Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Agriculture Courses – Finding Means to Feed People Beyond TechnologyDevelopment

Humans and animals of all kinds have been living off the land since they both began to exist. At the beginning, there was no need to cultivate food crops because they grew everywhere and we could just imagine how people then wandered all over the place to look for food to eat. But because of seasonal changes, food would ran out and they developed a system to store the crops they harvested from plentiful seasons so they could continue to eat when they couldn’t plant and harvest the plants they used for food. This went on for thousands of years until we came to develop the modern system of agriculture that enabled us to plant, harvest, preserve and consume food even out of season. Agricultural advances enabled us to survive drought, floods, and other natural and manmade cataclysms.  Thanks to people who dedicated themselves to taking agriculture courses and developed further the science of agriculture and allied disciplines, we can continue living off the land for as long as we take care not to abuse nature and other natural resources.

Our modern world is run by technology and many people want to pursue technical courses because they believe that it is the way to earn more money and become successful.  However, we can never leave out what basically sustains our life on this planet – food production.  Although in truth, modern food production has multiplied and become more efficient because of technology, increasing our agricultural production is still based on the science involved in growing, maintaining and protecting our food crops, both plants and animals.  We should continue to study and take agriculture courses because through them, we obtain the basic knowledge and skills needed for food production.  They can also provide some of the allied skills required to operate other profitable industries.  Agricultural studies include food processing, forestry, viticulture, horticulture, soil science, livestock production and plant breeding – all of these courses can enable us to enter into specific industries that are essential to our modern life. A career in horticulture for example, can lead to jobs in landscaping companies, golf courses, and greenhouses where you can work as technicians and grounds maintenance workers.  A course in agricultural marketing can open employment opportunities in agri-business such as marketing and service.  In this course, you will learn farm marketing strategies and concepts, market research, customer relations, promotions, and handling produce.

Agriculture can be an interesting career choice not only for those who want to become farmers or ranchers as it can open livelihood opportunities in other areas.  Many graduates of agriculture courses find work in government agencies involved in agriculture by many others also find success in the private, commercial agricultural industry.

Included in agriculture courses is integrated pest management. The horticulture industry is in need of people with this specialty. You will be in charge of identifying and assessing pest control problems, and recommending appropriate pest management programs. With training and background in this area, you can find work for plant growers, pest management companies, or as qualified pest control technicians in government sponsored research programs. If you choose to study livestock production or animal husbandry, you can have careers in dairy farm management, as an artificial insemination specialist, swine herd production assistant, and livestock technician. Studying farm management will provide you with knowledge in organic farming, irrigation options, farm planning and management, farm financing, and managing pastures. In this course, you will learn to plan for unexpected events such as fire, animal disease, drought, and crop failure.  You will be equipped with skills on how you, as a manager can cope with such unwanted problems and succeed in your enterprise. In organic farming, you will study how to select the right kind of organic management method needed by specific organic farms.  You will also have lessons about the political, economic, environmental issues involved in organic farming.

The trend in agriculture courses these days is towards sustainable agricultural production in all its aspects.  There are studies and researches to be made regarding its meaning and consequences not only for farmers and ranchers but also for consumers and the general public. We must learn how to enhance the knowledge, working practices and attitudes of our farmers and direct them towards sustainable agricultural practices. Thus, hopefully, all the agriculture courses offered by all learning institutions everywhere around the world can come to the same conclusion so that worldwide efforts can contribute to the solution to worldwide hunger problems.  Towards this end therefore, the agriculture courses offered by Lifestyle Learning Direct can directly help people to start formulating practical but responsible applications of the theories and lessons they will learn from the program.





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