Introduction to Agriculture

Agriculture

• Describes how crops and domestic animals sustain the human population by providing food
• Broadly defined as the science and art of cultivating the soil, including gathering crops, rearing livestock, tillage, husbandry, and farming
• Originates from the Latin words "ager" (field) and "colo" (cultivate), meaning field or land tillage

Descriptive Terms and Livestock Management

• Includes cultivation, domestication, horticulture, arboriculture and vegeculture
• Includes mixed crop live-stock farming, pastoralism, and transhumance as forms of livestock management

Cultivation

• Involves direct human involvement in managing the lives and life cycles of plants
• Requires manipulation of soil, water, and plant environment components
• Includes sowing seeds on cleared soil, representing a shift towards enhanced yields through soil and community manipulation

Domestication

• Defined as a biological phenomenon where crops adapt to cultivation, differing from wild relatives
• Domestication syndromes are sets of characteristics defining domesticated crops

Specialized Types of Livestock Management and Crop Production

• Mixed Crop-livestock Farming: Integrates domestic livestock with crop cultivation for soil fertilization and food production
• Pastoralism: Relies on mobile systems raising herd animals like sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and reindeer for food and other products, and require people to move with their animals
• Latin pastor means herdsman or shepherd
• Horticulture: Cultivation of land plots near cultivators' houses

Arboriculture and Vegeculture

• Arboriculture: Agricultural systems that focus on cultivating trees and shrubs for fruits and seeds
• Latin arbor means tree
• Vegeculture: Agricultural systems producing root and tuber crops with underground storage organs, common in humid and seasonally dry tropics

Agriculture and Landscapes of Food Production

• Agriculture: Land use changes when people cultivate, raise and focus on plants and/or animals
• Irrigation systems create unique landscapes

Agri-Fishery Sector (Philippines)

• Provides food and raw materials and represents a significant market for non-agricultural products and services
• Modernization of the sector releases labor to industry and service sectors
• Improved productivity/efficiency will maintain food affordability and assist in achieving inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and MDG targets

Sector Performance

• In the first quarter of 2024, agriculture and fisheries production was estimated at PHP428.99 billion at constant 2018 prices
• There was a 0.5% year-on-year growth

Production Value (in Million PHP at Constant 2018 Prices)

• Refer to the image tables for detailed production values of various subsectors and commodities across different quarters
• Crops (Q1 2024): PHP247,038
• Livestock (Q1 2024): PHP59,460
• Poultry (Q1 2024): PHP68,761
• Fisheries (Q1 2024): PHP53,732
• Palay (Q1 2024): PHP92,602
• ** Corn (Q1 2024):** PHP35,077
• Banana (Q1 2024): PHP32,586
• Chicken (Q1 2024): PHP48,091Duck (Q1 2024): PHP615
• Duck eggs (Q1 2024): PHP1,234

Sector Trends

• Poultry:
  • Growth results from the expansion of layer and broiler farms
  • There are improvements of facilities and disease control management
  • New broiler farms are opening
• Forestry:
  • Growth results from a higher volume of timber harvested
  • There is sustainable development of forest land and resources
  • Forest plantations are expanding

Declining Sectors

• Livestock:
  • Decline results from reserving carabao stocks for breeding and dairy purposes
  • Draft animal fattening (goat) has been implemented
  • Pastures areas are reducing and there is the closure of farms
• Fisheries:
  • Decline is due to overfishing and poor enforcement of fishery laws
  • Other factors include sulfur upwelling, delayed stocking, ice-ice disease (seaweeds), overflow of brackish water (typhoons), white spot disease (tiger prawns in Northern Mindanao), and less fishing trips because of the water disturbances

Sulfur Upwelling

• Occurs when the northeast wind (amihan) disturbs lake sediments, leading to the upwelling of hydrogen sulfide

Ice-Ice Disease

• A disease condition of seaweed
• Caused by changes in salinity, ocean temperature, and light intensity, leading to the production of a bacteria-attracting substance that hardens seaweed tissues

