The document discusses the history and development of agriculture. It begins by explaining how agriculture led to the rise of civilization through domesticating animals and crops. It then discusses modern agricultural practices and technologies that have increased yields but also caused environmental damage. Finally, it provides an overview of the history and importance of agriculture in India, where over half the population relies on agriculture for their livelihood.

1. HOLIDAYS HOME WORK NAME:AAKASH SAINI CLASS:8th-c ROLLno.:17

2. Agriculture is the production of food and goods through farming. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization , with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants (i.e. crops ) creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and stratified societies. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science . Agriculture is also observed in certain species of ant and termite . AGRICULTURE

3. Agriculture encompasses a wide variety of specialties and techniques, including ways to expand the lands suitable for plant raising, by digging water-channels and other forms of irrigation. Cultivation of crops on arable land and the pastoral herding of livestock on rangeland remain at the foundation of agriculture. In the past century there has been increasing concern to identify and quantify various forms of agriculture. In the developed world the range usually extends between sustainable agriculture (e.g. permaculture or organic agriculture ) and intensive farming (e.g. industrial agriculture ). AGRICULTURE

4. Modern agronomy , plant breeding , pesticides and fertilizers , and technological improvements have sharply increased yields from cultivation, and at the same time have caused widespread ecological damage and negative human health effects. Selective breeding and modern practices in animal husbandry such as intensive pig farming (and similar practices applied to the chicken ) have similarly increased the output of meat , but have raised concerns about animal cruelty and the health effects of the antibiotics , growth hormones , and other chemicals commonly used in industrial meat production. AGRICULTURE

5. The major agricultural products can be broadly grouped into foods , fibers , fuels , and raw materials . In the 2000s, plants have been used to grow bibfuls, biopharmaceuticals , bioplastics , and pharmaceuticals. Specific foods include cereals , vegetables , fruits , and meat . Fibers include cotton , wool , hemp , silk and flax . Raw materials include lumber and bamboo. Other useful materials are produced by plants, such as resins . Befouls include methane from biomass , ethanol , and biddies. Cut flowers , nursery plants , tropical fish and birds for the pet trade are some of the ornamental products. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

6. In 2007, about one third of the world's workers were employed in agriculture. The services sector has overtaken agriculture as the economic sector employing the most people worldwide. Despite the size of its workforce, agricultural production accounts for less than five percent of the gross world product (an aggregate of all gross domestic products ). AGRICULTURE

7. Agriculture has played a key role in the development of human civilization . Until the Industrial Revolution , the vast majority of the human population labored in agriculture. Development of agricultural techniques has steadily increased agricultural productivity, and the widespread diffusion of these techniques during a time period is often called an agricultural revolution . A remarkable shift in agricultural practices has occurred over the past century in response to new technologies. In particular, the Haber-Bosch method for synthesizing ammonium nitrate made the traditional practice of recycling nutrients with crop rotation and animal manure less necessary. OVERVIEW

8. Since its development roughly 10,000 years ago, [24] agriculture has expanded vastly in geographical coverage and yields. Throughout this expansion, new technologies and new crops were integrated. Even then crops were modified through cross-breeding for better yields. Agricultural practices such as irrigation , crop rotation , fertilizers , and pesticides were developed long ago, but have made great strides in the past century. The history of agriculture has played a major role in human history , as agricultural progress has been a crucial factor in worldwide socio-economic change . Wealth -concentration and militaristic specializations rarely seen in hunter-gatherer cultures are commonplace in societies which practice agriculture. HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE

9. So, too, are arts such as epic literature and monumental architecture, as well as codified legal systems. When farmers became capable of producing food beyond the needs of their own families, others in their society were freed to devote themselves to projects other than food acquisition. Historians and anthropologists have long argued that the development of agriculture made civilization possible. HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE(2)

10. Since the 1940s, agricultural productivity has increased dramatically, due largely to the increased use of energy-intensive mechanization , fertilizers and pesticides . The vast majority of this energy input comes from fossil fuel sources. Between 1950 and 1984, the Green Revolution transformed agriculture around the globe, with world grain production increasing by 250% [104] [105] as world population doubled. Modern agriculture's heavy reliance on petrochemicals and mechanization has raised concerns that oil shortages could increase costs and reduce agricultural output, causing food shortages. ENERGY AND AGRICULTURE

11. Agriculture in India has a long history dating back to ten thousand years. Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and logging accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in 2007, employed 52% of the total workforce and despite a steady decline of its share in the GDP, is still the largest economic amen and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic development of India. India is the largest producer in the world of milk , cashew nuts , coconuts , tea , ginger , turmeric and black pepper . AGRICUTURE IN INDIA

12. Indian agriculture began by 9000 BCE as a result of early cultivation of plants, and domestication of crops and animals. Settled life soon followed with implements and techniques being developed for agriculture. Double monsoons led to two harvests being reaped in one year. Indian products soon reached the world via existing trading networks and foreign crops were introduced to India. Plants and animals—considered essential to their survival by the Indians—came to be worshiped and venerated. The middle ages saw irrigation channels reach a new level of sophistication in India and Indian crops affecting the economies of other regions of the world under Islamic patronage. HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE

13. Slow agricultural growth is a concern for policymakers as some two-thirds of India’s people depend on rural employment for a living. Current agricultural practices are neither economically nor environmentally sustainable and India's yields for many agricultural commodities are low. PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURE

14. Agriculture in India is the means of livelihood of almost two thirds of the work force in the country. It has always been INDIA'S most important economic sector. The 1970s saw a huge increase in India's wheat production that heralded the Green Revolution in the country. The increase in post -independence agricultural production has been brought about by bringing additional area under cultivation, extension of irrigation facilities, use of better seeds. INDIA AGRICULTURE

15. Dependence on India agricultural imports in the early 1960s convinced planners that India's growing population, as well as concerns about national independence, security, and political stability, required self-sufficiency in food production. This perception led to a program of agricultural improvement called the Green Revolution, to a public distribution system, and to price supports for farmers. The growth in food-grain production is a result of concentrated efforts to increase all the Green Revolution inputs needed for higher yields: better seed, more fertilizer, improved irrigation, and education of farmers. Although increased irrigation has helped to lessen year-to-year fluctuations in farm production resulting from the vagaries of the monsoons, it has not eliminated those fluctuations. INDIA AGRICULTURE

16. Non traditional crops of India, such as summer mung (a variety of lentil, part of the pulse family), soybeans, peanuts, and sunflowers, were gradually gaining importance. Steps have been taken to ensure an increase in the supply of non-chemical fertilizers at reasonable prices. There are 53 fertilizer quality control laboratories in the country. Realizing the importance of Indian agricultural production for economic development, the central Government of India has played an active role in all aspects of agricultural development. Planning is centralized, and plan priorities, policies, and resource allocations are decided at the central level. INDIA AGRICULTURE