Challenges of Agriculture Sector in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a densely populated country. Most of the population of this country has to depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Moreover, the population is still growing fast. So the agriculture sector will have to face a lot of challenges in the near future. The major challenges are given below:

1. The cultivable land, water and climatic gifts are decreasing every day, but the population is increasing. So agricultural productivity has to be increased for the growing vast population by making proper use of limited resources. The maintenance of land quality and overall environment after increasing production will be a big challenge for Bangladesh in near future.
2. The productivity of Bangladesh is low compared to other developed countries both in crop and non-crop sectors. The farm level productivity can be increased through technical improvement and yield gap can be reduced thorough effective extension services. But the proper technology is not coming due to lack of budgetary allocations for research facilities and incentives to scientists. So, budget should be increased for research and extension for the development of agriculture in this country.
3. Agriculture is now in semi-commercial level. In the era of globalization, it should be concentrated on the needs as the farmers can take part in the international market by growing high value crops. For this, they have to give better access to credit, insurance facility and other agricultural services timely. Ensuring these facilities might a challenge in Bangladesh.
4. Bangladesh is now a self-sufficient country in rice production. This status is achieved by stimulating the production growth of rice over the last few years. It is anticipated that although the availability of inputs like land and water is decreasing with time, but the production of rice will have to be increased in future due to increased population. The trend of increasing rice production will be difficult to retain without the suitable technology with extra high yielding varieties.
5. Crop diversification by high value crops is becoming popular day by day. The value of high value fruits and vegetables is certainly high. But the future of these crops will be better, when there will be sufficient appropriate technology and developed market infrastructure.
6. The young generation are not interested enough to build a carrier with farming. Again the number of agricultural labor is declining every day. So farm mechanization is necessary to continue the agricultural work which can help to reduce production cost in the world of labor scarcity. It would be a great challenge for the Bangladesh to develop various agricultural technologies which are easy to use and versatile.
7. The socioeconomic status of most of the farmers in Bangladesh are not good. It has a great impact on the adoption of technologies. Because there is a significant yield gap between farmers field and research field. For the dissemination of technologies, improving the socioeconomic status is a major challenge.
8. The climate is changing negatively which is very alarming for Bangladesh according to the opinion of national and international experts. The sea level is rising every day due to adverse climatic conditions. As a result, a significant portion of coastal area will go down under water permanently. A large number of people have to move from their place and the salinity will spread to the nearby places. The drought, desertification and scarcity of groundwater will be seen in the northern area of the country due to low rainfall. Although Bangladesh has a low contribution to the greenhouse gas emission, the country is the worst sufferer of the impacts of climate change. As the mitigation of the impact of climate change is beyond the control of Bangladesh, it is very difficult to manage the impacts by developing adaptation measures.

The challenges of agriculture sector is increasing with time. If we cannot overcome these challenges, the agriculture sector of this country will be very much affected. As a result, food security will be in danger. So, Bangladesh has to take necessary measures to mitigate the challenges in time.

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Problems of Agriculture sector in Bangladesh

Agriculture is one of the most important factor in the economy of Bangladesh. Although the share of agriculture in GDP is declining day by day, but it is still a great source of employment in Bangladesh. New technology is coming frequently which help to enrich agriculture. Although the technology has advanced, the problems and challenges of agriculture sector in Bangladesh are not solved yet. This sector has to face so many problems every day which act as a barrier for the development of this sector. The problems of this sector in Bangladesh are discussed below:

1. The cultivable land is decreasing gradually in this country which is one of the major problems of this sector. A greater portion of agricultural land is being used every year by the rapidly growing population for their housing and other needs.

2. Any economic sector will be developed only, when there is a long term planned investment. But such type of investment is very rare in agriculture from both public and private sector.

3. There are many technologies in agriculture which are developed by the research organization, but most of them are still unknown to the farmers.

4. The nature is still the main factor of agriculture in Bangladesh. As a result, the crops are sometimes damaged by the sudden negative nature and the farmers cannot harvest the crop according to their expectations.

