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INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE

A report presentation
in
Principles of Crop Science (Module1)
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A. Overview
As soon as humans began to form permanent settlements and
gave up wandering in search of food, agriculture was born.
The Latin roots of the word agriculture mean “cultivation of
the fields.” From the beginning, agriculture has included
raising both crops and livestock. At first, this new way of
providing food and other raw materials developed slowly. But,
because it made life much easier for many people, it became
the preferred way of supplying a basic human need. People
who worked at agriculture came to be called farmers.
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This module covers five major topics: Agricultural

development; Origin, domestication, and history of some
important crops; World food situation and center of
production; The Philippine agriculture setting; and The major
crops of the Philippines and their geographical distribution.
This will lead the learners to a deeper understanding about the
historical developments of agriculture and crop production.
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B. Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, the students are expected to;
1. Comprehend the concept of agricultural development;
2. Determine the origin, domestication, and history of some
important crops;
3. Find out the world food situation and center of production;
4. Understand the Philippine agriculture setting; and
5. Identify the major crops of the Philippines and their
geographical distribution
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C. Learning Plan
1. Agricultural Development
1.1. Agriculture
 Agriculture is the systematic raising of useful plants and
livestock under the management of man.
 Agriculture is a purposeful work through which the
elements of nature are harnessed to produce plants and
animals to meet human needs.  the broad industry engaged
in the production of plants and animals for food and fiber.
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C. Learning Plan
1.2. Developments of Agriculture
The development of agriculture arose from man‟s realization
of the difference between him and other forms of life.
 Pastoral stage. Hunting and fishing are the dominant means
for gathering food. Using randomly acquired weapons, man
lived on the gift of nature, gathering wild plants for their
medicinal, cosmetics as well as for their food value. For
communities near bodies of water, fishes are caught by hand.
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C. Learning Plan
Middle stone age (from 8,000 B.C.) This is characterized by (a)
use of bow and arrow; (b) catching, drying and storage of fish; and
(c) stored seeds, nuts and fruits.
 New stone age or neo-lithic age (food production revolution
started between 6,000 to 7,000 B. C.)
a. Discovery of the relation of seed to plant.
b. Domestication of plants and animals
c. Villages began to grow and man made the transition from
food collection to the deliberate raising of crops.
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C. Learning Plan
1.3. The Goal of Agriculture
The goal of agriculture has almost always been increased
production and decreased labor. In the early 1900s the
American farm, for example, was run by the muscles of people
and of draft animals. Today machines of great size and
complexity, some computerized, accomplish in hours what
took many of those people and animals days to complete.
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C. Learning Plan
2. Origin, Domestication and History of Some Important Crops
Mode of Living – the diet of man consisted mostly of the animals
that he hunted with occasional supplements from plant sources
(hunting and collectional economy). Subsequently his diet began
to change turning towards plants as food source.
Reason – associated with population pressures in his
environments (which were initially favorable for man and the
game he hunted). -- as the availability of game decreased
alternative food sources became imperative; so man looked
towards the vegetation which had been a feedstuff for many
animals and birds that he hunted.
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C. Learning Plan
Cushites - regarded as the first agriculturist, who not only
experimented with plants as a food source, but also attempted
their culture. They are believed to have been semi-nomadic,
establishing a community on burned land, planting their
gardens with stored seeds, and then experimenting with any
suitable local vegetation. After a period of cultivation, fertility
declined in the gardens, d the community having collected
suitable quantities of seeds, then travelled far distances to
anew predetermined site, and gain established a new
community. earliest domestication seems to have occurred in
the middle east.
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C. Learning Plan
Early man realized that in a vegetative diet he needed three
major components
a. Carbohydrates for energy
b. Protein for muscle development
c. Supplementaries to augment different types of proteins and
minerals.
From multitude of plants, two plant families had achieved
absolute dominance in regard to carbohydrate and protein
sources; Graminae (Poaceae) and the Leguminoceae
respectively. Indeed, all subsequent civilizations have since been
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C. Learning Plan
Carbohydrate Protein
The Americas -- maize + peanut
Africa -- sorghum + beans
The Middle East -- wheat, barley + beans
Asia -- rice + soybeans
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C. Learning Plan
Origin and Domestication of Some Important Crops
SOYBEAN (Glycine max) – is a member of the
Leguminoceae family. Beginning its history as a human food,
later developing as a hay and forage crop and finally as a
vegetable oil and protein source, it now occupies a position of
pre-eminence as the world’s largest source of oil.