Republic Act No. 10969 (Free Irrigation Service Act, Feb 2, 2018)

• Exempts farmers with eight hectares or less from irrigation services fees for water from national and communal irrigation systems (NIA)
• Writes-off unpaid fees/penalties for exempt farmers, loans, and past due accounts/interest for irrigators associations (NIA)

Legislative Changes

• Quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice imports was removed on November 28, 2018 was enacted into law on February 14, 2019
• RA No. 1120311 amends RA No. 8178 (Agricultural Tarification Act of 1996) and replaces QR with tariffs
• The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) funds projects to enhance sector competitiveness for farmers affected by QR removal
• The RCEF allocation focuses on farm machinery/equipment, development, propagation, and promotion of rice seeds

Palay and Corn

• Decline results from typhoons affected rice and corn with losses around PHP20.7 billion and PHP9.1 billion
• The increasing risks posed is because of global warming potentially affect AFF sector productivity, especially with ongoing El Niño

Banana

• Growth results from expansion area
• Increase in yield and good local and export market demand

Challenges

• High cost of production inputs
• Inefficient supply chain and logistics systems
• Inadequate provision of irrigation infrastructure
• Low rate of adoption of technologies, including mechanization
• Limited access to formal credit and financing
• Competing uses of agricultural lands and climate change
• Environmental Degradation

Employment

• Employment Conditions: Careers are typically in food production environments, such as forests, rivers, and mountains
• Opportunity Seekers: Those working outdoors or with animals may face isolation or demanding fieldwork

Career Trends

• Agricultural careers are generally declining
• Forestry careers are expected to expand, but growth is slower than average

Career Pathways

• Agribusiness Systems
• Animal systems
• Environmental service systems
• Food products and processing systems
• Natural resources systems
• Plant Systems
• Power, structural and technical systems

Agribusiness Systems

• Occupations that coordinate activities contributing to the production, marketing, distribution, financing, and development of agricultural commodities, plant and animal products, and other natural resources

Animal System

• Occupations related to raising, caring for, and improving efficiency of producing/processing meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy
• Study genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and care of domesticated animals
• Involves workers who provide service to farm and nonfarm animals

Environmental Service Systems

• Occupations involved in water and air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and public health issues
• Includes hazardous-waste management, research and quality control

Food Products and Processing Systems

• Food production and discovery of new food sources. Analysis of food content and development of ways to process, preserve, package or store food according to consumer needs and includes those who monitor compliance with industry and government regulations.

Natural Resource Systems

• Occupations that develop, use, maintain, manage, and analyze natural resources
• Includes catching and trapping various types of marine life
• Also includes recreation, wildlife, conservation, mining, logging, and oil drilling

Plant Systems

• Growing of food, feed and fiber crop and the study of plants and their growth to help producers meet consumer demand while conserving natural resources and maintaining the environment

Power, Structural and Technical Systems

• Applying knowledge of engineering, hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics, power, structures, and controls to the field of agriculture
• Involves designing agricultural structures as well as machinery and equipment

Forestry Technician

• Aids reforestation and Understands large scale excavation work
• Assesses sites for forest reclamation
• Manages inventory, controls weeds and pruning
• Harvests and cultivates young trees
• Enforces regulations and works in remote locations in all weather conditions

Senior Forestry Managers

• Functions as a team leader, manage forest fire-fighting efforts and assist with data recording
• Coordinates with other industry professionals to long-term management plans
• Communicates with clients and has working knowledge of all species.
• Overseas clearing actions

Agricultural Engineers

• Works on sustainable solutions to efficient food production

Agricultural Food Scientists

• Responsible for ensuring that the country is producing enough food and that this food is safe for human consumption
• May require a bachelor's degree from land-grant universities, many also have master’s or doctorate degrees
• Agricultural Inspector monitors food production in line with government laws

Agricultural Manager

• Responsible for overseeing the development of crops
• Plan crop rotations, develop budget, hire personnel, and maintains the farm equipment

Agricultural Specialist

• Essential to border protection, Identifies invasive pests and works for the government