5. The land of this country is continuously divided into many pieces due to inheritance complexity. The management of small land is somewhat difficult as many types of weed can grow in the border of that land.

6. The soil health is deteriorating day by day due to heavy pressure and injudicious use of chemical fertilizers. It is also considered a major problem of agriculture.

7. Poverty is still prevailing in this country which is a problem of agriculture. Because the poor farmers cannot invest required money for growing crop due to lack of capital. As a result, they don’t get the expected yield from the crops.

8. The marketing system of agricultural products is not developed at a level in which farmers can get the fair price of their commodities. As a result, the farmers loss their interest to grow crops.

9. Most of the agricultural products are perishable which requires safe and modern storing services.

10. Another problem of agriculture is low productivity in Bangladesh. This is due to the lack of inadequate modern technologies, high yielding varieties and proper agricultural knowledge.

11. Lack of irrigation facilities is one of the major problems in Bangladesh. Although, Bangladesh is advancing a lot towards irrigation, a greater part of land still remains fallow due to lack of irrigation.

12. Lack of agricultural credit supply is also a great problem in this sector. Moreover, there is no insurance facility in agriculture.

Agriculture plays an important role for the development of economy in Bangladesh. It is not only contributing to the GDP but also providing employment for most of the people, especially poor of this country. But, it has to face a lot of problems every day. If we want to ensure food security and other needs, we all have to come forward from our position for mitigating the problems as this sector can give more contribution to the development of Bangladesh.

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Role of Agriculture in Economic Development of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country whose economy is dependent on agriculture. The country has aimed at accelerated economic growth, human resource development and self-reliance in the 21^st century. To fulfill the mentioned target, a greater portion of people have to involve in agriculture in order to continue the food supply for a large population. Because this country has a bountiful fertile land which is suitable for crop diversification. The yield of every crop grown in these fertile land is increasing day by day which have a great role on the economy of this country.

Bangladesh is one of the predominantly agro-based developing countries in the world. The main sector of Bangladesh economy is agriculture since its independence. According to BBS, agriculture is not only contributing around 17 percent of the GDP but also providing employment to 45 percent workforce. Around 84 percent of the rural people have to depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood. Moreover, the primary source of employment, livelihood and food security for most of the bucolic people is agriculture. It also contributes to earn foreign currency by supplying raw materials to the industry. It is blood for many agro-based economies like Bangladesh, although industrialization has a great effect on the modern economy.

Although the contribution of agriculture in GDP is decreasing day by day in Bangladesh, but the trend of the role of agriculture to non-agricultural development is going upward. It is still an irreplaceable driving force for the economic development of Bangladesh.

Agriculture has a great role for the generation of employment in this country. According to BBS, the highest number of people are involved in this sector which is about 47.33 percent.

It has found in the report of BBS that the total contribution of all sub-sectors of agriculture was around 16 percent of GDP in 2014-15. The crop sub-sector alone shares for 12.27 percent of GDP whereas the fisheries sector contributes about 3.69 percent.

The rate of rural wages is strongly correlated with the trend of agricultural development because a greater portion of income comes from wage labor in agricultural activities in the case of poor households.

The main crops grown in this country are rice, wheat, jute, maize, sugarcane, potato, pulses, tea and tobacco. The 72 percent of total population is contributing to the crop sub-sector. As a result, crop sub-sector dominates in agriculture sector. The rest of the population works in fisheries, livestock and forestry sub-sector which is 10.33, 10.11 and 7.33 respectively.

The government has taken many steps such as crop diversification program, credit supply, extension and research and input distribution policies which help to increase the yield. The country has now attained self-sufficiency in the area of food grain production.

The source of raw materials is agriculture for agro-based industries which acts as backward and forward linkage. A greater portion of the manufacturing sector except ready made garments also depends on the processing of agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat, jute, tea, sugarcane, hides and leather and shrimps. There are also some agro-based industries like jute industry which has to depend fully on agricultural products for their required inputs

Bangladesh has earned a reasonable amount of foreign currency every year by exporting agricultural products. According to Ministry of Finance, the amount was USD 1154.80 million which was 3.70 percent of total foreign earnings. The main agricultural export items of Bangladesh are raw jute and jute goods, tea and frozen foods. The export of non-traditional agricultural commodities are also increasing every day.

