A definition of AgricultureAgriculture has been describe as the purpose raising of livestock and crops for human needs. The word ‘purposive’ thus excludes hunters and gatherers who have not domesticated the plants and animals they used for food.
Although forestry and fishing are often placed with agriculture in economic classifications, they are not considered here.
It should be noted however that many Scandinavian farmers combine agriculture and forestry, while in parts of Asia coastal villages often practice both fishing and farming.
Attempts to raise wild game for meat in parts of Africa from an interesting stage between hunting and pastoralism. It has been argued that some modern forms of agriculture such as the broiler industry are more akin to industrial operations than agriculture.
But the fact that little land is used and that the technology and organization are modern and efficient cannot be allowed to exclude such activities; a rapid growth in the sale of organization and technical expertise is a distinctive feature of modern agriculture.
Some have argued that geographers have confined themselves solely to production on the farm; instead they should deal with the geography of the food system, and cover not only the production of food in farms but also the geography of input production such as the manufacture of fertilizers and machinery - and the processing of the raw material raised on farms, in flour mills, sugar refineries and breweries for example.
Some would go further an include the distribution and consumption of foods as part of the system. This a laudable aim, but as yet there is little written upon the subject and the execution of this task lies in the future.
A definition of Agriculture
