Agriculture of the past with today- Comparing and contrasting

Traditional farming and modern agriculture are very different from one another. Traditional farming follows the accepted farming practices. On the other hand, modern agriculture is distinguished by the use of technology in farming. The primary distinction between modern and prehistoric agriculture is strategy. There are approximately 7.3 billion people living on the planet, thus it is necessary to feed them with food that is both safe and nourishing. The solution can be found in the alterations and improvements in agricultural output. Several years ago, a larger proportion of Americans lived on farms and relied on subsistence farming to thrive. Currently, only two percent of the world population produces the food consumed in all parts of the world; it represents a significant change in food production.

Modern agriculture utilizes technology in making advances to produce food for the growing world population. The use of technology, every farmer has the capability of feeding about 155 persons in a day. The purpose of technology in farming reflects an improvement compared to the old ages where each farmer could feed only 19 persons. Traditional agriculture is characterized by the use of old equipment. The benefits that are experienced by farmers is due to the industrial revolution that started a long time ago. Most communities have benefitted from the industrial revolution.

Agricultural equipments

The most important machine used in the modern farming and can be used in all sorts of agriculture. In the wheat farms, the tractor is followed by the harvester and other machines that till the soil for the easy sowing of seed (Mechanise, 2017). All the farming tools are used together to make work easier. The ancient agriculture is marked with the use of simple tools. Technological equipment plays a significant role in developing the agricultural industry. The use of technology has made it possible to grow food in the desert environment through the use of biotechnology. Through the use of biotechnology, the scientists are capable of engineering plants that can survive in adverse situations. Genetic engineering makes it possible to introduce traits. Changes in the agricultural equipment have contributed to positive effects on the lives of farmers. Working with technological equipment in agriculture takes a short time to complete. In the modern times like today, farmers use tractors and other powered equipment to help in field work. As compared to the farm animals used in the old times, tractors facilitate multiple functions such as plowing and combining and moves faster compared to donkeys and horses. Using the motored farm equipment, the farmers can produce high yield agricultural products in the shortest amount of time.

Agricultural transportation

The modern agriculture is characterized by modern transportation that makes the availability of agricultural products to be available on time (Karehka, 2012). With the use of modern transportation, consumers in all parts of the world can consume fresh vegetables from any part of the world on the same day they were in the garden. The modern transportation helps the farmers in the process of transporting the fertilizers and other farm products from the market to consumption points on a regularly basis. On top of the transportation system changing throughout, crop production has been improved as well. Biotechnology in agriculture serves to manipulate the living organisms to improve the quality of human life through technological advancement of agriculture and animal keeping. Seed technology has been transformed over the years with the help of genetic engineering and biotechnology. In the past time, the crop harvests were destroyed by several factors ranging from harsh weather to the nature of the seed. But the scientists are now able to transform the crop outcome through modifications of the seed in the first place.

Modern farming is also characterized by the cooling facilities. The facilities are used by the farmers in delivering tomatoes and other perishable goods to keep them fresh during the transportation period (Karheka, 2012). The cooling equipment are installed in vehicles and trucks so that fresh vegetables and tomatoes can stay fresh up to the delivery points. The modern transportation devices provide a win-win situation for both the farmers and the consumers. As a result, the consumer receives the product while fresh, and the farmer sells al the supplies while the demand is still high.

Domestication

The modern agriculture has changed the way of raising farm animals and their habitat as well. Through studying the animals, scientists have discovered the type of habitat that makes the farm animals most comfortable. In the modern times, the farm animals typically live in the barns that are providing soft mattresses. The farm animals are fed by nutritionists, who provide them with special diets, people who clean their habitat and provide comfort through operating fans and sprinklers (Tavish et al., 2013). The farmers want the animals to stay healthy so that to run for a longer period without requiring recovery. With indoor housing of certain animals such as pigs, animals’ diseases have been greatly reduced. For instance, the disease trichinosis has significantly reduced among the pig population in the United States. Trichinosis was a disease common with the wild boars and could be transmitted to the domestic pigs upon contact. Before the pigs were held in confinement, trichinosis was quite characteristic as compared with today. In the early 1940s, several cases of trichinosis were reported among the pig populations in the United States while recently in the year 2012, only fifteen cases of the disease were reported.

In contrast, there has been a shift to a settled way of life from the nomadic hunting and gathering experience that was profound among the ancient farmers (Peter et al., 2010). The settle human society has been made possible by the development and adoption of the ancient agricultural systems. In turn, the transformation in the human lifestyle contributed to major effects on the agricultural environment hence giving rise to the characteristics of both the plants and animals that were favored by humans. Very often characteristics matched the species that were grown without the protection of humans hence not suitable for agricultural purposes.

Changes in agriculture

Over the past years, hybridization, domestication, and selection have contributed to significant changes in the way plants and animals appear. Examples are witnessed in all the plant and animal species that are being farmed. In horticulture, such an event is prized in high amounts since it exists in the form that can preserve varieties of flavor and appearance. In the same way, an extensive selection in poultry, sheep, cattle, and pigs have contributed to the rise of a distinct breed of their types. Extensive agriculture has also added to similar changes leading to significant increase in the yields of agricultural activities. Among the plants, one of the changes ever witnessed is the rise of hybrid maize from some of its close relatives and the application of the subsequent mutations in the hybrid system. The similar changes have also been witnessed in meat and fiber processing and the quality of beef and sheep in that order.

Farming effects

Throughout the agricultural history, changes in the crop and animal farming have presented collateral effects that have altered the intensity of the selective forces (Peter et al., 2010). It has been continuously observed in plants with high nutrient contents to favor the growth of insect and fungal organisms. With the coming of genetic engineering, these plants are targeted for specific genes that are singled out with the main aim of increasing humidity to discourage the growth of genetic organisms. In contrast, issues in agro-systems, the interaction between pathogens, crops and farmed animals are characterized by evolutionary changes that are responsible for the emergence on new prototypes of an organism that cause different diseases (Watson, 1974). Resistance to the pesticides completely leads to the emergence of new plant diseases altogether.

Conclusion

From the beginning of agriculture, farmers have been trying to create most of their resources through the use of continuously improving technology which the current farmers have been able to promote sustainable farming and other related activities such as preservation and conservation. The only thing that remains unchanged between the agriculture of today and that of the past is the fact that majority of the farms around the world are family owned and most of these farmers are working very hard to put in place the most affordable and healthy food from the agricultural practices.

References

Karehka Ramey. (2012). Use of Technology in Agriculture. Retrieved on 18 Nov. 2017

from https://www.useoftechnology.com/technology-agriculture/

Menchise F. (2017). Farming today compared to the old way. Retrieved on 18 Nov. 2017 from https://hubpages.com/food/Farming-today-compared-to-the-old-way

Peter H. Thral, James D. Baver and Jeremy J Burdon. (2010). Evolutionary change

in agriculture: the past, the present, and the future. Retrieved on 18 Nov. 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3352499/

Tavish, E.J.; Decker, J.E.; Schnabel, R.D.; Taylor, J.F. & Hillis, D.M. (2013). “New World cattle show ancestry from multiple independent domestication events”. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110: E1398–406

Watson, Andrew M. (1974). “The Arab Agricultural Revolution and Its Diffusion, 700–1100”. The Journal of Economic History. 34 (1): 8–35