Historically, this sector has had the great share in the economy in Bangladesh. However, the importance of agriculture has fallen with the advancement of time whereas the importance is raised in the case of service sector. Yet, much of the services are still related to transportation and trading of agricultural products.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the overall economic performance of Bangladesh. This is not only in the case of its share to GDP but also as a major source of earning foreign currency. It is also providing employment to a greater portion of the population, especially the poor. As a result, the people of this country can earn money by working in this sector which helps to develop the country economically.

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Opportunities and constraints of Crop Diversification

Crop diversification is the shifting from one crop or cropping system to another crop or cropping system which is done by observing the market demand for making more benefit. It is now practiced more or less by the farmers of Bangladesh. It is becoming popular day by day. However, there are both opportunities and constraints for the diversification of crop in this country which are given below under the head.

Opportunities:

The term crop diversification is now a more discussed topic in the arena of agriculture throughout the world. The opportunities of practicing crop diversification in the Bangladesh are as follows:

1. Bangladesh is such a country which have favorable climate with six different seasons. As a result, there are ample opportunities for the cultivation of different crops.
2. The soils of this country is very fertile which can do possible the farmers to grow various crops by balancing major crop with minor crop.
3. Minor crops can be grown easily in the seasonal fallow land after harvesting major crops by managing irrigation with proper technologies.
4. The food consumption habit of the consumer is changing every day with the advancement of economic condition. People move away from a diet based on staples to one with animal products and fruits and vegetables. In turn, farmers can go for diversification of crop to meet these needs.
5. The agricultural produce is now exported to the foreign countries. The crop diversification is necessary to keep it up in future.
6. The government has taken different measures for getting suitable market value of the minor crops. As a result, the farmers can diversify their farming to get more output.
7. The yield of minor crops can be increased by improving agronomic management practices with the remaining crop varieties. This will obviously encourage the farmers to grow minor crops in their land.
8. Diversification from staple crops to other crops can add more nutritional value to the food which can encourage farmers to do it.
9. There are so many varieties of different crop released by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute which are compatible with the diversification of crop.
10. A lot of research is going on for practicing crop diversification to support the increasing population with food, nutrients, clothing and housing from the decreasing land resources.
11. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is the leading government organization for the dissemination of new technologies in the farmer level. It is playing an active and vital role to disseminate this technology.
12. There are many NGOs running in this country which are trying their best for food security by disseminating crop diversification program.

Constraints:

Each crop has different set of limitations for practicing diversification. But there are some constraints which are common for every crop. These are:

1. Most of the farmers of this country use their cultivable land for growing high yielding Boro rice varieties. As a result, the suitable land is always not found for cultivating other crops for diversification.
2. Most of crops which are suitable for diversification except pulses need irrigation during the dry season. But the farmers who are economically weak cannot afford to irrigate crops rather than rice.
3. Although there are many varieties for practicing crop diversification, the dissemination of these varieties is still limited.
4. A greater portion of pulses, oilseeds and edible oils are imported from the foreign country every year. This bring down the local price for pulses. As a result farmers has to compete with international markets which discourage them to produce those in their land.
5. There is a very common scenery of market price in Bangladesh which is the price of most crops are at the lowest level during harvesting period. As a result, farmers has to sell their produce at cheap rate to meet their cash demands.
6. There is insufficiency of agricultural credit supply which acts as a deterrent for diversifying the crop.
7. The quality seeds are not always found at the required time which discourage farmers to go towards diversification.

The implementation of crop diversification has brought a golden opportunity to commercialize the production of those crop which have high market value and can act as substitute for import oriented crops. This program can also play a vital role for exporting agricultural produce to the foreign. So, we all have to come forward to diversify the crops for enriching Bangladesh.

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Crop Diversification in Bangladesh

Crop diversification is the new form for sustainable production in the sector of agriculture. It is the move from present crop or cropping system to another crop or cropping system for making more benefit. It is very important step for the development of economy in Bangladesh.

