Agriculture
- The term Agriculture is derived from two Latin words ager or agri meaning soil and cultura meaning cultivation.
- Agriculture is an applied science which encompasses all aspects of crop production including horticulture, livestock rearing, fisheries, forestry, etc.
- Agriculture is defined as an art, science and business of producing crops and livestock for economic purposes.
SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE IN INDIA
- With a 16% contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP), agriculture still provides livelihood support to about two-thirds of country's population.
- The sector provides employment to 58% of country's work force and is the single largest private sector occupation.
- Agriculture accounts for about 15% of the total export earnings and provides raw material to a large number of Industries (textiles, silk, sugar, rice, flour mills, milk products).
- The agriculture sector acts as a wall in maintaining food security and in the process, national security as well.
- The allied sectors like horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries, have an important role in improving the overall economic conditions and health and nutrition of the rural masses.
- To maintain the ecological balance, there is need for sustainable and balanced development of agriculture and allied sectors.
- Agriculture maintains a biological equilibrium in nature.
- Satisfactory agricultural production brings peace, prosperity, harmony, health and wealth to individuals of a nation by driving away distrust, discord and anarchy.
REVOLUTIONS IN AGRICULTURE
- Through white revolution, milk production quadrupled from 17 million tonnes at independence to 108.5 million tonnes.
- Through blue revolution, fish production rose from 0.75 million tonnes to nearly 7.6 million tonnes during the last five decades.
- Through yellow revolution, oil seed production increased 5 times (from 5 million tonnes to 25 million tonnes) since independence.
- Similarly, the egg production increased from 2 billion at independence to 28 billion, sugarcane production from 57 million tonnes to 282 million tonnes, cotton production from 3 million bales to 32 million bales which shows our sign of progress.
- India is the largest producer of fruits in the world. India is the second largest producer of milk and vegetable.