The agricultural industry has been instrumental in providing food for human beings with relation to cultivation and production of crops and livestock. Although the industry practically began around 12,000 years ago, various agricultural processes continued to develop including the emergence of different equipment that reduced the amount of labour needed. With the advancements that transpire in the industry, several farms have employed modern agricultural methods just as how Ron Harris of Ravensworth Cattle Property utilise theirs in their operation.

Traditional Agriculture

Traditional agriculture represents the original method of farming. Since farmers didn’t have access to equipment before, they made use of local knowledge and basic natural resources such as rainfall, land, and seeds for their production needs. Traditional farmers focus on age-old, tried-and-tested methods to hold water in the soil, prevent loss of topsoil, maintain soil fertility, and produce stable harvests.

Modern Agriculture

Modern agriculture evolved in order provide adequate food for the vastly growing population of the world. End-of-the-world predictions by economists and other experts in the 50s–stating that the world was about to face famine on a global scale–was averted thanks to agricultural scientists who developed high yielding varieties of agricultural produce.

Importance of Modernised Agriculture

Essentially, the agriculture industry plays a significant role not only for the production of food, but also for the sustaining of various factors of human activity such as energy, health, and overall physical wellbeing. However, modern agriculture is not without flaws. Loss of biodiversity, loss of jobs, and use of inorganic fertilisers are just some of the major concerns with today’s agricultural practices.

Also With the increase of available foods, comes the loss of necessary nutrients. For instance, traditional varieties of rice contain glutamine, which helps the body to develop defences against disease. None of the new, improved rice variants contain this helpful element.

Knowledgeable farmers like Ron Harris of Ravensworth Cattle Property understand that striking the right balance between traditional and modern agriculture methods not only benefits their operation, but their target market as well. Thus, they strive to have the best of both worlds, because they know full well that you can’t have one without the other. For more information on the agricultural industry, visit globalharvestinitiative.org.