s began an era of great change in American

agriculture, influenced by the 4ritish agricultural revolution, which brought

advances in cultivation methods, breeding of improved crop varieties, and use of

fertili'ers and crop rotations to maintain soil productivity.


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discovered that water diverted to gold mining sluices produced lush plant growth

in the desert.


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The written history of agriculture in India dates back to the -igveda , written

about 5588 4


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about D5 kilograms of wheat and 68 kilograms of rice for every member of %ndian

population in 1855.

http BBen.wikipedia.orgBwikiBAgricultureIinI%ndia BBagriculture in india

This is a very specious argument that is being made. Fata from World 4ank shows

that around >8.3 percent of %ndia$s land area is agricultural land. The bank defines

agricultural land as Jshare of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and

under permanent pastures.K

%n fact %ndia has the second largest agricultural land in the world. As %ndia 4rand

9quity !oundation, a trust established by the &inistry of


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A report in &int using 1853 data from the !ood and Agricultural rgani'ation

points out J%ndia produces 58>.5@ million tonnes of rice a year from million

hectares of land. ThatLs a yield rate of 1. tonnes per hectare, placing %ndia at 1Dth

place out of D countries. hectare in 1858#55 from 1.61 hectare in 5@D8#D5.K

The shrinking si'e of the average land holding of an %ndian farmer has held back agricultural productivity and there is not much that can be done about this.

=ractices in agriculture

http://origin-www.livemint.com/Opinion/nw9JKiPrDPpqCuWfmoibPN/Indias-agricultural-yield-suffers-from-low-productivity.html?utm_source=copyhttp://origin-www.livemint.com/Opinion/nw9JKiPrDPpqCuWfmoibPN/Indias-agricultural-yield-suffers-from-low-productivity.html?utm_source=copy


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4y#products and wastes from agriculture pollute water, soil, and air. The use of

pesticides and fertili'ers in food production also produce a range of dangerous

pollutants. The waste from cattle, pigs, and other stock raise the level of nitrogen in

water supplies to unacceptable levels. Where the stubble of harvested crops are burned high levels of air pollution result

Agricultural production and animal farms often produce significant amounts of

waste, which, when it$s not effectively managed, can contribute to air and water

pollution. &any communities, especially those in developing countries, dump

sewage waste into the water system or directly on the streets. Without efficient

sanitation systems, this can pose direct health risks in a contaminated water supply

and ingested air particles

Environmental pollution

)ature

Human activities inevitably and increasingly introduce material and energy into the

environment; when that material or energy endangers or is liable to endanger man$s

health, his well#being or his resources, indirectly or directly, it is called a pollutant.

A substance may be considered a pollutant simply because it is in the wrong place,

at the wrong time, and in the wrong quantity


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=ollutants can affect man with direct effects such as acute effects from e posure to

a to ic pollutant reaching man through air, water or food; long#term effects due to

prolonged e posure to a pollutant at levels lower than those giving rise to overt

to ic effects; synergistic interaction between pollutants or between a pollutant andmalnutrition or disease; genetic effects that are manifested in future generations.

%ndirect effects on man may result from reduction of the food supply or

deterioration of the environment. (uch effects include damage to plants and

animals; disruption of ecological cycles such that a previously harmless species

becomes a pest; damage to the human habitat +air pollutants that destroy forests

and corrode buildings ; water pollutants that destroy the recreational value of

inland waters; alteration of the global climate +this is considered to be a future

threat

Air, water and food always contain, and always have contained, varying amounts

of $foreign$ matter, and in this sense the potential for pollution has always been

present. !urthermore, one of the most widespread and oldest forms of pollution is

that arising from contamination of the environment by pathogenic organisms. The present world#wide concern about pollution arises from the reali'ation that today$s

problems originate essentially from human activity and are very much greater in

magnitude and far more widespread than ever before. !or e ample, pesticides

sprayed in the tropics evaporate from the soil and turn up at hight concentrations in

the Arctic after condensing in the cold polar air

Incidence

The emissions of sulphur and nitrogen o ides and concentrations of atmospheric

o'one have increased, agricultural and industrial wastes have been accumulating,

lake acidification has taken place, forests and water quality have been declining.