Center of Origin - Asia (eastern half of China) where its close
relative and likely progenitor, Glycine ussuriensis (wild
soybean) is abundant.
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C. Learning Plan
3. Word Food Situation and Center of Production
Global Trends of Food Supply
World food producers:
1. Asia 45%
2. North and Central America 16.1%
3. Europe 15%
4. Africa 8.6%
5. South America 7.8%
6. Oceania 1.6% 7. Others 5.9
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C. Learning Plan
 World food production has exceeded population growth since the
1970s.
 1990-1999: The population of the world has increased by 13.5
percent, but world food production has grown even faster, by 20
per cent.
 The developing world is gradually catching up with richer
countries, wherein food supply has developed into costly
surpluses. The world produces enough food for the entire growing
population of our planet. (against the thesis of Robert Malthus)
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C. Learning Plan
 The green revolution in the 1960s: chemical fertilizers and
pesticides, biotechnology and high-yielding hybrid varieties
of cereals.
 The problem of distribution: more than 800 million people
still suffers from severe malnutrition today.
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C. Learning Plan
 Centers of Early Agriculture
The transition from food
gathering to food producing
began in various parts of the
world at about the same time
– southwest and Southeast
Asia, middle America, and
western South America.
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C. Learning Plan
i. Southwestern Asia – archeological evidence showed that
agriculture villages existed about 8,000 to 9,000 B.C. in an area
known as the fertile crescent
ii. Egypt – basic agricultural ideas spread from SW asia into
Egypt before 4,500 B.C. Flood from the nile river made farming
along its banks productive. Production practices like land
preparation, irrigation, and pruning were introduced.
iii. Europe – the basic pattern of plant domestication which was
imported from Asia minor before 6,000 B.C. further developed.
The greek devoted their genius to botany and this aided the
transition to scientific agriculture.
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C. Learning Plan
iv. Africa – south of the coastal strip of Africa received the
earliest crops by diffusion along the Nile river.
v. Southern Asia – first crops spread overland from Iraq and
Iran in SA about 3,000 B.C.
vi. Central Asia – wheat and barley farming pattern was
establish and spread overland trough iran.
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C. Learning Plan
vii. Eastern Asia – diffusion of SW Asia wheat complex by
mainland diffusion. Root crops like yams, and taro, bananas,
bamboo, sorghum, soybean and rice are native to tropical far
east region. Agriculture flowed from china and Thailand to
Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines.
 Plowing in china probably started before the Han dynasty
(202 B.C. to 220 A.D.). Horses were used for plowing around
100 B.C. After the invention of the whore collar by the
Chinese.
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C. Learning Plan
viii. Japan adopted rice farming from china via Korea but
Northern Japan remained as hunting and fishing area. In the
12th century, tea was introduced to Japan by the Chinese.
ix. Southeast Asia – Agriculture consisted of growing various
root crops Indigenous plants in each are may have diffused
from china, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Celon and The
Philippines. Many crops may have been interchanged with
other crops such as spices and dye plants.
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C. Learning Plan
x. Oceania – agriculture in New Guinea and pacific Island
remained somewhat primitive until modern times. Crops are taro,
yams, coconut stems from the sugarcane, mangoes, breadfruit
boottle gourd and melons.
xi. The Americans – North and south America agriculture stems
from the domestication of indigenous American plants.
xii. Southern Mexico – first center of New World Agriculture.
xiii. South America – focal area for some major domestication.
The tropical forest lowlands of South America developed
Agriculture based on root crops like sweet potato, cassava, peanut,
also raised gourds, pineapple, tobacco, dyestuff, beans and cotton
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C. Learning Plan
4. THE PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE
Stages of Development of the Philippine Agriculture
Pre-colonial period. Indo-Malayan migrants brought with them
wet rice agriculture and carabao was also used as source of
animal power for cultivation. This type of agriculture
predominated near bodies of water like rivers and lakes. Slash-
and-burn kaingin culture or nonplow farming predominated in
other areas. This indicated shifting agriculture rather than
sedentary type of rice culture and the tribe were mainly
nomadic.
