Agriculture

Pre-reading task

Before you read the text talk about these questions:

1. When did farming first begin in your country?

2. What did farmers first grow in your country?

3. What are your favorite fruits and vegetables?

4. What non-products come from plants?

5. What parts of your country have the best soil?

6. How long are the growing seasons in your country?

7. (A)The history of agriculture

A griculture began in the area known as the Fertile Crescent. The area is a hot, dry desert. But it has two of the requirements for farming: good soil and a water supply.

Many early farmers used the Nile River as a water supply. The Nile River floods at the same time every year. Farmers planted crops before the floods. This helped their plants to survive in the desert. Later, farmers created irrigation ditches. They moved water from the Nile River to their fields. They could cultivate crops (Сельскохозяйственная культура) any time of the year and harvest(Собирать урожай) extra food.

Plant products (Растительные продукты)

A griculture is a vital branch of an economy. At present two main branches of agriculture are being developed: crop growing and livestock breeding.

All crops can be subdivided into the following groups:

• Food crops, comprising cereals or grain crops(Зерновые культуры) (wheat, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat , millet, etc);

• Feed(корм) crops supply provender(корм) for cattle. First of all grasses belong to feed crops (clover, timothy, alfalfa, vetch) and some vegetables (swedes(Брюква), mangel(Кормовая свекла));

• Industrial crops provide raw materials for processing. They are sugar beet, flax, hemp, cotton, etc.

• The forth group is vegetables. Vegetables can be subdivided into:

• root crops comprising carrots, turnips, radish, red beet, etc;

• fruit crops embracing tomatoes, watermelons, muskmelons, pumpkins, cucumbers;

• cole crops to which cabbage belongs in the first place;

• pulses, comprising peas, beans, lentils;

• tuber crops, principally potatoes, used for manufacturing of starch.

Animal products

Major livestock includes cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and horses.

We rely on animals for a number of products. Some are more obvious than others. Animals’ milk and meat provide us with protein. We make clothing and furniture with wool and leather. In addition, there is a long list of animals’ by-products. We use them every day but we don’t always know it.

We render fat, or tallow, into tires, soaps, and candles. Marshmallows, buttons, and tape include bones and hooves. Wool is often used in carpets. Even baseballs use animal products.

2. Soil conservation

Without healthy soil, farmers can’t produce healthy crops. But soil faces many threats, including nutrient depletion and erosion. Fortunately, several methods of soil conservation can turn unhealthy soil into a plant paradise.

One method, crop rotation, solves nutrient depletion. Cover crops, or green manure, are rotated with other crops. This process increases the amount of nitrogen in the soil and reverses land degradation.

Farmers also use different practices to combat and prevent erosion.

( C) Growing seasons

One of the most critical concerns for any agriculturist is the changing of seasons. Plants have varying degrees of tolerance for cold, so different strategies for coping with the cold may be used with each type of crop.

The most important issue to consider is site selection. Each agricultural site has its own unique characteristics. Different sites have different growing seasons based on elevation, growing degree days, and last frost dates.

Of course, selecting a new site isn’t always an option. After all, humans have cultivated crops in nearly every region on Earth. Less favorable sites may require special care. For example, there are several methods of freeze protection that an agriculturist can use. Greenhouses can be used to absorb and trap whatever heat the region does receive.