After completing this unit, students are expected to

master the following learning objectives.

Language Skills
Primary Objective (Reading benchmark 3)
I can read short, simple sentences and understand main idea
and some information in short, simple paragraphs specific to
Agriculture.
Secondary Objective (Writing Benchmark 2)
I can write short, simple sentences using common familiar
words specific to Agriculture.

Language Components
Vocabulary
I can select and use common technical terms specific to Agriculture
in general.
Grammar
I can mention, analyze, and apply word endings appropriate to
contexts of Agriculture.
 UNIT 1

INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE

A. READING

TEXT 1
THE BRANCHES OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture is composed of five specialized branches. The five branches

are:
1. Agronomy; Agronomy deals
with soil management and
the growing of crops.
2. Horticulture; Horticulture
deals with the cultivation of
fruits, vegetables, and
ornamental crops.
3. Agricultural Engineering;
Agricultural engineering
involves knowledge of farm
also deals with developing
new systems and practices to address problems facing agriculture.
4. Agricultural Economics; Agricultural Economics deals with the
business end of farming.
5. Animal Science; Animal Science is basically the breeding and
machines and equipment. It is caring of animal for specific
purposes, such as for there meat, milk and/or fur.
2|ENGLISH FOR AGRICULTURE :
Let’s Listen, Speak, Read, and Write in English

TEXT 2

I. Read the following passage and then answer the questions that
follow.
Agriculture is one of the world’s most important industries. It
produces food and provides employment for millions of people. Farmers
work on the land and try to control and adapt the natural ecosystem. They
use fire to clear the land and they irrigate crops. They plant crops at certain
times of the year. They try to control pests and diseases. In hunting and
gathering societies, people have very little impact on the
natural environment. In urban societies, people have a very large impact.
Agricultural ecosystems affect the environment more than hunting
and gathering Societies, but not as much as urban societies. Agro-
ecosystems can be complex, with hundreds of crops and animals, or they
can have just one type of plant and animal. Two of the most important
agro-ecosystems in Asia are slash-and-burn cultivation (also called
‘swidden’ or ‘upland agriculture’) and lowland rice cultivation.
Slash and burn farming is a form of shifting agriculture where the
natural vegetation is cut down and burned as a method of clearing the land
for cultivation, and then, when the plot becomes infertile, the farmer
moves to a new fresh plot and does the same again. This process is
repeated over and over. By slashing and then burning tropical forest, these
landless farmers can \ sustain themselves for only 2 consecutive years on
the same patch of soil.
Lowland rice cultivation is practised in all countries in tropical
Africa and on about half of the total rice area. Although rice is both the
main crop and staple food of many farmers in Africa, most sources of
information on small-scale rice production are focused on Asia. The aim of
this Agrodok is therefore to provide extension workers and smallholder
rice farmers in tropical Africa with practical and current information about
efficient, profitable and sustainable lowland rice farming applicable to
their local circumstances.

Adapted from : Fardhani (1) and Rainforest Saver 2012 Scottish

Registered Charity no. SC039007
 3

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
a. Agriculture c. Plant Crops
b. Ecosystem d. Societies

2. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

a. Agriculture is as the important industries in the world
b. Kinds of work in agriculture are done by the farmers
c. Roles of farmers involve in the natural ecosystem
d. Urban societies have impact for agriculture

3. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

a. The urban societies are affected by the agriculture ecosystems
b. The complexity of agro-ecosystem is involved in agriculture
c. Two factors are the most important agro-ecosystems in Asia
d. Slash-and-burn cultivation and lowland rice cultivation

4. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

a. Shifting agriculture in the natural vegetation
b. One of the form shifting agriculture is slash and burn farming
c. The process of shifting agriculture repeated over and over
d. Tropical forest through the process of slashing and burning

5. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

a. The aim of Agrodok in tropical Africa
b. profitable and sustainable is in lowland rice farming applicable
c. Lowland rice cultivation is practised in all countries in tropical
Africa.
d. Rice area is both the main crop and staple food in Africa

II. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph a - d from the list of
the following heading and then write the correct number i-vi in the
spaces 1-4 below.

A Basic Type of Agriculture

a
12,000 years ago, the only way humans could gain food was to either hunt
animals or gather wild-growing plants. It was a meager living, requiring
small groups of people to regularly move so as not to deplete the resources
4|ENGLISH FOR AGRICULTURE :
Let’s Listen, Speak, Read, and Write in English
of an area. Agriculture, the deliberate growing of food, allows larger
numbers of people to settle down, because it can produce far more food
than what can be found in the wild. It also allows surpluses to be stored,
leaving people less at the mercy of the environment. However, the wild
first needs to be tamed, and this was first done through slash and burn

