Agriculture as a system

Agricultural enterprises-crop or livestock-deal with such concepts as labor supply, marketing, finances, natural resources, genetic stock, nutrition, equipment, and hazards. While it is possible to effectively manipulate each mechanism of successful farming individually, better results can often be obtained by treating the farming operation as a system. The interactions, then, among system components may become more important than how each component functions by itself. Treating production operations holistically offers greater management flexibility, provides for more environmentally and economically sound practices, and creates safer and healthier conditions for workers and for farm animals. NIFA staff provides leadership to land-grant university partners and other grantees as they conduct research, education, and extension activities in programs related directly and indirectly to agricultural systems.
Agricultural systems are the world's main source of food for the population. These systems, sometimes called agro-ecosystems, usually consist of several parts and processes. Include: a farming area (with soils formed by previous geological and ecological processes), and production equipments for planting and harvesting, land clearing and harvest. You need a market to buy production and provide the money for the purchase of fuel, fertilizer, merchandise and services that keep the system running.