PRT 2008

Transformation of
Agriculture

First hominid hunters and gatherers recorded ca 4
million years ago.
Gather wild fruits & hunt wild animals

First human farmers: about 12,000 years ago.

Global Agricultural Evolution: 1650 1850 AD

Modern Agricultural Evolution: 1950 - present

Prehistoric Era
Three-age System
Stone Age (6000-2500BC)
Bronze Age (3300-1200BC)
Iron Age (1200-500BC)
Global Agriculture Transformation
850-1650 BC: Domestication of plant and
animal
Domestication: Deliberate husbandry and
breeding of plants and animals.
Middle Bronze age: full dependency on
domestication products and introduction of
metal.
MIDDLE AGES
(500-1400AD)
Early Middle ages:
500-1000AD
Viking, Pagan, Monk and monasteries
High Middle ages
1000-1300AD
Society, nobility and church going stronger.
Feudal system began
Late Middle ages:
1300-1400AD
Time of tragedy and hope
100 years war between England and France
Plagues taking many lives
Oversea exploration


Agriculture in the Middle Ages.
Areas of agricultures:
Western Asia (Turkey; Iran; Iraq(Fertile Crescent);
Israel; Jordan; Syria.
The Nile Valley
Europe (Danube River Valley and Macedonia)
Yangtze and Yellow River Valleys
Tehuacan Valley of Mexico


The Fertile Crescent
The earliest known people of the Fertile Crescent were the Sumerians. About
4000BC, they lived in Southern Mesopotamia in a number of independent city-
state. Each consisted of a small city and its surrounding area. The rulers of these
city-states constantly warred with one another.
Improvement of agriculture
in Middle Ages
Crop Rotation : legume root
Scientific agricultural methods
Transfers of crop/animal from its origin
Use machines to reduce labour
Food processing
Initially, grain crops cultivated: wild rye
barley wheat - peas and beans.
Modern Agriculture (1950s)
Modern Agriculture systems developed with
two goals:
1. To obtain highest yields possible
2. To get the highest economic profit possible.

Characteristics of Modern Agriculture
1. Mass Production
2. Intensive tillage
3. Extensive use of agriculture inputs
4. Use of clone, hybrid and high yield varieties
5. Knowledgeable workforce
6. Monoculture
Green Revolution
Transformation of agriculture that led to
significant increases in agricultural production
between the 1940s and 1960s.
Occurred as the result of programs of :
Agricultural research
Extension
Infrastructural development.

What Was the Green Revolution?
Main Objective:
to eliminated hunger by improving crop
performance
Important figure Norman Borlaug (1914 -
2009)
Father of Green Revolution
U.S. plant pathologist/plant breeder
Won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize



Malthus Population Predictions
Thomas Malthus 1798-1834
Essay on the Principle of Population
Population increases geometrically
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128
Food supply increases arithmetically
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8

Need for Green Revolution?
Resource Limitation and Constraints
Fertile Land.
Labour and Mechanisation.
Population Increase.
Need for Diversity Of Products.
Trend Towards Environmental Friendly Practices.
Technological Advances.
Promise of Green Revolution
Eliminate hunger
Increase global carrying capacity
Increase yields
Increase technological knowledge
Get the materials to rural farmers

Modern Agricultural Evolution started in 1950s until now
agriculture has improved so much that yield per land unit has grown
many times more.
Malthus Population Predictions
Why didnt it happen?
Malthus failed to consider
Birth control
Technological advances
The Green Revolution

Movement to increase yield by :
1. New crop cultivars.
Tissue culture
Genetic engineering.


2. Usage of Chemicals and Bioagents
improve yield and quality
Biocontrol (Parasitic insects and predators)

3. Innovations In Mechanisation and Automation

They save energy and time while producing quality products.
They are incorporated in many applications including
irrigation, fertigation and controlled environment systems.
Precision Agriculture
Engineering and design skills using tools such as artificial intelligence, remote
sensing, and GIS modeling are applied to solve problems involving soil and water
affecting production agricultural communities.
Ex: Water resource, Controlled Environment, Soil fertilization and crop protection


-Pengukuran dan Pengawalan Air
Pengairan dengan Tepat dan
Berterusan
-Pengautomatan dan Memakanisasi
Operasi Kunci Air (Water Gate) melalui
sistem Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition (SCADA) System.
Pengautomatan Kunci Air untuk
Pembekalan Air di Sawah Padi
Membangun Sistem Kawalan Kejuruteraan Untuk Rumah Hijau.
Menyediakan Cuaca (suhu dan kelembapan) yang sesuai bagi
meningkatkan hasil Sayur sayuran didalam rumah hijau.
Membangunkan sistem kawalan berkomputer bagi mengawal kipas
dan air didalam rumah hijau
Ability to farm much larger acreages
Less field variability
Fewer people involved in production
Higher total output

4. Agricultural Biotechnology
Advanced processing methods and genetically
modified organisms to improve yield and quality.
Examples can be seen in the production of high
yielding clones, fast and frozen foods, dehydrated
fruits, nutriceuticals, antioxidants, vitamins,
cosmetics and enzymes.
Summary
Food production increased over 1000% from
1960 to 1990
Famine decreased 20% from 1960 to 1990
Caloric consumption per capita increased 25%
from 1960 to 1990
Rise in incomes and standards of living

Unsolved Problems
Growth rate of population still increasing
Growth rate of production slowing down
Not much more crop land
Losing crop land to urbanization
Famine still exists
Meat consumption increasing

THANK YOU