Agriculture is a systematic way of growing plants and animals so as to produce crops that are both foods and non-foods in nature. Farming, ranching, orchards and vine yards are all different forms of raising specific crops to produce certain food products. Food, fiber, fuel and feeds can be produced speaking broadly through the science of agriculture.

Agriculture is a staple for most developing countries and over 40% of the world's population is still employed in this sector making it the most common vocation for most people in the world and this science really caters to a section of human wants and needs without which living is impossible. Surprisingly though, it doesn't really contribute to the world's gross domestic product which is somewhere around 5 % , taking all countries' Gross Domestic Product into consideration and averaging.

According to wikipedia, " Agri is from Latin ager, meaning "a field", and culture is from Latin cultura, meaning "Cultivation" in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. A literal reading of the English word yields: tillage of the soil of a field. In modern usage, the word agriculture covers all activities essential to food/feed/fiber production, including all techniques for raising and "processing" livestock. Agriculture is also short for the study of the practice of agriculture—more formally known as agricultural Science".

Agricultural science is fairly ancient and the roots would take us back by thousands and thousands of years. Systematic agriculture was first found in regions of Southwest Asia and Africa, later witnessed in Egypt. Greeks and Romans modernized agriculture a bit and it then gradually evolved, with assistance from the industrial revolution. The motorization of the world had something for the agricultural science to grab too, though the Industrial revolution really overshadowed the green revolution.

However, it must be interesting to note that agriculture has its share in tainting natural resources, pollution and global warming. It may often cause changes in the environment and also produces toxic substances that might harm the natural resources notwithstanding the direct risk it can cause to the labour involved with agriculture. Agricultural science is the major culprit when it comes to Soil Erosion, Soil Salination, is responsible for the excess amounts of nitrogen and other unwanted minerals in rivers and lakes. The particulate matter, ammonia and other toxic gases contribute to air-pollution and the fertilizers used for agricultural purposes ruin farmer's lungs due to constant exposure to these toxins.

According to the United Nations " the livestock sector is one of the top two or three most significant contributors to grave environmental problems globally. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases - responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalents. By comparison, all transportation emits 13.5% of the CO2. Agriculture again produces 65% of human-related nitrous oxide - which has 296 times the global warming potential of CO2 and 37% of all human-induced methane - which is 23 times as warming as CO2. It also generates 64% of the ammonia, which contributes to acid rain and acidification of ecosystems"

As with everything else, agricultural science has its advantages and disadvantages. It is up to us as to how we leverage the advantages and counter the disadvantages.