Introduction to Agriculture Reviewer PDF

**Establishment of the Department of Agriculture** 1. **Date Established**: The Department of Agriculture was formed on **June 12, 1898**. 2. **First Directors**: 1. **Jose Alejandrino**: 1898-1899 2. **Graciano Gonzaga**: Late 1899 3. **Leon Ma. Guerrero**: Late 1899 **Ag...

**Establishment of the Department of Agriculture** 1. **Date Established**: The Department of Agriculture was formed on **June 12, 1898**. 2. **First Directors**: 1. **Jose Alejandrino**: 1898-1899 2. **Graciano Gonzaga**: Late 1899 3. **Leon Ma. Guerrero**: Late 1899 **Agronomic Classification of Crops** 1. **Cereals or Grain Crops**: 1. Examples: Corn, rice 2. **Legumes Seed Crops**: 2. Examples: Cowpeas, beans, peanuts, peas 3. **Root and Tuber Crops**: 3. Examples: Cassava, gabi, ubi, Irish potato, camote, singkamas 4. **Sugar Crops**: 4. Examples: Sugarcane, sugar beets 5. **Oil and Beverage Crops**: 5. Examples: Castor plant, coconut, cacao, coffee, tea 6. **Fiber Crops**: 6. Examples: Abaca, cotton, kenaf, kapok, maguey, pineapple 7. **Rubber Crop** 8. **Pasture and Forage Crops**: 7. Examples: Guinea grass, napier grass, carabao grass 9. **Medicinal Plants**: 8. Examples: Luya (ginger), lagundi (a medicinal herb) **Disciplines of Crop Production** 1. **Agronomy**: 1. Focuses on field crop production and management. 2. **Horticulture**: 2. Includes: 3. **Pomology**: Study of fruits 4. **Olericulture**: Study of vegetables 5. **Floriculture**: Study of flowers 6. **Nursery Management and Landscape Gardening** **Historical Context and DA Secretaries** 1. **Vicente Singson Encarnacion**: 1. **Appointed**: 1945 2. **President**: Sergio Osmeña 2. **Mariano Garchitorena**: 3. **Appointed**: 1946-1948 4. **President**: Manuel Roxas 3. **Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr.**: 5. **Appointed**: 1934-1938 6. **President**: Manuel L. Quezon 4. **Benigno S. Aquino, Sr.**: 7. **Appointed**: 1938-1941 8. **President**: Manuel L. Quezon 5. **Rafael Alunan, Sr.**: 9. **Appointed**: 1928-1932 10. **President**: Emilio Aguinaldo 6. **Dr. Salvador H. Escudero III**: 11. **Appointed**: 1996 12. **President**: Fidel V. Ramos 13. Launched the Gintong Ani food production and security program. 7. **William D. Daras**: 14. **Appointed**: 1998 15. **President**: Joseph Estrada 16. Introduced the 10-point agenda in agriculture and fisheries. 8. **Edgardo J. Angara**: 17. **Appointed**: March 1999 18. **President**: Joseph Estrada 19. Authored the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1998. 9. **Proceso J. Alcala**: 20. **Appointed**: 2010 21. **President**: Benigno S. Aquino III 22. Focused on increasing rice production. 10. **Emmanuel F. Piñol**: 23. **Appointed**: 2016 24. **President**: Rodrigo Duterte 11. **Dr. William D. Dar**: 25. **Reappointed**: 2019 26. **President**: Rodrigo Duterte **Overview of Agricultural Production in the Philippines** 1. The Philippines is a tropical country with many subsistence farmers. 2. Agricultural production is influenced by: 1. **Educational Training** 2. **Income of Farmers** 3. **Major Constraints**: Traditions, beliefs, and climate conditions. **Classification of Crop Plants** 1. **Botanical Classification**: 1. Involves naming plants and grouping them by taxonomic hierarchy. 2. **Descriptive Classification**: 2. Based on growth habit, structure, leaf retention, etc. 3. **Agricultural Classification**: 3. Divided into agronomic, horticultural, and weed classifications. **Weeds** 1. **Broadleaf Weeds**: 1. Examples: Dayflower, common purslane. 2. **Grasses**: 2. Examples: Bermudagrass, cogon grass. 3. **Sedges**: 3. Example: Rice flat sedges. **Animal Production** 1. **Domestication**: 1. Adapting animals for human use. 2. **Characteristics of Good Domesticated Animals**: 2. Hardy, flexible feeding habits, quick growth, and ease of breeding. **Animal Husbandry Terms** 1. **Parturition**: The act of giving birth. 