Agriculture is a very important activity for the survival of human beings on this earth. This is clearly reflected in the very basic fact that agriculture is one of the oldest activities of humankind. As the most profound resource, agriculture provides food, clothing and shelter to human. Agriculture not only supports humans for their subsistence, but helps a large number of industries too. Agriculture forms the raw material for numerous farm products based industries. The basic products, resulting from agricultural activities, are processed in big factories, before the final product is marketed. As such, agriculture generates employment, both for people working in the farming sector as well as those in the industrial, agriculture-based sector.

These days, agriculture has become an important commercial activity. A variety of crops are grown, which can be classified as: Food crops,Commercial crops,Fiber crops, Beverage crops. Agriculture has benefited a great deal from the various advancements in the field of science and technology – with modern machines making the ‘field’ jobs much easier than ever before. All over the world, agriculture is managed efficiently with the help of modern farm equipment. In the US, farmers rely much more on technology than on manual labor.

Machines are used for all important farm operations like – tilling, sowing, harvesting, sorting of fruits, etc. Most farmers prefer employing those laborers who are skillful, and who can operate upon their tractors, combines and harvesters. In fact, farmers are also ever so ready to try out every new development in the variety of crops, pesticides, fertilizers and the like.The importance of agriculture also lies in the fact that it supports the export sector also – most of the farmers in the United States produce largely for exports, as the soil produce is quite fertile, and coupled with modern technology, the returns are huge. Some of the major farm products are crops like rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton, jute, tea, coffee and rubber- which are produced in most parts of the world.

In countries that export surplus farm output, agriculture is all the more significant, and the agricultural production is fairly high. As the farmer gets a good profit, his financial position, especially in developed countries, is better than many other entrepreneurs. He is now able to purchase the latest machinery, use latest techniques of farming, buy new and improved hybrid varieties of seeds, and use the best fertilizers to increase productivity. Nowadays, there are improvements in wholesale marketing as well as transportation of farm products. The use of refrigeration systems and efficient rail transport has made possible the safe delivery of perishable farm products like dairy products, vegetables, and fruits.

The agricultural sector plays an important role in the sphere of providing large scale employment to people. Large and moderately large farms employ workers to undertake the various jobs relating to cultivation of crops and care of farm animals. Agriculture is not just limited to crop cultivation, dairy farming has become an indispensable part of the agricultural process. Dairy farming is the practice of farming in which cattle are kept for milk and milk products. Oftentimes, poultry is also included. In fact, the scope of agriculture has widened, with interrelated sectors over-lapping one another; and in the present scenario, each of these sectors is as important as any other!  Today, the importance of agriculture lies in the fact that it is practiced both for subsistence as well as commercial reasons!

Food manufacturing in the US has always been about convenience, product availability, taste and price. The more society ventured away from the family garden and kitchen, the more food manufacturers developed a market or niche for their products at home in the cupboards. Processed foods no longer are limited to flour and sugar on the country store shelf, but have evolved to include the variety of foods eaten daily and taken from restaurants, grocery stores, super markets and convenience stores.

As the popularity of processed foods have increased throughout the world, health problems such as obesity and diabetes have also become very common to the point that “1 in 3 American people have an Insulin Resistance, a pre-diabetic condition”.

Parents today are educating there children about nutrition, especially with regards to growing children. If foods that increase calcium production are consumed on a regular basis now, then maybe 10 or 20 years from now people wont suffer from Osteoporosis or Colon Cancer. If foods are eaten today that keep the blood sugar steady and absorb slowly in the gut, not only will the child have protection from disease, but they will have a less chance of developing diabetes twenty years from now also.

Today, people are far more informed on nutrition as it is widely broadcast through media, commercials, news, talk shows, magazine and newspaper articles.

High protein, low-carb and low-fat diets have gained popularity through the media and on celebrity books, university studies, restaurant menus and nutritional labels.