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The volume of garbage and waste is constantly increasing, due in particular to

increases in population, changes in living habits, increases in packaging material

and increases in consumption. The capacity of waste and garbage disposal

installations has long been left far behind. Water resources are to an increasinge tent being polluted by the constantly growing volume of waste water from

households and industry. The river :istula, which flows through Warsaw, annually

disgorges into the 4altic (ea 7,888 tonnes of phosphorus, @8,888 tonnes of

nitrogen, 538 tonnes of oil, three tonnes of phenol and lead, as well as unknown

quantities of cadmium, mercury and 'inc

Technical progress and mechani'ation has in recent decades led to a rapid increase

in noise. About every fifth worker in )ermany is sub*ected to a noise level of @8

d4 or over. The atmosphere is being polluted by dust, smoke and e haust gases

from industry, motor vehicles and domestic heating. %n the former (oviet ?nion

fifty million people live in areas where the air pollution levels are 58 times the

minimum health standard. %n the ?rals the city of i'hny Tagil, for e ample,

industrial enterprises emit nearly D88,888 tons of poisonous substances into the air every year

Developing countries Although air, water and noise pollution are not yet matters of

primary concern in urban areas of developing countries, such problems will grow

more severe as these countries move toward their goals of economic development.

)enerally the devices and regulations presently in force to control pollution in

developed countries are not applied to industrial processes in developing countries

with equal efficiency or stringency. %n an effort to provide increased economic

well#being, environmental safeguards are neglected. Water supplies are not only

contaminated with human wastes, but grow increasingly to ic as they receive the

effluent from e panding industries. Air pollution increases with the material well#


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being of the urban population and emanates from power plants, industry, space

heating and the growing number of motor vehicles

laim

Three factors determine the magnitude and nature of the pollution problem,

whether at the local or global level the si'e of the human population; the rate of

production and consumption; and the level and use of technology. 4ut while the

total stress resulting from these factors is increasing, the capacity of the

environment to deal with their side effects is decreasing. %t is for this reason that

pollutants must be controlled. =ollution of one sort or another occurs throughout

human societies and the effects of any given pollutant are frequently the same

wherever they are felt. The present situation results principally from the unbridled

application of technology in industriali'ed countries. Feveloping countries,

however, are already encountering the same problems and are increasingly having

to deal with the same pollutants. Furing this century both population growth and

rapid industriali'ation have combined to poison the atmosphere; contaminate lakes,

rivers and even oceans; erode the soil; and destroy many forms of life in the

developed countries. =ollution cannot be contained within national boundaries.

Wind and rain, ocean currents, migrating birds and fish carry pesticides, inorganic

nitrogen fertili'er, oil, and atomic wastes to the far reaches of our planet

Types of Agriculture in india

Agro#ecology N

4roadly stated, it is the study of the role of agriculture in the world. %t is the study

of the relation of agricultural crops and environment. 5 Agro#ecology provides an


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interdisciplinary framework with which to study the activity of agriculture. %n this

framework, agriculture does not e ist as an isolated entity, but as part of an

ecology of conte ts. Agro#ecology draws upon basic ecological principles for its

conceptual framework.

(ustainable Agriculture N

(ustainable Agriculture refers to the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely,

without causing severe or irreversible damage to ecosystem health.1 Two key

issues are biophysical +the long#term effects of various practices on soil properties

and processes essential for crop productivity and socio#economic +the long#term

ability of farmers to obtain inputs and manage resources such as labor . (A

integrates three main goals environmental stewardship, farm profitability, and

prosperous farming communities.

?rban agricultureB =eri#urban agriculture N

?rban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food

in, or around +peri#urban , a village, town or city3 . ?rban farming is generally practiced for income#earning or food#producing activities though in some

communities the main impetus is recreation and rela ation. ?rban agriculture

contributes to food security and food safety in two ways first, it increases the

amount of food available to people living in cities, and, second, it allows fresh

vegetables and fruits and meat products to be made available to urban consumers.

rganic Agriculture N

rganic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils,

ecosystems and people . %t relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles

adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.


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rganic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the

shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all

involved.


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a blanket application. This technology saves money while holding or enhancing

yield output of the field. 9nvironmental pollution is also be reduced using this

method> . =recision agriculture uses %


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system, biodynamic farming includes organic agriculture$s emphasis on manures

and composts and e clusion of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants.