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C. Learning Plan
Main crops consisted of rice, gabi, yams, bananas, corn, millet,
coconuts, citrus, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
No Agricultural specialization existed. The pattern of
Agriculture was chiefly subsistence. Farm were small, chiefly
backyard in coastal and riverbank settlements.
Most barangays were self-sufficient. Land was abundant and
population was estimated to be about 500,000 by the mid- 16th
century. Private land ownership did not exist.
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C. Learning Plan
During this period absence of food surpluses were attributed
to:
1. Absence of full-blown ruling class who could exploit
producers for surplus.
2. Limited foreign trade
3. Food scarcity in some settlements
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C. Learning Plan
Colonial period. This period introduced a non- producing class for
which Filipinos produced surpluses, leading o an increase in
agricultural production. Plant introduce include: mulberry, cocoa,
wheat, cucumber, cantaloupe, watermelon, coffee, new varieties of
cereals, peas, wheat and other vegetables. The development of
haciendas allowed for the introduction of technological
innovations in production and processing. e.g. steam or hydraulic-
powered sugar mills .
March 6, 1909 – the college of Agriculture was founded in Los
Banos as a unit of the University of the Philippines (UPLB).
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C. Learning Plan
Post–war period. This is characterized by the following.
 Introduction of technological improvements.
 Campaign for use of modern farm inputs and farm mechanization
in 1950s.
 Establishment of the International Rice research Institute.
 Introduction of high yielding rice varieties
 Further development and expansion of international agricultural
trading especially for coconut and its by-products, tobacco, sugar,
pineapple, etc.
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C. Learning Plan
Problems of Philippine Agriculture
Although the wide agroclimatic conditions allows the
production of crops all year round there are certain constrains
to production which may be categorized as:
Physical Climate – typhoons, drought Soil – loss of top soil
due to erosion particularly in sloppy areas
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C. Learning Plan
Biological
 Insect pest
 Weeds
 Disease pathogens
 Physiological disorders such as nutrient deficiencies and
nutrient toxicities like heavy metals found in the mine
tailing
 Genetic makeup of different crops
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C. Learning Plan
Socio – economic
Family profile – low farm income
Community profile – inadequate support services for
optimum production.
Government support – Inadequate incentives for efficient
and effective agricultural production. For instance, inadequate
farm to market roads and absence of postharvest and
irrigation facilities.
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C. Learning Plan
Philippine Agricultural Situation
Philippines as an Agricultural Country
 Composed of small farms
 Humid tropical climate and variable weather
 Varying topographies and soil types
 Diverse flora and fauna: and
 A mélange (mixture) of cultures in numerous communities
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C. Learning Plan
Crop agriculture and land Use in the Philippines
 14.60 M ha (49%) = Suitable for Agriculture
 Crop are = 13 M ha  Cropping Intervals and cropping
Index – 1.26
 Physical areas – 10,299 M ha
 More than 80% of agricultural area is planted to three
 Major crops: Rice, Corn, Coconut
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C. Learning Plan
Transition Period of Philippine Agriculture
Pre-Colonial Subsistence
Spanish Regime Export Crop Hacienda System
Production Tenurial System Define
American Regime Intensified Free Trade Export Raw Materials Land Registration Act

Post Independence Development Programs Import raw materials & Land reform Act
Processed Products
Green Revolution HYVs and High production Technologies
Globalization Era GATT Trade Liberalization AFMA
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C. Learning Plan
Characteristics of Philippine Agriculture
 Generally Small Scale
 Dependent on human labor
 Farmers are heterogeneous: commercial, semi-commercial
subsistence and landless farm workers
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C. Learning Plan
Philippine Agriculture R & D
 Public investment in agricultural research is only 0.03
percent of agricultural GVA. Lowest in East Asia and less
than third of WB recommends for poor countries.
 Average rate of returned is about 40% ---- much higher than
other investments in agricultural development like
infrastructure.
