ABSTRACT
In sub-Saharan Africa, the agribusiness sector is about half the economic size of farming; in Asia and Latin America, it is about two to three times the size; while in some industrial countries it is more than ten times as large. A range of service companies is also part of agribusiness: transportation, storage, refrigeration, credit, finance and insurance, plus agtech throughout the sector. Most of them would resist very strongly the suggestion that they were, or even could ever become, global trade associations for agribusiness. The structure of agricultural production globally is itself an increased focus of attention. Animal husbandry refers to the best – most cost-effective and yet sympathetic – method of keeping animals for agricultural production. Climate is the primary determinant of agricultural productivity. The loss of topsoil has obvious implications for the loss of agricultural productivity, but there are also wider environmental concerns, e.g. for wildlife in wetlands.