&ethods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal

and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of anastronomical sowing and planting calendar.


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*ood agricultural practice +)A= are specific methods which, when applied

to agriculture , create food for consumers or further processing that is safe and

wholesome. While there are numerous competing definitions of what methods

constitute good agricultural practice there are several broadly accepted schemesthat producers can adhere to.

!ood and agriculture organi'ation of the united nations )A=

The !ood and Agricultural rgani'ation of the ?nited ations +!A uses good

agricultural practice as a collection of principles to apply for on#farm production

and post#production processes, resulting in safe and healthy food and non#food

agricultural products, while taking into account economical, social and

environmental sustainability .

http BBen.wikipedia.orgBwikiB)oodIagriculturalIpracticeBB)ood agricultural

practice

9thics in agriculture

Ethics in our country are largely shaped by our culture. Society tells us what is

good and bad, right and wrong by facilitating, rewarding, or punishing certain

behavior. Although an individual ultimately has choice, the scope of that choice is

limited by our cultural boundaries.

(pecifically, our recent agricultural ethics have been largely defined by consumer demand for ine pensive food and the drive to ma imi'e economic profit. The

resulting ethics encourage industrial farming practices. Practices that, among

other things, eliminate a soil’s ability to produce food without massive chemical

and oil inputs while simultaneously exacerbating issues of top soil loss !ox, "ug,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_Agriculture_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_Agriculture_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture


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# $ru%elius, &'((), toxin coated food Pesticide *ction +etwor , &'(-), climate

change in, &'((), water pollution /ood and *griculture 0rgani%ation of the

1nited +ations, (223), oceanic dead %ones Environmental 4or ing 5roup, n.d.),

and farm wor er health and safety !enters for Disease !ontrol and Prevention,&'(&).

We are also in a new, technology based era and agriculture has changed

dramatically. When the ma*ority of farm work was done by hand, irrigated by

gravity systems, and planted with seeds saved from the previous year it was much

more difficult to do damage that nature could not quickly mend. ow that we have

surpassed those limitations with massive tractors, transgenic seeds, deep wells for

irrigation, and a plethora of highly toxic chemical sprays, an ecological,

agricultural ethic is even more imperative. We are capable of causing much greater

detrimental effect, and our culture has not yet evolved the necessary accompanying

ethics to manage these abilities responsibly. ThatLs where the new farming

movement comes in.

http://www.agrowingculture.org/20 !/0!/ethics-in-agriculture-the-necessary-

foundation-of-the-new-farming-movement-draft/

ase+0,

)ew -ertili&er .ethod /ses echnology to Improve Efficiency$ 1essen

Impacts

Across Asia, millions of rice farmers depend on urea fertili'er to meet the nitrogen

needs of the continentLs primary crop. &any farmers still spread urea into


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floodwaters to fertili'e rice. This is highly inefficient O about two#thirds of the

fertili'er is lost as greenhouse gas or becomes a groundwater pollutant.

?rea deep placement +?F= is a more efficient and environmentally responsible

method of fertili'ation. %!F< pioneered ?F= research and helped introduce it in

4angladesh in the 5@68s. ?F= technology has since been spread to other countries

in Asia, including 6,888 metric tons +mt annually. ?F= farmers had

additional annual net returns of P566Bha.

?F= use reduced 4angladeshLs urea imports in 1886 by 78,888 mt, saving P11

million in fertili'er imports and P5 million in government subsidies. ?F=

generated an additional @.7 days of labor per hectare O almost .> million

additional days of labor. &ore importantly, the additional rice has made 5.7 million

more 4angladeshis food#secure.

The 4angladesh )overnment began e panding ?F= technology this year to 1.@

million more farm families on 5.7 million ha. 4y 1855, rice production is e pected

to increase by almost 5 million mt, ensuring food security for an additional .1

million 4angladeshis.

http://www.ifdc.org/http://www.ifdc.org/


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The ?F= technology not only improves farmersL productivity and income, but the

need for urea also creates employment opportunities. %!F< engineers developed a

simple machine to mold urea into briquettes, and helped establish village#level

businesses to manufacture and distribute the machines. early 1,788 urea briquettemachines are now in use across 4angladesh.