techniques. Though in its historical origins slash and burn was practiced in
a variety of climates, including woodlands and grasslands, in modern
times, slash and burn is commonly utilized in tropical rainforests and
grasslands, like those of the Amazon and Southeast Asia.
b
Farmland needs to be clear of native plants, which grow everywhere there
is fertile soil: the same soil needed for farming. Everything needs to be cut
down, generally with common hand tools. Larger plants such as trees need
to be cut and left to dry. Eventually everything is burned. The burning has
a twofold purpose. The first is to clear debris. The second, however, is to
return nutrients to the soil via the ash of the fires. These nutrients are what
allow the land to produce large quantities of food, which, in turn, make it
possible for populations to settle down and build towns.
c
Agriculture depletes the soil of nutrients. Without it being replenished,
crops can only grow for a couple years. In slash and burn agriculture, plots
go through three phases. The first includes the actual slashing and burning
of trees and ground cover. The second is farming, and the third is allowing
the land to naturally overgrow. After a number of years, the cycle is
repeated, with the new growth once more slashed and burned.
d
Over time, slash and burn techniques tend to damage the landscape,
especially when done in large scale. Trees, in particular, are destroyed at a
much greater rate than new ones can grow. Also, soil no longer held
together by established root systems is eroded away by the elements.
Adapted from : http://study.com/academy/lesson/slash-and-burn-in-
agriculture-definition-and-method.html
 5

List of Heading

i. And-Environmental-Erosion-Impact-Deforestation
ii. In-Slashing-Type-Burning-Agriculture-Basic-And-of-Agriculture
iii. Clearing-Preparing-And-Land-The
iv. Over-Slashing-Burning-And-Time
v. The-Farmland-Needs-of-in-Cultivation
vi. The-Agriculture-of-Birth

List of Heading
i. ………………………………………………………………………
ii. ………………………………………………………………………
iii. ………………………………………………………………………
iv. ………………………………………………………………………
v. ………………………………………………………………………
vi. ………………………………………………………………………

1. Paragraph A
……………………………………………………………………
2. Paragraph B
……………………………………………………………………
3. Paragraph C
……………………………………………………………………
4. Paragraph D
……………………………………………………………………
6|ENGLISH FOR AGRICULTURE :
Let’s Listen, Speak, Read, and Write in English

B. VOCABULARY

There are technical vocabularies used for farming and agriculture. They
have particular meanings which differ from the general or literal meanings.
Kenneth Beare lists 200 common vocabularies based on the Occupational
Handbook provided by the United States Department of Labor.

Farming and Agriculture Vocabulary

By Kenneth Beare
(http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishvocabulary/a/farming_agriculture_vocabulary.html)

1. Ability 21. Cattle 41. Crop

2. Academic 22. Certification 42. Customers
3. Activities 23. Chemicals 43. Dairy
4. Affect 24. Clean 44. Decade
5. Agricultural 25. Climate 45. Decline
6. Agriculture 26. Cold 46. Delivering
7. American 27. Common 47. Demands
8. Animal 28. Communication 48. Diseases
9. Animals 29. Computer 49. Driver's
10. Aquaculture 30. Computers 50. Duties
11. Aspects 31. Conditions 51. Eggs
12. Background 32. Constantly 52. Environment
13. Bails 33. Continued 53. Equipment
14. Bitten 34. Continuing 54. Expensive
15. Breed 35. Contracts 55. Exposure
16. Breeders 36. Contrast 56. Facilities
17. Breeding 37. Cooperatives 57. Farm
18. Buildings 38. Corporations 58. Farmer
19. Businesses 39. Cows 59. Farmers
20. Care 40. Credit 60. Farming
 7

Continued List

61. Farmland 96. Laborers 131.Organic

62. Farms 97. Land 132.Landowners
63. Farmworkers 98. Leading 133. Landscaping
64. Fed 99. Lease 134. Outdoors
65. Feed 100. License 135. Oversee
66. Feeding 101. Lifestyle 136. Overseeing
67. Fertilizer 102. Live 137. Pack
68. Fertilizers 103. Livestock 138. Participate
69. Fiber 104. Location 139. Payments
70. Financial 105. Machinery 140. Pens
71. Fish 106. Machines 141. Pesticides
72. Flowers 107. Maintain 142. Physical
73. Fluctuations 108. Maintenance 143. Plant
74. Fruit 109. Majority 144. Planting
75. Fruits 110. Male 145. Plants
76. Future 111. Market 146. Poultry
77. Grazing 112. Marketing 147. Practices
78. Greenhouse 113. Markets 148. Price
79. Greenhouses 114. Meat 149. Process
80. Grown 115. Methods 150. Produce
81. Handle 116. Migrant 151. Product
82. Harvest 117. Monitor 152. Production
83. Harvesting 118. Month 153. Productive
84. Hay 119. Months 154. Property
85. Hazardous 120. Notice 155. Prospects
86. Health 121. Numerous 156. Protect
87. Helpful 122. Nurseries 157. Raise
88. Horses 123. Nursery 158. Raised
89. Horticultural 124. Nuts 159. Raising
90. Horticulture 125. Offer 160. Ranch
91. Indoors 126. Offspring 161. Ranchers
92. Injury 127. Operate 162. Ranches
93. Kicked 128. Operation 163. Ranching
94. Kinds 129. Operations 164. Records
95. Knowledge 130. Operators 165. Reflecting
8|ENGLISH FOR AGRICULTURE :
Let’s Listen, Speak, Read, and Write in English