This country is suitable for practicing crop diversification due to favorable climate and soil conditions for the production of a variety of crops throughout the year. For spreading out diversification in crop, A crop diversification project was started its journey in this country during the early 1990s. After taking the project, a culture is gradually developing for the cultivation of different crops in rotation with rice. This practice is being developed progressively based on the farmer’s choice and performances of crops with respective soil and climatic conditions.

Rice and wheat are now substituted by maize since it can be grown throughout the seasons. Besides, food, feed, fodder, fuel and oil are got from maize. The yield potential was low before but the situation is changing due to the use of modern high yielding hybrid varieties. The yield is very good at present. According to BBS, the average yield is 7.3 t/ha in 2015-16 which was only 2.06 t/ha in 2000-01. BBS have also shown that the area of maize cultivation is increasing every year. It was about 4860 ha in 2000-01. But the area of cultivation under maize is about 334,977 ha in 2015-16. Besides maize, the cultivation of other coarse grains like bajra and millets are also running which have considerable importance in the case of using water resources and developing agro-industries.

The climate and soil of this country is suitable for the production of a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Some of the grown fruits like mango, banana, pineapple, jackfruit, etc. have export demand. Seasonal nature of this country is the main problem for fruit cultivation. However, the area and production of fruit is increasing day by day. The total area and production of fruit is 1.5 lakh hectare and 4.8 million metric tons in 2015-16 (BBS).

Potato is a prominent crop in Bangladesh due to its production and domestic demand. It is a suitable crop for food security during rice scarcity due to its high carbohydrate content. It is also used as a vegetables by the people. As it is a short duration crop, the increased use of this crop can reduce the dependency on rice and wheat. The cultivation of this crop is increasing every year. The farmers of this country are cultivating high yielding variety instead of local variety to grow more than previous. The total area and production of potato is 4.8 lakh hectare and 9.5 million metric tons in 2015-16, respectively.

Sweet potato is known as a subsistence as well as a food for poor people. Its area and production is more or less same in last few years. According to BBS, the area and production of sweet potato is about 25 thousands hectare and 2.6 lakh metric tons in 2015-16.

There are six major pulse crops in Bangladesh which are lentil, khesari, blackgram, mungbean, chickpea, and pigeon pea. Cowpea grows well in Chittagong area. The cropped area and production of these pulses is increasing gradually due to their protein supply to the human diet and nitrogen fixation for soil nutrition. BBS has shown in its report that the total cropped area and production of pulses is 3.7 lakh hectare and 3.78 lakh metric tons in 2015-16.

Oilseeds are very important crops due to the source of vegetables oil. Mustard, groundnut, sesame, linseed, soybean, coconut and other oilseed crops are grown in this country. But the cultivation area and production of mustard is higher than any other oilseed crops. Besides mustard, groundnut is cultivated in a significant area.

There are some cash crops namely jute, tea, tobacco, cotton and sugarcane which are grown in this country. Jute is an important cash crop in Bangladesh. It is grown almost all over the country. The area and production of jute is 6.8 lakh hectare and 7.5 million bales in 2015-16 (BBS).

Tea is one of the most important cash crop in Bangladesh due to its value as export crop. It plays a vital role in the national economy. This crop has created a lot of employment opportunities for the people. The area and production of tea is 60 thousands hectare and 64500 metric tons in 2015-16 (BBS). Tobacco is another important cash crop in this country. It grows well in sandy soil which should be well aerated and well drained. It is mainly grown in Kushtia and Rangpur regions.

Cotton is also an important cash crop in Bangladesh. The yield of seed cotton has reached in reasonably high level, although the yield is lower than world standards. But the area and production is increasing day by day. Sugarcane is the most important crop in the country due to sugar industry. It can be grown as a 12-15 month crop in a two year rotation with Aus rice and oilseeds, wheat or vegetables. The yield and quality of sugarcane is relatively low as compared to world standards. But the yield rate is increasing day by day for using improved variety, better management of water resources, fertilizers and other inputs and also for improved cropping systems. According to BBS, the yield of sugarcane is 42.8 tons per hectare in 2015-16.