1. **Specific Terms**: 1. **Calving**: The act of giving birth in cows. 2. **Farrowing**: The act of giving birth in sows (female pigs). 3. **Kidding**: The act of giving birth in goats. 4. **Foaling**: The act of giving birth in mares (female horses). 5. **Lambing**: The act of giving birth in ewes (female sheep). 2. **Gestation**: Pregnancy; the time from conception to birth. 3. **Conception**: The act of fertilization. 4. **Dam**: The female parent of an animal. 5. **Sire**: The male parent of an animal. 6. **Fertility**: 2. **Female Fertility**: The ability to produce fertilized ova and provide a proper environment for initiating cell division and embryonic development. 3. **Male Fertility**: The ability to produce a large number of sperm capable of fertilization. 7. **Fecundity (or Prolificacy)**: The ability to give birth to offspring frequently or to produce numerous young at frequent intervals. 8. **Sterility**: The inability to produce normal young. 9. **Impotency**: The failure to copulate. 10. **Puberty**: Sexual maturity, as exhibited by the first heat or ovulation. 11. **Weanling**: A young animal after separation from its dam. 12. **Weaning**: The process of separating the young from its dam. **Meats and Meat Products** 1. **Meat**: Properly dressed flesh derived from animals that are mature and in good condition at the time of slaughter. 2. **Types of Meat**: 1. **Beef**: Meat from an ox that is 1 year or older. 2. **Veal**: Meat from an ox that is less than 1 year old. 3. **Pork**: Meat from pigs. 4. **Venison**: Meat from deer. 5. **Mutton**: Meat from sheep that are 1 year or older. 6. **Lamb**: Meat from sheep that are less than 1 year old. 7. **Chevon**: Meat from goats. 8. **Horsemeat**: Meat from horses. 9. **Carabeef**: Meat from carabaos (water buffalo). 10. **Game Meat**: Meat from wild animals that are hunted. **Overview of Agriculture and Ecosystems** 1. **Ecosystem Definition**: An ecosystem includes all organisms (animals, plants, microbes) in a specific habitat, along with their environment (soil, water, etc.). 1. **Natural Ecosystems**: Complex systems with hundreds or thousands of species. 1. **Example**: A rainforest, which contains diverse species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. 2. **Agricultural Ecosystems**: Modified and controlled by humans, containing fewer species and simpler functions. 2. **Example**: A cornfield or an orchard, which is cultivated for specific crops. **Sustainable Agricultural Practices** 1. **Soil Management**: Treat soil as a valuable resource by improving its ability to grow healthy crops. 1. **Practices**: 1. Recycle manure, crop residues, and compost. 2. Avoid strong fertilizers and toxic chemicals. 2. **Example**: Using compost from kitchen scraps and yard waste to enrich soil. 2. **Biodiversity Conservation**: Agricultural producers can conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services by producing more output with less land. 3. **Example**: If the same amount of food were produced today with 1961 yield levels, it would require an additional 970 million hectares, more than the total land area of the United States. 3. **Encouraging Natural Ecosystems**: Promote nearby natural ecosystems like grassy fence-row vegetation, field corners, meadows, woods, and marshes. 4. **Example**: Planting wildflowers along field edges to attract pollinators. 4. **Crop and Animal Diversity**: Diversifying farms by raising various crops and animals can protect against bad weather and market volatility. 5. **Example**: A farm that grows corn, beans, and raises chickens instead of just monoculture corn. **Role of Agriculture in Human Nutrition** 1. Agriculture provides most of the food consumed by humans, supplying essential nutrients for health. 2. **Balanced Diet**: Necessary for proper nutrition; food must be wholesome and free from contaminants. 3. **Nutrients**: 1. **Proteins**: Essential for growth and tissue repair. 1. **Example**: Meat, eggs, dairy products, legumes. 2. **Carbohydrates**: Provide energy for bodily functions. 