Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fibre and other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals. Since food is the most basic necessity for human survival, agriculture is of utmost importance and thus agriculture sector occupies prominent position in the global economy. In addition to food for humans and animal feeds, agriculture produces goods such as cut flowers, ornamental and nursery plants, timber or lumber, fertilisers, animal hides, leather, industrial chemicals, fibres, fuels and both legal and illegal drugs. More people in the world are involved in agriculture as their primary economic activity than in any other, yet it only accounts for four percent of the world’s GDP. Modern agriculture depends heavily on engineering and technology and on the biological and physical sciences. Irrigation, drainage, conservation and sanitary engineering, each of which is important in successful farming, are some of the fields requiring the specialised knowledge of agricultural engineers. In the modern world, the use of gene manipulation, better management of soil nutrients, and improved week control have greatly increased yields per unit area. Knowledge, both traditional and new, has been critical to meet the food needs of growing populations. Innovations in agriculture may also help address long-standing issues such as land degradation, and pests and disease control, as well as new challenges such as climate change and water scarcity. The success of agriculture development will depend largely on the support and participation of rural people, national governments, the private sector and international cooperation, including technical and scientific cooperation. This encyclopaedic work contains authoritative description of all vital aspects of agriculture. Divided into ten comprehensive volumes, it examines different areas of agriculture including agricultural planning, horticulture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, sericulture, tissue culture, agricultural economics, agricultural pollution, agriculture and rural development and status of agriculture in India. Supported by authentic facts and figures, this work will prove beneficial and useful for students, researchers, agricultural scientists and policy planners in agriculture and related fields.
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