All farmers seek gains in efficiency and productivity, but nowhere is the need

greater than in Africa. 4ecause farmers worldwide face many of the same

problems, a group of African farmers, scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs and

e tension workers visited 4angladesh to see ?F= use first#hand. As a result, the

?F= technology is being introduced in 4urkina !aso, &adagascar, &alawi, &ali,

iger, igeria, -wanda, (enegal and Togo.

:isiting ?F= rice fields in iger, Bnew#fertili'er#methodB

unethical agriculture practices

http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/csr-africa/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/csr-asiapacific/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/csr-asiapacific/bangladesh/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/subjects/css-tools/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/subjects/css-tools/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/explore/news/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/principles/principle-3-build-local-access/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/principles/principle-6-prioritise-research-imperatives/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/principles/principle-6-prioritise-research-imperatives/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/subjects/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/portals/agriculture-topic/http://www.farmingfirst.org/2009/06/new-fertilizer-method/http://www.farmingfirst.org/2009/06/new-fertilizer-method/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/csr-africa/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/csr-asiapacific/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/csr-asiapacific/bangladesh/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/subjects/css-tools/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/subjects/css-tools/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/explore/news/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/principles/principle-3-build-local-access/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/principles/principle-6-prioritise-research-imperatives/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/principles/principle-6-prioritise-research-imperatives/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/regions/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/case-studies/subjects/http://www.farmingfirst.org/category/portals/agriculture-topic/http://www.farmingfirst.org/2009/06/new-fertilizer-method/http://www.farmingfirst.org/2009/06/new-fertilizer-method/


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an agricultural practices are ethical until they did not cause any harm to the human

life or to the environment while these practices related to the agriculture used by

the farmers are used to produce more the produce only then these are unethical

practices that have a nagetive impact to the social environment as well as thehuman health .these type of unethical practices can result in significant impacts to

lakes, streams and groundwater. Water flowing over agricultural land, whether

from rain, irrigation or flooding, carries pollutants to the nearest water body.

This water can also seep into the ground, leaching pollutants into ground water.

(ometimes the ground acts as a filter, taking pollutants out of the water as it travels

through. 9ventually, though, many of the pollutants can reach a surface water body.

Agricultural pollutants that are carried to the water via runoff can include

sediment, pesticides, fertili'ers, bacteria, oils, grease and solvents. The result can

be that elevated levels of suspended solids +that carry pollutants or clog valuable

gravel habitat , nitrogen and phosphorus, synthetic organic chemicals +often to ic

and bio#accumulative and heavy metals are found in the receiving waters.

=oor agricultural practices that can contribute to impairment of water bodies

include removal of protective vegetative riparian buffers, e cessive or detrimental

pesticide and fertili'er application, lack of soil conservation, wetland destruction,

e cessive or wasteful irrigation and poor maintenance of farm equipment.

http BBwww.rivernetwork.orgBpoor#agricultural#practices#and#runoff BBpoor

agriculture practices

http://www.rivernetwork.org/poor-agricultural-practices-and-runoffhttp://www.rivernetwork.org/poor-agricultural-practices-and-runoff


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"odern #gricultural $ractices: # dilemma of farmer and farm wor%er&s health

in cash crop 'one in the "aharashtra (tate.

This study had been conducted in the four villages of cash crop area at (hirol

tehsil, Qolhapur district in &aharashtra (tate. =esticides like 9ndosulfan,

&etho ychlor, "indane and Ficofol from rganochlorine category are commonly

found in the study areas. rganochlorine group pesticide was used widely in the

?.(. from 5@>8Ls to 5@D8Ls; this impart acutely to ic and very persistent pollutants

in the environment. %n this category many pesticides are proven to carcinogen,

reproductive to icants or both3 . (ome rganophosphates group pesticides were

found to be used in the study area, these are &alathion, &ethyl parathion,


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present investigation. The low level of education of pesticide users are coupled

with lack of formal training in handing and applying pesticide. The most important

fact is that some of these pesticides manufacturers do not give more adequate

pesticide handling and precautionary information on the label. This has led to theto ic effect of the pesticides on farmers and farm workers. !or more detail

investigation of pesticide ha'ards, the pesticide ha'ards not only related with user

but indirectly with, millions of buyers.

file BBB< B?sersB A= "%A BFownloadsB-eprintI=esticidefarmerhealth#libre

E18+5 .pdf BB 4hatter


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which had earlier been grown as a mi ture with food crops now had to be grown as

a monoculture, with higher vulnerability to pests, disease, drought and crop failure.

