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Agri is derived from the word ‘Agro,’ a derivative of Greek “Argos,” meaning field. Culture is to cultivate. Cultivation in the field or preparing a land (of course, field means land here literally) for growth or enhancement or propagation of living organisms is known as Agriculture. In simple terms, the use of land (field) for the propagation of Living organisms in agriculture. Living organisms here means plants, trees, shrubs, herbs, fish, and animals (mainly cattle like goats, cows, pigs). Even microorganisms like algae, fungi, and land propagation (field) are also included in agriculture. We will also understand the importance of agriculture in The national economy.
What is agriculture?
Agriculture, also called farming or husbandry, is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fibre, biofuel, drugs, and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. Agriculture was a pivotal milestone in the establishment of sedentary human civilisation since domesticated species farming produced food surpluses that fueled civilisation’s growth. Agricultural science is the scientific study of agriculture. Agriculture has a long history dating back thousands of years, and its evolution has been influenced and characterised by a wide range of climates, civilisations, and technology.
There are so many important aspects to agriculture in the national economy.
Importance of agriculture in the national economy
Agriculture is the source of food, feed, and fibre that feeds us, puts clothes on our backs, provides lumber for our houses, and organic things that grow in the soil or some substitute for it. Animal husbandry is also part of the process that grows the meat, milk, and eggs we eat and the wool we wear. There is a lot of importance of agriculture in the national economy. Agriculture is very important to any nation simply because it does several things. Firstly, it acts as a foreign exchange for a country. The exports of agricultural products achieve this. Another role of agriculture is to act as a ready market to the industries. This is done when the pieces of equipment are purchased from the industries hence contributing to the development of such a nation. The main objective of agriculture is to produce food for the country’s members, Though several things affect the agricultural sector.
Explain the importance of agriculture in the Indian economy
Most people have this question: How to explain the importance of agriculture in the Indian economy.
We know the importance of agriculture in the national economy. Even though Agricultural products account for only about 17% or so of our GDP and about 13% of our exports, it is a very important sector- perhaps the most important sector. Our agricultural output plays a significant role in our service sector and industrial sectors by producing the raw materials and demands for industrial products. Most importantly, over 50% of our workforce are employed directly in the agriculture sector, and only when their income levels and living standards improve can change the country as a whole achieve middle-income status. Based on the population and output, one can say that the average income level of people employed in agriculture is only one-fourth of the average earnings of those employed in service/ industry sectors.
This is because of rampant population growth resulting in many unemployed people from rural areas migrating to semi-urban and urban areas without any corresponding employment opportunities. This has resulted in fragmentation of holdings to be not sustainable even for own consumption.
Importance of agriculture and GDP
When you have to calculate the GDP of India, Agriculture holds the top spot. Because Agriculture plays an important role in keeping the economy steady before liberalisation. More than 50% of people are involved in agriculture, which shows how the economic numbers depend on farming. The exports of the country are highly based on Agricultural products. Agriculture constitutes only 13.7% of GDP, But around 45 % of 1.3 billion people are involved in agriculture. This shows why agriculture is called the backbone of the economy. Hence, there is important of agriculture in the national economy.
You can neglect any sector where the economy depends highly on. But agriculture is the only sector where the government has no guts to neglect it. Because we can live without anything except food. Government efforts to revive agriculture are going in the back seat. All their focus is sliding towards the corporate sector. The Government should look at providing MSPs to all agricultural products, which can play a huge role in improving the condition of farmers.
Conclusion
Agriculture is the art and science of rearing animals and planting crops. Agriculture is very important for any country simply because it involves several things. Agriculture is the source of food production for any society. Many people depend on agriculture for both commercial production and local production. This is very important to the small-scale farmers simply because they may not have employment. Agriculture is the background of food security. This means that it supplies almost 80% of the total food. Everyone should aspire to practice agriculture for a healthy life because there is a lot of important agriculture in the national economy.
