ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights fundamental characteristics of agriculture, characteristics that all kinds of farming have in common. We will study these fundamentals as nine themes, which argue that agriculture is a meeting between nature and human society; is necessary for human survival; is dependent on land; is ruled by weather, seasons and biological rhythms; is both predictable and unpredictable; is a matter of economizing with resources; is found on almost all continents; is conducted by large numbers of farmers; and may be highly influenced by social and cultural factors. Thinking about agriculture in terms of typical characteristics, as the nine points just listed, is helpful for your understanding of agriculture as a phenomenon and makes it easier to grasp the multiplicity in agriculture that we will deal with in the following chapters, for which the fundamental characteristics serve as general points of reference.
After this chapter you are expected to:
Be familiar with fundamental characteristics in terms of nine themes about agriculture's roles for humanity, nature related prerequisites and common realities in all kinds of farming
Key words
Nature, human society, economic activity, necessities, human survival, land, weather, seasons, biological rhythm, unpredictability, economizing, social and cultural impact.
