AGRICULTURE term papers and essays

Agriculture is defined as the science and business of cultivating soil, producing crops and raising livestock. For thousands of years, right up until the Industrial Revolution, most of the human population worked in agriculture as a means of survival, with individuals consuming most of their own crops. This type of sustenance farming changed with the development of new agricultural techniques in a process known as the agriculture revolution. Crop yields greatly increased in the 20th century thanks to the creation of pesticides and mechanism, and the Green Revolution saw the exporting of techniques to the developing world. The agricultural industry is usually subsidized by governments so that enough food is supplied to a country's population. Recent years have seen an increased use of pesticides, as well as enhanced productivity, selective breeding and water contamination. The organic movement grew as a counter-response to mainstream agriculture and the perceived problems it brings to the environment. Global organizations have made drastic reforms to their agricultural policies in recent years, such as the European Union's Common Agriculture Policy, which aims to phase out commodity linked farm subsidies. Controversial issues in agriculture include genetic engineering, crop alternation and biotechnology.

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