About Agriculture

Agriculture (a term which encompasses farming and ranching) is the process of producing food, feed, fiber, fuel, and other goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals.

"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.

The history of agriculture is a major element of human history; agricultural progress has been a crucial factor in worldwide social change, including the specialization of human activity: when farmers became capable of producing food beyond the needs of their own families, others in the tribe or nation or empire were freed to devote themselves to tasks other than food acquisition.

About 42% of the world's laborers are employed in agriculture, making it by far the most common occupation.
Agricultural policy focuses on the goals and methods of agricultural production. At the policy level, common goals of agriculture include:

Food safety: Ensuring that the food supply is free of contamination
Food security: Ensuring that the food supply meets the population's needs
Food quality: Ensuring that the food supply is of a consistent and known quality
Conservation
Environmental impact
Economic stability

(Wikibook)