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C. Learning Plan
Contribution of Agricultural Sector to Economy
 Main driver of economic growth in the country. Agricultural
sector contributes about 22% to the country‟s GNP.
 About 50% of total labor force is involved in agricultural
activities.
 About 1/3 income derived comes from agriculture trades
processors retailers and other groups.
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C. Learning Plan
 Country’s small scale commodity production by subsistence
and semi-commercial farmers cultivating an area of 1.5 ha
comprising 2/3 of the landowning population. Land holding
of these small farmers account for 1/5 of the total farm areas.
 Poor rice farmers join the landless peasant population in
toiling on large landholdings comprising at least 75% of the
total farm area controlled by 1/5 of the landholding
population.
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C. Learning Plan
Agriculture and Poverty
 In the year 2000 rural poverty worsened by 1.5% to 41.4%
(from 39.9 in 1997)
 Rate of malnutrition among children age 6 to 10 years old is
at 40.4 %
 Annual poverty threshold (for food and non-food needs) had
increased.
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C. Learning Plan
Why Filipinos are poor?
 Severe inequality of income and assets- worsened by the
inequality of access to education, health care and other social
services such as safe drinking water.
 The wealthiest fifth of our people are 10x richer than the
poorest fifth
 Rural people are poorest because the urban poor have better
access to social service.
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C. Learning Plan
Philippine Agriculture SWOT
S – Strength
W- Weaknesses
O – Opportunities
T - Threats
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C. Learning Plan
Strength of Philippine Agriculture
 Agriculture provide a total output GDP of about 22% positive
 Provide direct and indirect employment to about 12.5 M
families 5.1M are into farming
 Food security remains to be lifeline of the country priority
attention of the government
 Agriculture mother of all industries  Raw materials
processing local/export markets
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C. Learning Plan
 Raw materials processing local/export markets
 Land assets still valuable possession for futures security
 Farming remains to be noble human undertaking and
profession
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C. Learning Plan
Weakness of Philippine Agriculture
 Low adoption rate of component technologies/whole systems
technological deficiencies/weak extension/etc
 Heavy dependence on imported inputs
 Multiple problems
A – Physical- climate(rainfall, T sunshine duration) soil
fertility (top soil erosion, etc.)
B – Biological- pest, disease, weeds physiological disorders
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C. Learning Plan
C – Socioeconomic - low farm income -inadequate
support service(farm) - inadequate incentives for agricultural
production(input price/price of product)
 Essentially monoculture based designed of dominant crops
key production area
 Export raw materials import finished products
(underdeveloped processing segments) Presence of
middlemen in the farms
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C. Learning Plan
Opportunities of Philippine Agriculture
 Diverse agro-environmental diverse cropping/farming
system.
 Wide variety of climate and soil that allows production of a
wide variety of crops:
Foods staple crop
Fruit orchard
Aesthetic/ornamentals
Agri-aquaculture
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C. Learning Plan
Whole year round growing period for essentially crop-based
agriculture 10
 Sunshine duration (11 – 13 hrs)
 Temperature (24 – 32 C)
 Rainfall (2.400 – 4.000 mm/year)
 Soil which are fertile suitable for agricultural production
Alluvial soil rich in K and Mg
Young fertile soil in flood plains
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C. Learning Plan
 Farming families (about 5.1 M)engage in various
agricultural related activities
 Family based small farm labor intensive provided
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C. Learning Plan
Threats of Philippine Agriculture
 Globalization/import liberalization
- Influx of cheap imports displace local markets and locally
produced materials
- Uncompetitive small farms selling/mortgaging their
lands
- Erratic rainfall pattern El Niño, La Niña
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C. Learning Plan
Only 1.3 M ha irrigated
Deforestation watershed dysfunction of holding
water 5.4 M ha remaining (about 18%) vary below 40%
critical level
 Introduction of saline water when water table pumps for
domestic/irrigation purposes.
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C. Learning Plan
5. MAJOR CROPS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THEIR
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
Shows the geographic distribution of some of the major
horticultural and agronomic crops of the country. The areas in
which crops are listed are ranked among the first five regions
producing the crop in question.