Continued List
166. Regulations 178. Season 190. Size
167. Repair 179. Seasonal 191. Specialty
168. Repairs 180. Seasons 192. Supervise
169. Responsibilities 181. Section 193. Training
170. Retire 182. Seed 194. Traits
171. Risk 183. Seeds 195. Trees
172. Rural 184. Select 196. Variety
173. Safety 185. Sell 197. Vegetables
174. Scale 186. Share 198. Water
175. Schedule 187. Sheep 199. Watering
176. Science 188. Shellfish 200. Weather
177. Scientists 189. Shrubs

III . Do the vocabulary exercises basedon the instructions given.

Instruction
1. Read the vocabulary list and underline the words specifically used
in agriculture.
2. Identify the vocabulary into of Noun, Verb, Adjective, and
Adverb.
3. Identify the unfamilar words, find their meanings, and try to
pronounce them correctly. Use dictionary or encyclopedia.

IV. Fill in the sentences with the correct options given in the box

varieties vitally harvest fertility plowed crops

fallow field believe transplanted grow diversity

1. We can improve the .... of soil.

2. Floods damaged ..... in many areas.
3. These plants will not ..... in hot climates.
4. These crops are easy to ..... .
5. Most of the fields are .... in the wet season.
6. If bunds are not built carefully, water may seep out of the rice ......
 9

7. This is important.....
8. Some farmers do not ...... that weeds are a problem.
9. Scientists are always working to develop new ..... of plants and
animals.
10. The rice in that area was ..... last week.
11. This ...... has many good characteristics.
12. We will not use that land next season. We will leave it ..... .

C. GRAMMAR

V. Revise the forms of the words in the brackets to make the sentences
grammatically correct. See the example given.

Example: a. The (biology) control can be an integral component of IPM

System. → biological
b. Tropical climate is suitable for rice (plant). → planting

1. Agriculture is defined as the types of agriculture based on plant

nutrients of local (concentrate).
2. (Emphasize) the supply of the nutrients is divided into two main
classes of world agriculture.
3. Someone who works as a (farm) is in the agriculture industry.
4. Sustainable (develop) has affected the direction of traditional
agriculture.
5. The impact of the change of (mean) is reflected in a number of
cultivation ways.
6. The (establish) for rising of agriculture farming produces
foodstuffs.
7. The agriculture industry needs a specific (work) known in areas of
soil mechanics.
8. The use of chemical (function) techniques can damage plants
growth.
9. The (import) agriculture areas are influenced by the nutrients
factors.
10. (Enclose) was the single most important change to farming
practices in the last thousand years.
10 | E N G L I S H
FOR AGRICULTURE :
Let’s Listen, Speak, Read, and Write in English

D. Writing

A sentence in English must have at least one subject and one verb.
This table presents examples of sentences in Simple Present Tense.
[ SUBJECT+PREDICATE+OBJECT ] [ SUBJECT+PREDICATE+NOUN/ADJ/ADV ]

SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB EXPLANATION

a) He studies English b) They study Verb + -s/-es = third

for agriculture. English for person singular in the
agriculture. simple present tense
Noun + -s/-es = plural
c) That topic in the d) Those topics A prepositional phrase
agriculture book is in agriculture that comes between a
interesting. are subject and a verb does
interesting. not affect the verb
e) Restaurants Two (or more) subjects
and stores connected by AND take
want more a plural verb
organic
products.
f) Every student The words EVERY and
studies English for EACH are considered as
agriculture. singular noun
g) Each book is listed
in the library.

h) Seedling is step on A gerund is (Verb + ing)

rice planting cycle. that functions as Noun.
(Subject) Therefore, it is used as
i) Slash agriculture (1) subject or (2) object
links to the trees in a sentence.
slashing. (Object)
 11

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT: USING THERE+BE

SINGULAR PLURAL VERB EXPLANATION

VERB

There is an indoor There are organic The subject follows “to

farming in modern and unorganic be” when the word
agriculture. agriculture products. “There” is used.
Use “is” when the
subject is singular and
use “are” when the
subject is more than
one/plural.

VI. Use the Vocabulary list in Part B

a. Work in pair and choose ten specific and/or technical words
to be classified in the following table.

Parts of Speech
Verb Noun Adjective Adverb Meaning

b. Write sentences in Present Simple Tense correctly using the

selected words in the table.
1) ............................................................................................ .
2) ............................................................................................ .
3) ............................................................................................ .
4) ............................................................................................ .
5) ............................................................................................ .