Definition
Agriculture is the science and practice of growing crops and raising animals for food, materials, and other products. It includes farming, animal husbandry, and managing land and water.
Etymology
From Latin *agri cultura* meaning “cultivation of the field,” from *ager* “field” + *cultura* “care, cultivation.” The word originally highlighted careful tending of land.
Kelly Says
Agriculture is basically ‘field culture’—the art of shaping land the way we shape minds or manners. Once humans mastered agriculture, it allowed cities, writing, and complex civilizations to exist at all.
Translations
ARالعربية
زراعة
zi-rah-ah
CSČeština
zemědělství
zeh-meh-dyel-stvee
DADansk
landbrug
LAHN-brook
DEDeutsch
Landwirtschaft
LAHNT-virt-shaft
ELΕλληνικά
γεωργία
yeh-or-YEE-ah
ESEspañol
agricultura
ah-gree-kool-TOO-rah
FAفارسی
کشاورزی
keh-shah-var-zee
FISuomi
maatalous
mah-tah-loh-oos
FRFrançais
agriculture
ah-gree-kool-TOOR
HEעברית
חקלאות
khak-lah-oot
HUMagyar
mezőgazdaság
meh-zur-gahz-dah-shaag
IDBahasa Indonesia
pertanian
per-tah-nee-ahn
IGIG
ọrụ ugbo
oh-roo oong-bo
ITItaliano
agricoltura
ah-gree-kol-TOO-rah
KKKK
ауыл шаруашылығы
ah-ool shah-roo-ah-shih-lih-gih
MSBahasa Melayu
pertanian
per-tah-nee-ahn
MYမြန်မာ
လယ်ယာရေး
lay-yaa-yay
NLNederlands
landbouw
LAHNT-bow
NONorsk
landbruk
LAHN-brook
PAPA
ਖੇਤੀਬਾੜੀ
khay-tee-baa-ree
PLPolski
rolnictwo
rol-NEETS-tvo
PTPortuguês
agricultura
ah-gree-kool-TOO-rah
RORomână
agricultură
ah-gree-kool-too-RAH
RUРусский
сельское хозяйство
sel-sko-yeh kho-ZYAHY-stvo
SVSvenska
jordbruk
YORD-brook
SWKiswahili
kilimo
kee-lee-mo
TAதமிழ்
விவசாயம்
vi-va-saa-yam
TEతెలుగు
వ్యవసాయం
vya-va-saa-yam
THไทย
เกษตรกรรม
kah-set-ta-kam
TLTL
agrikultura
ah-gree-kool-too-rah
UKУкраїнська
сільське господарство
seel-ske hos-po-dahr-stvo
VITiếng Việt
nông nghiệp
nong ngee-ep
ZUZU
ukulima
oo-koo-lee-mah
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Discourse on agriculture has historically centered male landowners and farmers, often minimizing women's and children's roles in planting, seed selection, and informal breeding. Colonial and development narratives frequently erased Indigenous and women's agricultural knowledge.
Inclusive Usage
When discussing agriculture, explicitly recognize contributions of all genders and avoid assuming 'farmer' is male by default.
Empowerment Note
Women and gender-diverse people have played key roles in seed saving, crop domestication, and smallholder farming, yet their expertise has often been excluded from official histories and policy discussions.