!ifth, &onsanto started to subvert %ndiaLs regulatory processes and, in fact, started

to use public resources to push its non#renewable hybrids and )& s through so#called public#private partnerships +=== .

%n 5@@7, &onsanto introduced its 4t technology in %ndia through a *oint#venture

with the %ndian company &ahyco. %n 5@@D#@6, &onsanto started open field trials

of its )& 4t cotton illegally and announced that it would be selling the seeds

commercially the following year. %ndia has rules for regulating )& s since 5@6@,

under the 9nvironment =rotection Act. %t is mandatory to get approval from the

)enetic 9ngineering Approval


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An internal advisory by the agricultural ministry of %ndia in Ganuary 1851 had this

to say to the cotton#growing states in %ndia C J


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&onsanto is now e tending its patents to conventionally bred seed, as in the case

of broccoli and capsicum, or the low gluten wheat it had pirated from %ndia which

we challenged as a biopiracy case in the 9uropean =atent office.

http BBwww.globalresearch.caBthe#seeds#of#suicide#how#monsanto#destroys#

farmingB731@@ D


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While most of the wheat straw is used as dry fodder for cattle, only a small part of paddy straw is utilised in generating power at biomass thermal plants. Theremaining is set on fire in the fields. wing to high silica content, paddy strawcannot be directly fed to animals, he adds.

The department is also creating awareness among farmers on how to manage paddy straw without burning it.%t has been officially stated that the burning of paddy straw residue causes soilnutrient loss ## 3.67 million tonne of organic carbon; 7@,888 tonne nitrogen, 18,888tonne phosphorus and 3 ,888 tonne of potassium ## besides severely affecting thequality of ambient air.

A government report reads /The nutrient content of the soil is adversely affected.(traw carbon, nitrogen and sulphur are completely burnt and lost to the atmosphere

in the process of burning./ These nutrients then have to be replenished throughorganic or inorganic fertilisers, which come at a cost.

A study conducted by the ational -emote (ensing Agency indicated that paddy burning in =un*ab contributed 1>5 giga gm +5 gg 5,888 tonne of carbon monodio ide, [email protected] gg of nitrogen o ide, and other gases to the atmosphere.

=un*ab Agricultural ?niversity +=A? , "udhiana, has estimated that total cropresidue +paddy and wheat contained > million tonnes of carbon, which on burningcould produce 11 million tonnes of carbon dio ide. pen burning of residue in the

fields kills micro flora and fauna beneficial to soil and removes a large portion ofthe organic material, thereby depleting the organic matter in the fields.

n the other hand, the suspended particulate matter in the air coming from thesmoke aggravated chronic heart diseases and lung ailments, besides causingrespiratory problems such as asthma.

Highlighting the measures suggested by the agriculture department to address theissue, Fr Amrik (ingh, agriculture development officer, said that farmers shouldincorporate paddy straw in the soil with the help of mould bold plough or rotavator or disc harrows which improve the soil health.

He also said that direct sowing of wheat without removing the paddy straw fromthe fields by using a specially designed /happy seeder/ and using straw to generate

power is also a best option for management of paddy straw.


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http+77www hindustantimes com7amritsar7despite ban farmers continueburning wheat paddy straw7article, ,2"9::, aspxwheat straw burning in gurdaspur =un*ab

what has gone wrong with green revolution

(ome decades ago, =un*ab was feted as the food bowl of the country, where wheat,sugarcane and paddy grew in lush, fertili'er#rich farms. Today, the (tate stands asan e ample of what has gone wrong with the )reen -evolution. J!rom a (tate offive rivers, activists say it has become be#aab +without any rivers . Thegroundwater levels have reached an alarming stage,K says Qavitha Quruganti,

convenor, Alliance for (ustainable and Holistic Agriculture +A(HA .JWhen a house is in flames, you will use any water, even sewage, to douse theflames. ThatLs how fertilisers came in when we faced food shortage. 4ut, now wehave enough stock of grains. Why do we continue to poison our fieldsUK asksorganic farmer &adhu -amakrishnan.