Agronomist

• Focuses on the growth and production of plants for practical use

Aquatic Ecologist

• Studies and researches environments of water bodies and landscapes including streams and rivers, ponds and lakes, and wetlands e.g. floodplains
• They study the relationship between all forms of life within the ecological zone, studies between the soil and geology and life forms

Arborist

• Performs vital service by protecting public works through pruning
• Spends the majority of time outdoors

Beekeeper

• Type of Agricultural worker who keeps bees, caring for, promoting and maintaining hives usually for commercial scale for the mass production of honey, wax and other bee-related derivatives

Botanist

• Study the structure of plants
• Systemizes maximizing growth

Fishery Manager

• Oversees the activities of the workers
• Makes workers aware of the market
• Monitors the health of the stock and treats any issues

Forest Health Specialist

• Works aside other forest employees to preserve the health of individual trees/woodlands

Horticulturist

• Specializes in one area of cultivation field crops
• Includes indoor growing and fruiting plants

Horticulture Technician

• Works at ground level plants, either in agriculture fields or hydrophonics plant
• Examine and promote the growth of plants

Landscaper

• Type of outdoor laborer that works on parks and gardens
• Works in a variety of places

Good agricultural practices (GAP)

• Helps vegetables farmers conform to the practices to produce quality and fresh vegetables that are steadily good for consumption

Agricultural Food Contaminants

• Physical: small objects included in packed foods
• Microbiological: viruses, bacteria. Spitting may cause contamination.
• Chemical: pesticide residue (level), maximum reside limit

Sources of Contamination

• This includes animal feces, produce, human interaction, water, and chemicals. GAP and Standards: prevent contaminants

Humans

• Spread pathogens through fecal material, saliva, and improper hygiene

Soil

• Raw manure as an amendment can pose a risk to crop produce

Animals

• Animals and their feces spread contamination

Water

• Spreads pathogens with irrigation

Equipment

• Unsanitized food contact surfaces that harbor pathogens GAP and Standards- set of standards that prevent or reduce the risk during production, harvesting, and post-harvesting procedures According to FAO: GAP aims for sustainability dimensions for on-farm- processes
• GAP is being harmonized with ASEAN to enhance trade within and outside trade

GAP Standards

• Food safety
• Produce Quality
• Environmental management
• Worker's health, safety and welfare

Food Safety

• Provides specific information for each practice to explain what is required to implement the practice.
• Each element on this section gives background information to explain how contamination can occur.

Produce Quality

• Provides an example of quality plan, describing what is good.

Environmental Management

• Provides information about potential environmental hazards

Workers and Health

• welfare is a section on the four steps and is on the risks.

Coliform Bacteria

• Occur in the intestinal tracts of animals, including humans
• This serves as critical indicators of water quality and occurs in human and animal waste
• Their presence means animal waste in drinking water

Planting Materials Seedlings

• Farmer and producer keeps production record

GMO

Genetically Modified Organisms and must be registered for safe consumption

Fertilizers and Records

• Types of fertilizers
• Application, Field, Rate, testing for source of contamination

Water and Irrigation

• Assess for contamination for: chemical application, watering and treatment
• Assess water source location

Crop Water Protection

• Affects the microbial

Chemicals

• Separate storage
• Storage for upper and lowered
• Displayed warning signs
• Training, PPE

Post-Harvest

• Maturity, cleaning and sorting
• Follow sanitation and primary production
• Proper disposal of waste

Traceability standards

• Registered production back to farm
• Label the product for recall

Review- Internal Self-Inspection

• Effective actions should be taken if necessary

Management

• Soil Fertility and Testing by PH and type.

Waste

• Farms should have documented
• Reuse and recycles

Manure and Biosolids and Solarization

• Environmental-Friendly and pest resistant

Water and Biodiversity

• Prevent animals from straying in

Workers Welfare

• Records for workers' compensation

Health and Hygiene

• Knowledge reinforcement to avoid sickness
• Complying with regulation
• Toilets available
• Must be cleaned
• Fixed and mobile toilets should