CHAPTER 2 : THE TRANSFORMATION OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural transformation is the process by which individual farms shift from highly diversified, subsistence-oriented production towards more specialized production oriented towards the market or other systems of exchange (e.g., long-term contracts). The process involves a greater reliance on input and output delivery systems and increased integration of agriculture with other sectors of the domestic and international economies. Agricultural transformation is a necessary part of the broader process of structural transformation, in which an increasing proportion of economic output and employment are generated by sectors other than agriculture. Agriculture has evolved through many era which is the pre-historic era, middle ages and modern agriculture. 

PRE-HISTORIC ERA

Stone age   : This happened around 1 million years ago and it was also the             beginning of human evolution. Food source has become a major necessity during this era where humans started to become hunters.

Bronze age : Uses of metals were introduced as a tool of agriculture during this era. 

Iron age      : Development of steel tools and weapons which contains mainly iron.

Tigris-Euphrases Valley 

• THE MIDDLE AGES

 During the High Middle Ages, the culture saw a significant increase in arable land which was directly influencing the population, which was on the rise. People were settling down and agricultural production was sustaining more and more families. Much of the changes were due to the availability of arable land, technological advancements, and the transitions from a two field system to a three.

Technological advancements like mining for iron and trading it to areas that did not have it readily available were encouraging trade relations and geographical transition. Inventions like the carruca and the aratum made it possible to plow the land more efficiently, therefore allowing for faster growing and harvesting.

During the middle ages, they used a three or four crop rotation in their fields. The rotation might be wheat the first year, barley the next, and the third year the land would lay fallow with nothing growing in it.  The village or manor also had lands, which were known as the commons, where all the serfs or peasants could graze their animals. 

• THE MODERN ERA

The era of mechanized agriculture began with the invention of such farm machines as the reaper, the cultivator, the thresher and the combine. Other revolutionary innovations such as tractors continued to appear over the years leading to a new type pf large scaled agriculture.

The modern agriculture focuses more on highest yield production and economic profit. 

They practice a more mechanised farming by using extensive electronics, machineries, extensive use of chemicals and widespread using of clones and hybrids.

GREEN REVOLUTION

The Green Revolution refers to a set of research and development      of technology transfer initiatives. Today, green revolution has become a massive talk among all the nations because of various factors. Decreasement of fertile land and labour; increasement of food source due to high populations and trends towards environmental friendly practices contributes to this green revolution.

However, this revolution is capable of eliminating hunger,increasing global carrying capacity and technological knowlegde. 

TISSUE CULTURE

Tissue culture is the breeding of plants without the seeds to produce exact copies in large numbers. One of the advantages of tissue culture is producing new varities in a shorter period of time. Examples : orchid and pineapple

GENETIC ENGINEERING

Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. Advanced processing method and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are also introduced to improve yield and quality. With genetic engineering, most of the diseases and illnesses can easily be prevented through isolating the exact gene that causes them. There are also infectious diseases that can be treated with the use of genetic engineering. This is done by implanting the genes that are associated with antigen and antiviral proteins. The most desirable traits of certain organisms can be pin pointed and integrated into other organism’s DNA. Genetic engineering has the ability to increase the genetic diversity as well as produce variant alleles that can be implanted to other species. It is also possible to change the heredity of the wheat plants and grow insulin. Examples of GMO foods : corn, soy, potatoes, papaya. However, this can also leads to human allergies and unpredictable health affects.

 

Usage of chemicals and bioagents

To improve yield and it's quality, a lot of people prefer using pesticides and bioagents such as owl to control the population of owl in paddy fields.

Use of precision agriculture

New technologies such as GPS and satellites helps to collect informations from farms.

BLUE REVOLUTION

The term "blue revolution" refers to the remarkable emergence of aquaculture as an important and highly productive agricultural activity. Aquaculture refers to all forms of active culturing of aquatic animals and plants, occurring in marine, brackish, or fresh waters.