Introduction:

Modern agriculture is a term used to describe the wide majority of production practices employed by farmers. More than 90% of farmers today embrace using the most innovative practices and growing techniques to produce enough food, fuel and fiber for a growing world, while minimizing their environmental footprint at the same time. The term “modern agriculture” depicts their commitment to innovation, stewardship and meeting the global food challenge all at once there is nothing conventional about that.

Until about four decades ago, crop yields in agricultural systems depended on internal resources, recycling of organic matter, built-in biological control mechanisms and rainfall patterns. Agricultural yields were modest, but stable. Production was safeguarded by growing more than one crop or variety in space and time in a field as insurance against pest outbreaks or severe weather. Inputs of nitrogen were gained by rotating major field crops with legumes. In turn rotations suppressed insects, weeds and diseases by effectively breaking the life cycles of these pests. A typical corn belt farmer grew corn rotated with several crops including soybeans, and small grain production was intrinsic to maintain livestock. Most of the labor was done by the family with occasional hired help and no specialized equipment or services were purchased from off-farm sources. In these type of farming systems the link between agriculture and ecology was quite strong and signs of environmental degradation were seldom evident.

Basic Practices of Modern Agricultural Systems

Modern agricultural systems have been developed with two related goals in mind: to obtain the highest yields possible and to get the highest economic profit possible. In pursuit of these goals, six basic practices have come to form the backbone of production: intensive tillage, monoculture, application of inorganic fertilizer, irrigation, chemical pest control, and genetic manipulation of crop plants. Each practice is used for its individual contribution to productivity, but when they are all combined in a farming system each depends on the others and reinforces the need for using the others. The work of agronomists, specialists in agricultural production, has been key to the development of these practices.

Importance of Modern Agriculture:

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow to nearly nine billion. While the ratio of arable land to population continues to decrease. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that global food production must double by 2050, and 70 percent of the world’s additional food needs can be produced only with new and adapting agricultural technologies. In light of this challenge, modern agriculture enables farmers to utilize new innovations, research and scientific advancements to produce safe, sustainable and affordable food. Intensive scientific research and robust investment in modern agriculture during the past 50 years has helped farmers double food production while essentially freezing the footprint of total cultivated farmland. This allows for responsible food production: new technologies help farmers use precise applications and fewer inputs, leading to increased productivity and higher yields, and creates an affordable supply of nutritious food and produce for those who need it most.