JVou eat cornflakes thinking youLre doing your body a lot of good. Have you paused to wonder if the corn has been imported from the ?.(. or ArgentinaU &ostof that corn is genetically modified,K said -. (elvam, coordinator of the Tamil

adu rganic !armers !ederation speaking about )enetically#&odified +)&crops.

All three speakers, along with organic pioneer ). ammalvar, president :anagam,were present at a recent symposium organised by the Fepartment of )eography,

irmala


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&adhu, who has been an organic farmer for 57 years, said the time is ripe to lookat farming from a different perspective. 4esides focussing only on harvest andgrowth, we should also learn to en*oy what ature gives us voluntarily, he said.J(adly, many farmers today donLt know farming.K

-. (elvam spoke about farmer suicides, failing crops, dependence on & 8. (he said how tested blood samplesrevealed the presence of si to 53 different pesticides.

(he added, J4y viewing the farm as a factory with inputs and outputs, we havedone away with agriculture that was integrated with ature.K (he e plained how

gynaecologists found that in many villages of =un*ab, an increasing number ofwomen have had spontaneous abortions in the past 58 years.

5ustainable farming

Qavitha said it is time we shifted to a more sustainable agriculture C where milletsare cultivated, stored and distributed locally. %t is vital to speak to the youth, shesaid, because even if five per cent of them developed interest in this kind offarming, it would make a world of difference, at least in the ne t generation.

JWe have produced more and perished,K she said. %n =un*ab, in the &alwa belt,kids have turned grey and girls reach menarche at the age of eight,K she pointedout.

;hat is agriculture


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Agriculture, she said, should serve many purposes, including issues such asfarmersL income, protection of resources and diversity, quality and safety of food.J%t should be farming, where the focus is not productivity. And, agriculture thatgives farmers a sense of confidence and social status.K

)y viewing the farm as a factory with inputs and outputs* we have done awaywith agriculture that was integrated with +ature

,avitha ,uruganti* #( #

http BBwww.thehindu.comBtodays#paperBtp#featuresBtp#metroplusBa#world#of#

differenceBarticle3@3D83>.ece

Agriculture +encompassing farming, gra'ing, and the tending of orchards,

vineyards and timberland is the production of food, feed, fiber and other goods by

the systematic raising of domesticated plants and animals.

Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of

e act, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and

understanding of agriculture.

The term )ood Agricultural =ractices can refer to any collective )A=s related to

animal production, health and welfare

= >espect of animal well being ?freedom from hunger and thirst@ freedom

from discomfort@ freedom from pain$ in4ury or disease@ freedom to express

normal behavior@ and freedom from fear and distress

= Avoid non therapeutic mutilations$ surgical or invasive procedures$ such as

tail docBing and debeaBing@ Avoid negative impacts on landscape, environment and life contamination of

land for gra'ing, food, water and air


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&inimi'e non#therapeutic use of antibiotics or hormones

= Avoid feeding animals with animal wastes or animal matter ?reducing the

risB of alien viral or transgenic genes$ or prions such as mad cow disease $

= .inimi&e transport of live animals ?by foot$ rail or road ?reducing the risBof epidemics$ e g $ foot and mouth disease

=revent waste run#off +e.g. nitrate contamination of water tables from pigs ,

nutrient loss and greenhouse gas emissions ?methane from cows

=refer safety measures standards in manipulation of equipment

Apply traceability processes on the whole production chain +breeding, feed,

medical treatment... for consumer security and feedback possibility in case of a

food crisis +e.g., dio in .

on of specific methods, which when applied to agriculture, produce results that are

in harmony with the values of the proponents of those practices. There are

numerous competing definitions of what methods constitute /)ood Agricultural

=ractices/, so whether a practice can be considered /good/ will depend on the

standards you are applying.

