Environmental Science Unit Two Module 1

8/14/2019 Environmental Science Unit Two Module 1

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

UNIT TWOMODULE 1

Definition

agriculture/agriklCHr/oun:The science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the

growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide.

Agriculture:- this is the growing of crops and or rearing of animal with the

application of scientific principles.

Agriculture, may be defined as: the art and science of growing plants and theraising of animals for food, other human needs, or economic gain.

A systemis a set of interacting or interdependent components forming anintegrated whole.

System

A set of detailed methods, procedures, and routines established or formulated tocarry out a specific activity, perform a duty, or solve a problem.

System

An organized, purposeful structure regarded as a whole and consisting ofinterrelated and

interdependent elements (components,entities, factors, members, parts etc.).These elements continually influence one another (directly or indirectly)

to maintain their activity and the existence of the system,in order to achieve the goal of the system.
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All systems have (a) inputs, outputs, andfeedback mechanisms, (b)maintain an

internal steady-state (called homeostasis) despite a changing external environment,(c) display properties that are peculiar to the whole (called emergent properties)

but are not possessed by any of the individual elements, and (d) have boundaries

that are usually defined by the system observer.

Agricultural Systems

Agricultural enterprises-crop or livestock-deal with such concepts as labor supply,marketing, finances, natural resources, genetic stock, nutrition, equipment, and

hazards. While it is possible to effectively manipulate each mechanism of

successful farming individually, better results can often be obtained by treating thefarming operation as a system. The interactions, then, among system components

may become more important than how each component functions by itself.

Treating production operations holistically offers greater management flexibility,provides for more environmentally and economically sound practices, and createssafer and healthier conditions for workers and for farm animals.
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Commercial agricultureis large-scale production of crops for sale, intended for widespread

distribution to wholesalers or retail outlets. In commercial farming crops suchas wheat, maize, tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana, cotton are harvested and sold

into world markets. Commercial agriculture includes livestock production and livestock grazing.

Due to the expensive nature of capital formation and implementation of technological processes,the landowners of such farms are often large agricultural corporations (especially in developing

countries). Large-scale commercial farming, in terms of some of its processes, may be

conceptually not very different from large industrial enterprises. Commercial agriculture differssignificantly from subsistence agriculture, as the main objective of commercial agriculture is

achieving higher profits through economies of scale, specialization, introduction of capital-

intensive farming techniques, labor-saving technologies, and maximization of crop yields per

hectare through synthetic and natural resources (fertilizers, hybrid seeds, irrigation, etc.).Whereas subsistence agriculture is an economic model in which most members of a population

work in agriculture to feed themselves, with limited need for trade, commercial agriculture is a

type of agriculture suited to industrial or postindustrial economic models, in which most

members of a population do not work in agriculture, are fed by others (the few who do work inagriculture), and purchase their food and fiber as consumers, with currency.

Subsistence Farming - where there is just sufficient food produced to provide for the farmer's ownfamily


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Environmental Science Unit Two Module 1