Agriculture is undergoing a huge transformation. In the past, agriculture was seen as a
subsistence activity of farmers involving crop and livestock production. For centuries
agriculture was the same as farming, and most people lived on farms or nearby and were
largely self-sufficient. This is, however, changing substantially in the recent years. Today,
agriculture is rapidly turning into a technology and market oriented “industry” which
extends from agricultural production, to sophisticated agriscience, and agribusiness. It
now connects strongly to the national and global economy. Many people who work in
agriculture actually do not work on farms but are engaged in businesses of seed, fertiliser,
agro-chemical, farm machinery, food-processing, marketing and trade. Many are engaged
in finance, research, distribution, and marketing activities which provide services to the
production agriculturalists. Agriculture has become a big business.