CHAPTER 1

CHARTER 1; INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF MODERN AGRICULTURE

1.1  DEFINITION OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture can be defined as the utilisatio of natural resourse system to produce commodities which maintain life,including food,fiber,forest product,holticulture crops and their related service

it involve farming;the art and science or practice of cultivating the soil systematic production of crops for food and rearing of livestock including poultry for source protein as food and also fiber (wool and hairs) anfd skin for human use.
modern agriculture is business;it is not only for production ,but also the processing of produce into food and non-food items.for example,in oil palm the primary produce is the palm oil. the oil can be processed into many other food items,pharmaceuticals and industrial products,and recently inti biofuel'similary with rubber,cocoa and herbal plants.

1.2 IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE

Malaysia is currently a major player in research of tropical agriculture products. It strives to continue to enchance in research and develpoment of new agriculture industries and products its primary comodities and natural resources.

The achieve excellence in agriculture,human resource development especially in new and emerging areas of agriculture science as well as professional farm managers to run large-scale mixed farming enterprises are essential.Emphasis will therefore be put towards developing those expertises.The Malaysian government has always provided the environment for the development of agriculture sector to be private sector-driven. The public sector will facilities and enchance yhe delivery of support services to the private sector enterprises,farmers and fishermen to achieve their business and income objectives. Likewise,state governments have to play a prominent role to support private sector needs as land is under their purview.

At least 40%(2002 estimate) of the world's population is employed in agriculture  making it the most common occupation. Asia's share of agriculture labour force reached 80%(india & china=60%), Africa has 14%,Europe less than 10%,Latin America at about 3.5%,while North America barely exceeds 1% (highly mechanised farming)


1.3 AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES

1.3.1 Subsistence Farming

This is a farming system characterised  by a low input with resultant low yeild and inter-cropping. practise may involve slash and burn (nomadic) amd more progressive stationary cultivation. subsistence farming involves woorking on a plot of land to produce only enough food to feed the household (family) working on it. success of farming is strongly dependent on fertility of soil,climate,tools,and techniques,agriculture practices and available crop types. the system produces enough food to sustain the family in their normal daily activities,but no surplus to sell or store for later use,

1.3.2 Commercialised Farming

In plant agriculture it is characterised by monoculture or cultivation of a combination of a few crops(examples:oil palm and rubber). it requires the use of high yielding modern varieties,application of chemical in the forms of pesticides weedicides and fertilizers,high technology and extensive mechanisation.
In animal production,similar characteristic are observed.There are continuous development of new or improved breeds of animals that are able to produce more meat,milk,egg,wool,and yield. much of the successful development in the animal sector is seen in the poultry (broiler and layer chicken). genetically improved animals are more efficient in using feed,meaning that they consume less,but yield more products. similar trend is seen in fish farming where aquaculture (freshwater or marine cultures) becomes much more important in the near future because the wild catch from the sea,rivers or lakes tend to reduce due to overfishing and destruction of their natural habitat for breeding.

Examples of commercial agriculture:
a) Tropical plantation agriculture

b) Vegetable farming

c) Aquaculture

d) Livestock farming 

e) New products and future industries

1.4  PRODUCTS OF AGRICULTURE 

The primary products from the agriculture industries can be broadly categorized into two (1) food products (animals and plant origin) and (2) non-food products (animals and plant origin). many of these raw agriculture products undergo further processing usually on industrial scale to produce varieties of products for human (food and non-food) and animal (as feed) use. therefore the finished produucts are primarily sourced from either plants or animals.

plant origin

Beside direct consumption,fruit are often processed into juice,cordials,jams and jelly,herbal and health products.some are preserved such as pickle and dehydrated (low moisture) products. other sources of processed foods include rice,sugar,spices,cereals,tomatoes,chilies and cocoa.foods could also be packed,canned or bottled as in the case of candies,ketchup,cookies,crips,and many others as could be seen on the supermarket shelves.

Animal origin

Food of animal origin is an important source of protein. meats (from all livestock and poultry) are processed into several products such as burgers,sausages and nuggets. fish are dried, salted or canned such as sardines. dairy produce can be processed as powders,canned milk,cheeses and fermented beverages. in fact there are numerous products that are processed and consumed in different forms in different countries and communities.