CAR
Vegetables – Potato, Cabbage
Cut flowers – Anthurium, Chrysanthemum, Roses, Gladiolus
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C. Learning Plan
REGION 1- ILOCOS REGION
Field crop – Mungo, Rice, Tobacco
Vegetables – Eggplant, Tomato, Garlic, Peanut
Fruits – Mango
REGION II – CAGAYAN VALLEY
Field crops – Mungo, Rice, Corn
Vegetables – Onion, Garlic
Fruits – Mango, Calamundin, Banana, Pineapple Ornamentals
– Gladiolus
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C. Learning Plan
REGION III – CENTRAL LUZON
Field crops – Mungo, Rice
Vegetables – Onion, Eggplant, Tomato, Garlic, Cabbage
Fruits – Calamundin, Mango
Others – Sugarcane
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C. Learning Plan
REGION IV – SOUTHERN TAGALOG
Field crops – Rice, Peanut, Sweet potato
Vegetables – Garlic, Eggplant, Tomato, Onion
Fruits – Calamundin, Mango, Lanzones, Pineapple,
Pomelo
Ornamentals – Gladiolus, Orchids
Others – Coconut, Sugarcane, Coffee
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C. Learning Plan
REGION V – BICOL REGION
Field crops – Sweet potato, Cassava
Vegetables – Garlic Fruits – Calamandin, Pineapple, Pili
Ornamentals – Chrysanthemum
Others – Abaca, Coconut
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C. Learning Plan
REGION VI – WESTERN VISAYAS
Field crops – Mungo, Rice, Peanut
Vegetables – Onion, Eggplant, Tomato, Garlic
Fruits – Mango, Banana, Calamundin
Ornamentals – Orchids, Roses, anthuriums, Foliage
Others – Sugarcane, Coffee
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C. Learning Plan
REGION VII – CENTRAL VISAYAS
Field crops – Sweet potato, Corn, Cassava, Mungo, Peanut
Vegetables – Cabbage, Potato, Eggplant, Tomato
Fruits – Mango
Ornamentals – Rose, Gladiolus, Chrysanthemum, Orchids
Others – Sugarcane
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C. Learning Plan
REGION VIII – EASTERN VISAYAS
Field crops – Sweet potato, Cassava
Vegetables – Onion
Ornamentals – Ilang-Ilang
Others – Abaca
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C. Learning Plan
REGION IX – WESTERN MINDANAO
Field crops – Cassava
Ornamentals – Orchids
Others – Coconut, Rubber
REGION X – EASTERN MINDANAO
Fruits – Pineapple
Ornamentals – Chrysanthemums, Roses, Foliage plants
Others – Vanilla
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C. Learning Plan
REGION XI – SOUTHERN MINDANAO
Field crops – Corn
Vegetables – Potato Fruits – Banana, Mango, Pomelo
Ornamentals – Chrysanthemums, Roses
Others – Coconut, Coffee, Abaca
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C. Learning Plan
REGION XII – CENTRAL MINDANAO
Fields crops – Corn Vegetables – Potato
Fruits – Banana, Durian
Ornamentals – Gladiolus, Rose, Cut foliage
Others – Coconut
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C. Learning Plan
ARMM
Field crops – Cassava
Fruits – Durian, Pomelo
Others – Coconut
CARAGA
Field crops – Corn
Fruits – Banana, durian
Others – Coconut, Abaca
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D. Feedback
1. Write down the terms and concepts which are not clear to
you or you simply do not understand.
2. How did you find the lessons? Are they interesting or not?
Did you find difficulty in learning the lessons? If so, which
part of the lesson and why?
3. What have you learned in this module?
4. Which part of the lesson gets you interested?
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C. Suggested Readings and Video Clips
 Modernizing Philippine Agriculture & Fisheries: The AFMA
Implementation Experience (Dy, Rolando, 2008)
 Exploring AgriScience (Herren & Rey, 2011)
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C. References/Sources
 http//www.fao.org/woldfoodsituation/en/ 
http://psa.gov.ph/content/major-crops-statistics-philippines-
regional-and-provincial
 Psa.gob.ph. Selected statistics on agriculture. 2018
 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Agriculyure
 TITH Seyla, Master in Economics.(seyla.tith@gmail.com)
 http://www.da.gov.ph/history/
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