Importance of agriculture:
Agriculture plays a great role on divers aspects of our lives. It provides the foundation through which people pursue through the provision of food to both humans and their animals. Without agriculture, chances of survival would be limited as both people and livestock would die out of starvation. As a end of this, agriculture has gained interest among many people, ordinary, policymakers and leveled researchers due to its important oblation to humanity.
Food:
Division country in the world that wants to be stable must grant its kinsmen with food. Through the various agricultural practices that are there, agriculture is the main source through which countries are able to feed their people. Through crop and livestock production, we are able to get food which is rich in nutrients needed by our bodies. As a result of agriculture, people are able to live free from deficiency diseases.
Agriculture is also a source of energy. When trees and other plants are cut and used as firewood. Biofuels are also the latest discovery playing a great role in providing us with an extra source of energy.
Economic driver and poverty reduction:
In different areas in world, especially in the developing and the less developed economies, agriculture is the main backbone of the economy. Providing the main source of employment, agriculture employs the highest percentage of people in these countries. Other than direct farming, people are also engaged in processing industries and other industries which are directly or indirectly related to agriculture. Agriculture reduces poverty by providing both a source of food and employment. In countries which have not developed, agricultural products are the main exports and it ' s a main foreign exchange earner in these countries and thus the huge importance
Ecosystem:
Agriculture contributes both to the destruction and preservation of the ecosystem. The extent of destruction is influenced by the activities going on in a particular ecosystem. As population grows, more land and forests are now being cleared to create space for agricultural activities. Activities such as deforestation and overgrazing interfere with how plants themselves survive.
For example pastures are made of different species of grass. When we overgraze on a piece of land, the animals feed on the edible species leaving the non - edible species behind. Since different species of grasses compete for the same nutrients. The species can co - exist in the ecosystem as long as no species has an advantage over the other. However, due to overgrazing, the non - edible species have an advantage over the other species forcing them to disappear thus causing a complete change in the ecosystem make up.
Destroying the atmosphere:
Modern agriculture when practiced intensively includes use of high capital inputs, labor and technologies such as using pesticides and chemical fertilizers has led to increased agricultural production. However, intensive agriculture has also led to an increase in environmental pollution through erosion, poisoning of water through agricultural chemicals and also release of poisonous pesticides and herbicides fumes to the atmosphere.
Agriculture also leads to addition of green house gases in the atmosphere. These gases are leading contributors to global warming and depletion of the ozone layer. Unless sustainable agriculture is practiced, agricultural activities will continue affecting our atmosphere negatively.