)ood Agricultural =ractices related to soil

= >educing erosion by wind and water through hedging and ditching

Application of fertili&ers at appropriate moments and in adeDuate doses ?i e $

when the plant needs the fertili&er $ to avoid run off ?see nitrogen balance

method

= .aintaining or restoring soil organic content$ by manure application$ use ofgra&ing$ crop rotation

-educe soil compaction issues +by avoiding using heavy mechanical devices

= .aintain soil structure$ by limiting heavy tillage practices

)ood Agricultural =ractices related to water


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= Cractice schedule irrigation$ with monitoring of plant needs$ and soil water

reserve status to avoid water loss by drainage

Crevent soil salini&ation by limiting water input to needs$ and recyclingwater whenever possible

= Crovide good water points for livestocB

Avoid crops with high water reDuirements in a low availability region

= Avoid drainage and fertili&er run off

&aintain permanent soil covering, in particular in winter to avoid nitrogen run#

of &anage carefully water table, by limiting heavy output of water

-estore or maintain wetlands

*enetic modified crops+

The Case for GMOsAccording to the GMO industry, there are many good reasonsto use GMOs:

• Reduced need for herbicides

•

Reduced need of pesticides• Reduced greenhouse emissions as GMOs require less

tillage or plowing, thus less use of fossil fuels• Ability to manipulate foods to increase desirable

components such as nutrients


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• Increased production of food for starving third world

countries

!hese are certainly worthwhile goals, and humans have beensuccessfully modifying the genetics of their food supply forcenturies

!he supporters assert that over a trillion GMO meals havebeen eaten, thus proving their safety !he problem, of course,is that the new technology is far di"erent from thehybridi#ation and selection methods used in the past

!he big question: $ Are GMOs safe? %

The European Union Consumer-Led Revolt

!he &' consumer(led revolt against GMOs was triggered in)ebruary *+++ when media coverage e ploded after top GMOsafety researcher, -r Arpad .us#tai was called to spea/before .arliament and went public with some very alarmingresearch results

-r .us#tai, a highly respected leader in the 0eld with 12

years employment at the Rowett Institute in 3cotland, hadbeen given a '4 government grant to design the long(termtesting protocols that were supposed to be part of the&uropean GM food safety assessment process 5hen .us#taifed rats genetically modi ed (GM) potatoes to produce a

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/genetically_modified_food_in_europehttp://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/genetically_modified_food_in_europe


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supposedly safe insecticide called the G6A lectin, all theanimals showed pre(cancerous cell growths, smaller brains,livers and testicles, partially atrophied livers, and damaged to

the immune system7with most changes appearing after 8ust*9 days

3ince other rats fed normal potatoes spi/ed with G6A lectin7even 99 times more G6A lectin than was present in the GMpotatoes7did not develop these problems, .us#tai;s resultsindicated that the problem lay with genetic engineering

process itself And that meant that all GM foods created fromthe same process, including those already on the mar/et,might produce unintended ill e"ects

What happens when researchersstep forward with their ndings?According to .us#tai, when he e pressed his concerns aboutGMO foods, he was 0red and threatened with a lawsuit if hediscussed his research the testing protocols were dropped, and acampaign was begun by pro(GM forces to discredit the study

!hen an invitation to testify before .arliament allowed .us#tai

to tell his story, and all hell bro/e loose ?y April *+++, theprotests of informed consumers had convincedmanufacturers that GMOs would not sell in the &', and allagreed to /eep GMOs out of their &uropean products, in spiteof o@cial approvals by a pro(GM &uropean ommission


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Americans Ill-Informed aboutGMOsIn the ' 3 , the .us#tai story got virtually no press, and the' 3 mainstream media has failed to discuss other datasuggesting GM foods may pose enormous health ris/s,including:

• A preliminary study from the Russian 6ational Academy

of 3ciences 0nding that more than half the o"spring ofmother rats fed GM soy died within three wee/s Bcomparedto +C from mothers fed natural soyD

• !he estimated *9,999 sheep that died in India within 2(

days of gra#ing on GM cotton plants engineered to producetheir own ?t(to in pesticide

• !he only human GM feeding study ever published, which

shows that the foreign genes inserted into GM food cropscan transfer into the -6A of our gut bacteria !his studygives new meaning to the adage, $Eou are what you eat %Fong after those GM corn chips you munched are history,your intestinal ora may still be churning out the $?t%pesticide GM corn plants have been engineered to

produce• How are GMOs created?• !he way GMOs are created disrupts the plant;s -6A in

unintended, potentially harmful ways In genetic


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engineering, a single gene is removed from oneorganism and forcibly inserted into another )irst,scientists identify the gene they want and analy#e its

sequence BIf the source gene is to be ta/en frombacteria, some of its sequence has to berearranged because bacteria produce certain aminoacids using a code di"erent from the one used byplantsD