Crop diversification is a strategy for the sustainable agricultural growth. This is based on changing the nature of agriculture from high risk monsoon based to lower risk irrigation based cropping system. It is done by sustaining the growth of rice production and emphasizing and stimulating other crops which are high valued. This strategy is advancing forward in this country with time by the farmers for their own benefits.

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Crop Diversification and its Benefits

Crop diversification is the new pattern in the sector of agriculture for sustainable production. It means the move from existing crop or cropping system to another crop or cropping system. It is the change in crop choices and input use decisions which are made by observing the market forces for making more benefit. Hayami and Otsuka (1992) said that crop diversification is the shift of resources from low value agriculture to high value agriculture.
Crop diversification is not only a move from occasional and low value crop(s) to high value crop(s) but also a need based situation specific nonstop and vibrant idea. It may be defined as the addition of new crops or cropping systems to cultivate on a specific farm for getting different outcome from the newly added crops with complementary market facilities. The diversification may be from major crop minor crops, cereal to non- cereal crops, etc.
Benefits of Crop Diversification
There are so many benefits for making crop diversification on a farm. This is frequently done by intelligent farmers. The benefits are:

1. More income is received from a small farm holdings due to different types of crops are grown at a time on the farm.
2. The production of crops is running throughout the year. As a result the price fluctuation of the agricultural products is minimum.
3. The self-sufficiency in food grain production can be attained along with increased production of other nutritional crops.
4. The negative impacts of climate change can be managed at a certain level.
5. A balance among the demand of food prevails throughout the year.
6. The fodder for livestock animals can be produced which ensures the good health of domestic animals as well as the economic benefit of farm owner.
7. The natural resources which is becoming damaged day by day can be conserved.
8. The exporting of agricultural products especially vegetables and fruits can be increased.
9. The modern agricultural practices can be adopted easily in dry land, wetland and coastal areas.
10. The land, water and other resources can be used more efficiently which can ensure the sustainable growth of agriculture.
11. The comparatively large farms can be encouraged for commercial farming.
12. The environment can be protected from different types of pollution at a certain level.
13. The dependence on off farm inputs can be reduced due to the production of various crops on the farm.
14. The infestation of insect, pests and diseases can be reduced by making crop rotation.

Crop diversification is now a discussed term in the sector of agriculture throughout the world. Most of the country are trying to diversify their agriculture for making export based crop production and increasing net income and financial security. It is now almost a normal approach of sustainable agriculture for the profitable management of farm in most of the extensive parts of the world.

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Agriculture in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a very populous country in the world whose economy is still now dependent on agriculture. According to Agriculture Information Services 2017 and Ministry of Agriculture 2016, this sector is contributing 14.75% to the GDP. It is also seen that 57% labor of 47.33% farm labor worked in crop sector in the Bangladesh Economic Review 2011. The performance of this sector has a significant impact on the employment generation, food security, poverty alleviation, etc. Most of the people of this country live on the income from agriculture.
As the Bangladesh has a subtropical monsoon climate, its agriculture is highly dependent on the weather. Sometimes, the crops of this country are damaged due to unwanted natural calamities. World Bank said in his one report that the total arable land is decreasing day by day in Bangladesh. It is around 1% per year. The size of farms is decreasing gradually due to highly increasing population, unmanageable land ownership and the complexity of inheritance.
The main crops like rice, jute and tea are dominating as agricultural exports for decades. Although the rice is cultivated almost totally for local consumption, jute and tea are the crops for earning foreign currency. Besides these crops, the farmers of this country grow maize, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, and various fruits and vegetables for the internal consumption.
Rice is grown in this country throughout the year as Aus, Aman or Boro. According to Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh stands 4^th position in the world presently in case of rice production. The production is higher largest in the Aman season. Its production in 2015-16 was around 35.06 million metric tons which is 2 million metric tons higher than that of previous economic year and the production of wheat was 1.35 million metric tons in 2015-16. Both the crops play an important role for becoming self-dependent in food production. The food grain production is slowly increasing due to a number of factors such as irrigation and better controlling of flood, a more efficient use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the establishment of better distribution and rural credit networks. However, sometimes the production of these crops vary significantly due to the weather conditions. As a result Bangladesh has to import food from the foreign country or take international assistance.
Jute which is called the golden fiber of Bangladesh is widely cultivated in this country. It is the 2^nd highest producer of jute in the world after India and the leading exporter of fiber. Jute fiber is used mainly for the carpet backing, burlap bags, cheap paper and other purposes.
Tea is also grown in this country mainly for export. It grows well in the highlands of northern and eastern regions of this country. According to Bangladesh Tea board, this crop is contributing 1% to the GDP and the production in 2015 was around 67378 ton of tea leaves.
Although the agriculture of Bangladesh is not so much developed due to many factors, but this country is trying her best to uplift the condition of agriculture by taking different suitable measures.

