ABSTRACT
Agricultural systems are the result of the coevolution of ecological and social processes because agriculture requires converting natural resources, including plants and animals, into useful products through the application of human knowledge and material resources. These resources are made more productive through the use of capital. The structure and organization of agriculture in any region or country evolve from of a set of socially defined historical forces, particularly markets, competition, and political power which determine the social control over resources and their productive use. Agriculture and its means of production have become a commodity. As a result, land and other natural resources, agricultural products, labor, and technology all become commodities that can be bought and sold in markets where they acquire a price. Farming has integrated into and submitted to agribusiness, thus allowing agribusiness to gain control over farming through monopolistic supply of inputs, vertical integration, and contract farming.
