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20: Introduction to Agriculture

Last updated

Jun 30, 2025
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- 19.3: Terms
- 20.1: What is Agriculture?

Valeria Hochman Adler
Coalinga College

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Learning Objectives

Describe the origins and development of agriculture and crop domestication.
Explain ecological principles and biotic interactions relevant to sustainable agriculture.
Identify threats to agriculture from pests, pathogens, and invasive species, and understand plant defense mechanisms.
Compare conventional, ecological, and genetically modified (GMO) approaches to crop and soil management.
Evaluate the environmental and societal impacts of agricultural practices, including weed control and GMO use.

This chapter introduces agriculture as a recent but transformative human activity that began around 10,000 years ago, shaping ecosystems and societies through the domestication and cultivation of plants. It explores how key crops evolved, how modern practices like ecological management and genetic engineering have advanced agriculture, and how this ongoing interaction between humans and plants continues to impact the environment.

Learning Objectives

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