13/10/2018
AGRICULTURE
A.
Definition of Agriculture
3 Stages of Agriculture Development
By: Eva Rose P. Villaruel
Stage I: Subsistence Farming
 Subsistence farming, form of farming in which nearly all
of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the
farmer and the farmer’s family, leaving little, if any,
surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural
peoples throughout the world have traditionally practiced
subsistence farming. Some of these peoples moved from
site to site as they exhausted the soil at each location. As
urban centres grew, agricultural production became more
specialized and commercial farming developed, with
farmers producing a sizable surplus of certain crops,
which they traded for manufactured goods or sold for
cash.
 Agriculture is the cultivation of land and breeding of animals and 3 Stages of Agricultural
plants to provide food, fiber, medicinal plants and other products to
sustain and enhance life.
Development
 Agriculture includes farming in all its branches and among other
things includes the cultivation and tillage of the soil, dairying, the
production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any agricultural
or horticultural commodities, the raising of livestock or poultry, and 1. Ancient – Hunting & Gathering
any practices performed by a farmer on a farm as an incident to or in
conjunction with some farming operations, but does not include the
manufacturing or processing of sugar, coconuts, abaca, tobacco,
2. Traditional
pineapples or other farm products. 3. Modern
Example of Subsistence Farming Stage II: Transition to Mixed and
Diversified Farming:
 Subsistence farming may be shifting farming or nomadic herding (see
 Mixed farming is the combining of two independent
nomadic people). Examples: A family has only one cow to give milk
only for that family. A farmer grows only enough wheat to make bread agricultural enterprises on the same farm. A typical case
for his or her family. of mixed farming is the combination of crop enterprise
with dairy farming or in more general terms, crop
cultivation with livestock farming.
 Mixed farming may be treated as a special case
of diversified farming.
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Examples of Mixed Farming: Stage III: From Diverse to Specialization/ EXAMPLES:

Modern and Commercial Farming:

 Examples of mixed animal systems include chicken-fish production
where chicken dung serves as fish fodder. In a diversified system
some components exist as independent units. ... Among other
benefits, this technology also allows farmers to grow fodder for
livestock and poultry.
 Commercial agriculture is a large-scale production of  Mixed crop and livestock.
crops for sale, intended for widespread distribution to  Dairy farming.
wholesalers or retail outlets. In commercial farming crops  Grain farming.
such as wheat, maize, tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew,  Livestock ranching.
rubber, banana, cotton are harvested and sold in the  Mediterranean agriculture.
world markets.  Commercial gardening and fruit farming.