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What is Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is now a days a very popular term in the world of climate change. But the phrase was not known before 1980s. This term is first used by the Australian agriculturist Gordon McClymont and first published by Wes Jackson in his book New Roots for Agriculture in 1980.
Sustainable Agriculture is an approach of agriculture where farming is done by using resources in such a way that the resources are not depleted or permanently damaged. It is based on an understanding of ecosystem. It may be defined as the system for meeting the foods and textile needs of society in the present without compromising the ability of upcoming generations to meet the same. It is an integrated system of the production of food, fiber, biofuel or other plant or animal products that protect the environment, public health, human communities and animal welfare. This is the system which helps to_

1. Meet up the needs for human foods and fiber.
2. Improve environmental quality and the natural resource base.
3. Do the most judicial use of non-renewable resources and on farm resources.
4. Keep the economic viability of farm works continuously.
5. Develop the living standard of farmers and society.

There are three main goals of sustainable agriculture which are environmental health, economic profitability and social and economic equity. The person who practices agriculture in a sustainable ways try to do their work by keeping these goals forward. Every person such as farmers, food processors, distributors, retailers, consumers and waste managers involved in the food system can play a role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural and food system
Farmers may practice sustainable methods on their farm to enhance soil health, reduce water use and lower pollution levels. Food processors may use raw materials in a judicious way so that the materials will not be damaged. Distributors can transport the food or other products by maintaining both the economic viability and the environmental facts. Consumers and retailers can take the value based foods which are grown using methods supporting farm workers welfare.
Actually, it may be said that sustainable agriculture is more than a set of practices. It is also a matter of negotiation because we have to see the interests of an individual farmers or of people in a community as they work to solve the complex problems during the growing of foods and other products.
So from the above discussion, it may be concluded that sustainable agriculture is a system of the production of foods, feeds and other products which is environmentally safe, ecologically suitable and economically viable. If we want to keep the future generations healthy and safe, we have to practice more and more sustainable ways for meeting up our daily needs. Otherwise, the world will be very difficult to sustain for the forthcoming generations.

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What is Agriculture

Although it has successfully passed about 10,000 years since its starting, there are so countless queries in the world of internet on what is agriculture. I thought that this is certainly amazing due to the common usage of the term agriculture. But after becoming graduate in Agriculture, I realized that this apparently high curiosity for the clarification of the word is reasonable in view of its large coverage, its various application as a science, arts and business. Now I would like to answer to the main question what is Agriculture.
The word agriculture is derived from two Latin words; one is ager which means the soil or field and another one is cultura which means cultivation or growing. So the word agriculture means the cultivation of soil. But this is not restricted in soil cultivation. Actually it’s a very wide range term covering all sphere of crop production, livestock farming, fisheries, etc. There are three main areas of agriculture namely Geoponic which means cultivation in soil, Hydroponic which means cultivation in water and Aeroponic which means cultivation in air.
Agriculture is the science and art of growing crop plants and animals for food, fiber, biofuel medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. It may be defined as the branch of science which deals with the production, protection, processing, preservation and marketing of agricultural products for the purpose of human welfare.
There are so many definition. But it may be said that no definition is all in all for every person and does not cover each purpose. Because, agriculture is a dynamic science. Although it is known that some definitions include fisheries, forestry and other activities, this elucidation is confined to crop production and livestock farming.
For more clarification, some definitions, according to specialist, are given below:
According to Monteith’s (1958), “Agriculture is an exploitation of solar energy made possible by an adequate supply of water and nutrients to maintain plant growth”.
T. J. Rimando (2004) said that it is the systematic raising of useful plants and livestock under the management of man.
J.M. Rubenstein said in his book The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography that Agriculture is the deliberate effort to modify a portion of earth’s surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.
So from the above discussions, it may be concluded that Agriculture is the science and art of cultivation and breeding of crop plants and livestock useful to man and in varying degrees the preparation of such products for man’s use and their disposal.