2. **Example**: Bread, rice, pasta, fruits. 3. **Fats**: High-energy nutrients that support bodily functions. 3. **Example**: Oils, butter, nuts, fatty fish. 4. **Minerals**: Inorganic elements necessary for various bodily functions. 4. **Example**: Calcium from milk, iron from spinach. **Products Used for Food** 1. **Animal Products**: Include meat, milk, and eggs, which are significant sources of nutrition. 1. **Meat**: Classified as red (from cattle, sheep, and hogs) or white (from poultry and fish). 1. **Example**: Beef (red meat), chicken (white meat). 2. **Milk**: Nutrient-rich liquid from female mammals, primarily cows. 2. **Example**: Cow's milk, goat's milk. 3. **Eggs**: Mainly from chickens, but also from ducks and other birds. 3. **Example**: Chicken eggs, duck eggs. 2. **Plant Products**: About 600 species of plants are used for food globally. 4. **Cereal Grains**: Wheat, corn, and rice are major sources. 4. **Example**: Rice is a staple food for over half the world\'s population. 5. **Vegetables**: Include leaves (cabbage, spinach), roots (carrots, beets), and fruits (oranges, apples). 5. **Example**: Carrots (root vegetable), spinach (leafy vegetable). **Products Used for Shelter** 1. **Wood Products**: Lumber, plywood, and composition board are essential for construction. 1. **Lumber**: Made by sawing tree logs into boards for building and furniture. 1. **Example**: Pine lumber used for framing houses. **Products Used for Clothing** 1. **Wool and Hair Products**: Wool from sheep is the most widely used animal fiber. 1. **Example**: Wool sweaters, blankets. 2. **Leather**: Made by tanning animal hides, used for shoes and clothing. 2. **Example**: Leather jackets, belts. 3. **Silk**: Produced by silkworms, prized for its softness and used in clothing. 3. **Example**: Silk ties, blouses. 4. **Jewelry**: Includes pearls and other animal products used as accessories. 4. **Example**: Pearls formed in oysters, used in necklaces. **1. Developed vs. Developing Countries** **Basis for Comparison** **Developed Countries** **Developing Countries** ---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- **Meaning** Highly industrialized, with high individual income. Slow industrialization, low per capita income. **Unemployment and Poverty** Low High **Birth, Death, and Infant Mortality Rates** Low birth and death rates, high life expectancy. High birth and death rates, low life expectancy. **Living Conditions** Good living conditions. Poor living conditions. **Revenue Source** Mainly from the service sector. Mainly from the industrial sector. **Growth Dependency** Self-sufficient growth. Depend on developed countries for growth. **Distribution of Income** Relatively equal. Unequal distribution of income. **Utilization of Resources** Effectively utilized. Ineffectively utilized. **Human Development Index (HDI)** High HDI, indicating a high quality of life. Low HDI, reflecting challenges in living standards. **List of Developed Countries** Countries with high HDI, including: - Switzerland, Ireland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark, Singapore, Finland, United States, and more. **Developing Countries Characteristics** - Low GDP, high illiteracy rate, poor healthcare, high unemployment, and malnutrition leading to high infant mortality rates. **2. Food Production vs. Population Growth** - **Developed Countries:** - Represent only a quarter of the world's population but produce over half of the global food supply. - Low rates of population growth. - **Developing Countries:** - Limited capacity to produce enough food for the growing population. - Many lack the financial resources to buy surplus food from other countries. **3. Overview of Philippine Agriculture** **Agricultural Resources** - **Land:** - The Philippines has around 30 million hectares of land, including 298,000 square kilometers of land and 2,000 square kilometers of water. - 50% of the land is forestland, 47% is alienable, and the remaining 