• Other methods of GMO

insertion• One method employs a bacterium BAgrobacterium

tumefaciensD, which normally infects a plant by insertinga portion of its own -6A into the plant;s -6A and thencausing the plant to produce tumors Genetic engineersremove the tumor(creating section of this bacterium;s

-6A and replace it with the desired gene cassette, sothe bacterium $infects% the plants with the foreign genesinstead

• !he second method uses a gene gun 3cientists coatmillions of particles of tungsten or gold with genecassettes and blast them into millions of plant cells, onlya few of which incorporate the foreign gene cassette

• In either of the two delivery forms, the ne t step is theapplication of the antibiotic to which the gene cassetteconfers resistance Most of the plant cells die, but a few7 the ones in which the transgene has inserted 7 survive

!hese are developed into plants that researchers can


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duplicate by ma/ing clones through tissue culture orharvesting the seeds

• &ach plant grown from a gene insertion is unique

because where the transgene ends up integrating itselfinto the host -6A is uncontrolled and cannot bereproduced )or this reason, the possible consequencesto the plant;s -6A are di"erent with each insertion, soall plants developed from a speci0c insertion arecollectively referred to as an $event %

• In sum, genetic engineering arti0cially combines genes

from di"erent species and forcibly inserts them intoun/nown and random locations on the host genome !heprocedure, which disrupts the precise orchestration ofthousands of genes that has evolved over millennia inthe normal plant;s genome, is highly mutagenic 5e now/now that genes, li/e nutrients, do not wor/ singularly,but as part of highly integrated networ/s .lus itintroduces bacterial genes for drug resistance along withstrong promoters to e press the foreign proteins at highlevels in all parts of the plant

How to Go Non-GMO• Organic foods are not allowed to contain GM ingredients

&ven the small percentage of non(organic ingredientsallowed in foods labeled organic is not allowed to containGMOs

• If you are traveling to &urope, no worries, GMOs are

banned in &' foods In the 'nited 3tates and anada,


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however, GM foods are not only legal, but are unlabeled, soavoiding them can be challenging

• arefully read the label if purchasing prepared or

processed foods, vitamins, prepared or processed foods toma/e sure the main food additives are not included, suchas soy, corn and their derivatives

• Most generic vegetable oils and margarines used in

restaurants and in processed foods in 6orth America aremade from soy, corn, canola, or cottonseedHthe fourma8or genetically engineered crops Avoid these oils,unless they are organic or labeled non(GMO hoose anyother oil, e g , olive, sun ower, or sa ower

• hec/ the list of ingredients for GM en#ymes, additives,sweeteners, soy andJor corn derivatives Geneticallymodi0ed bacteria and fungi are used in the production ofen#ymes, vitamins, food additives, avorings and

processing agents in thousands of foods on the groceryshelves as well as health supplements

• )lavorings such as vanillin and hydroly#ed vegetable

protein, which is derived from corn and soy, can also comefrom GM sources Kanthan gum is another product thatmay be derived from a GM process

• Aspartame, the diet sweetener, is a product of genetic

engineering•


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from canola !his has shut down e ports of anadianhoney to &urope

•

Conclusion• 5hat the production of GMO crops and foods points to isa product that has #ero accountability, #ero safetytesting by the very agencies that are supposed to /eepthe public from harm, and the immeasurable unintendednegative consequences that GMO possess

• & cept for organic foods, the entire American food

supply has been systematically hi8ac/ed by chemicalcompanies, not bent on trying to feed the world> notproviding healthy alternatives, but rather for pro0ts thatthey reap from the chemicals that are used by thousandsof farmers that grow GMO crops

• !hese chemical companies have essentially created a

destructive product, from the degradation ofmicroorganisms in the soil, to the food we buy and eat .erhaps only in decades to come will we ever be able toreverse the damage that GMOs have caused In fact,unless GMOs and this technology isn;t /ept in chec/, thevery e istence of all species of living beings and ourplanet may be in 8eopardy for many future generationsto come

•

ontents


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Agriculture Meaning