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A Short History of Agriculture

Agriculture is the vital enterprise in the world. Its history is directly related with the story of humankind’s development. Human beings were hunters and gatherers before starting plant cultivation. After learning how to take care for the soil and growth of plants, the development of human society occurs by allowing clans and tribes to stay in one place year after year. According to archeological evidence, it is found that such development occurred 10,000 or more years ago.
It is believed that the development of agriculture happens in multiple times in multiple areas. Indicating the exact beginnings of agriculture is difficult due to the transition away from hunter-gatherer societies in some places started many years ago before the invention of writing.
Nonetheless, according to archeological evidence, it is found that the history of agriculture begins just after the Younger Dryas (about 9500 BC) in the Fertile Crescent. This is the area of Western Asia which covers the regions of Mesopotamia and the Levant, and is demarcated by the Syrian Desert to the south and the Anatolian Plateau to the north. The famous archeologist J.H. Breasted used the term “Fertile Crescent” in the beginning of 1900s to elucidate the role of this location as the birth place of agriculture. This is also called the “Cradle of Civilization” due to the first appearance of wheel and writing. In this modern world,
Fertile Crescent belongs to some land of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories.
Agriculture was invented between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago in the Neolithic era. It is said that there were eight so called founder crops of agriculture occurred more or less concurrently on Pre-pottery Neolithic sites in the Levant.  Those crops were emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, hulled barley, chick peas, and flax. The Neolithic era ended with the development of metal tools. This era ended with the development of metallic implements.
Sowing and harvesting reached in Mesopotamia and the north of Persian Gulf by 7,000 BC. By 6000 B.C.E. farming was established on the banks of the Nile River where irrigation first appeared. Many groups of people started to dig and repair canal for the regulation of the river flow. As a result they were able to protect and irrigate their crop more or less from yearly flood water and dry season, respectively. At this time, agriculture was practiced independently in the Far East possibly in China where rice was the primary crop instead of wheat. Maize was first cultivated around 3,000-2700 BC in the Americas. The potato, the tomato, the pepper, squash, beans and other plants were cultivated in Andean South America.
People gradually invented advanced metal working techniques for making farm implements during the Bronze Age. They continued domesticating animals and plants for food and other useful products. During the Middle Ages, European farmers started to use dams, reservoirs and water raising machines for the purpose of irrigation. They also developed crop rotation and moldboard plough. These inventions prominently improved the efficiency of agriculture.
British Agricultural Revolution took place in Britain in the 17th century to 19th century. This revolution consisted of new methods of crop rotation, cultivation of marshy or forested land and planting new crops like turnip. 
The technology related with agriculture has gradually improved with time. The mechanical combine harvester was invented in the 1830s and the horse-drawn plow turns into machinery in the early 1900s. At this time, seed drill was first introduced by Jethro Tull for sowing seeds in straight rows. The tractor powered by gasoline was introduced in 1892 where as the first tractor was steam powered.
Fertilizer and pesticide technology opened a new scope to increase productivity after 2nd world war. In the 2nd half of 20th century, the development of hybrid seeds especially hybrid corn made a revolution in agriculture.
The history of agriculture has a great impact on human civilization. A relationship has been developed among the cities of different regions which enables people to advance the society and culture. Agriculture has a significant role on the economics throughout the centuries before and after industrial revolution.

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