3% is unclassified. - **Water:** - Water is crucial for agricultural production. Irrigated agriculture represents 20% of the total land but accounts for 40% of global food production. - By 2050, agricultural production will need to increase by 70% to meet food demands due to population growth, urbanization, and climate change. - **Financial Capital:** - Access to finance plays a crucial role in encouraging farmers to invest in better technologies and make improvements. - If financial instruments are inadequate, farmers may hesitate to make necessary investments for better productivity. **4. Agricultural Production Systems** 1. **Subsistence Farming:** - Smallholder farmers produce food mainly for their own consumption. - Lack of fertilizers and modern inputs limits productivity. 2. **Pastoral or Livestock Farming:** - Focuses solely on raising livestock for labor and commodities like meat, milk, and wool. 3. **Nomadic Farming:** - Herdsmen move their livestock to find suitable grazing land and water. 4. **Shifting Cultivation:** - Farmers clear forest land for cultivation, and when the soil becomes less fertile, they move to a new plot. 5. **Arable Farming:** - Farmers grow crops, usually annuals like grains and vegetables, at either a small or commercial scale. 6. **Plantation or Tree Crop Farming:** - Large-scale monocropping, common in tropical climates (e.g., wheat, oil palm, coconut palm). 7. **Mixed Farming:** - Farmers grow crops and raise livestock on the same piece of land simultaneously. **5. Small-Scale Agriculture** - Practiced on plots of land less than 4 hectares. - Family members provide most of the labor, and simple tools are used. - Organic manure is typically used as fertilizer due to the high cost of chemical fertilizers. - Crops grown include grains like maize and vegetables for family food support. **6. Agribusiness** - **Definition:** - Agribusiness encompasses all commercial activities related to farming, from production to distribution. - **Scope of Agribusiness:** - Careers in agribusiness include agricultural law, farm management, financial consulting, commodity trading, logistics, and more. - **The Importance of Agribusiness:** - Agriculture is treated as an integrated system with sophisticated technology and mechanization. - Climate change pressures agribusiness to adapt to large-scale shifts in weather patterns. **7. Agro-Processing Industry** - **Definition:** - Agro-processing refers to the subset of manufacturing that transforms raw materials from agriculture, forestry, and fisheries into finished products for consumption or further processing. - **Classification of Agro-Processing Industries:** - **Upstream Industries:** - Engage in the initial processing of agricultural commodities. - **Examples:** - Rice milling - Leather tanning - Cotton ginning - Oil pressing - Saw milling - Fish canning - **Downstream Industries:** - Perform further manufacturing on products derived from upstream processes. - **Examples:** - Bread, biscuit, and noodle making - Textile spinning and weaving - Paper production - Clothing and footwear manufacturing - Rubber manufacturing - **Characteristics:** - A large proportion of agricultural production undergoes some degree of transformation between harvesting and final use. - **Food Industries:** - More homogeneous, with products typically having the same end-use (e.g., food consumption). - **Non-Food Industries:** - More diverse, with a variety of end users requiring higher degrees of processing (e.g., leather, textiles). **8. Future Challenges in Agriculture** - **Water Scarcity:** - Competition for water is expected to rise due to population growth, urbanization, and climate change. - Agriculture will need to reallocate water from less productive sectors to ensure food security. - **Balanced Agro-Industrial Growth:** - To meet global food demand, agriculture needs to expand production by 70% by 2050 while dealing with the pressures of climate change and resource limitations.