Agriculture plays a crucial role in the economy of developing countries. And provides the main source of food, income and employment to their rural population. According to FAO (2000) , It has been established that the share of the agricultural population in the populace is 67% that agriculture accounts for 39.4% of the GDP and that 43% of all exports consist of agricultural goods.
In many regions- including Europe, North America, Australia and recently Brazil, China and India- humanity has also become skillful at rising yields through using inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and organic manures. Agriculture in the United States is becoming increasingly trade oriented and trade sensitive. Since the mid-1900, the value of the dollar has been falling on world currency exchanges and few people. Fifty years ago, the United States was the largest agricultural exporter, doing about $3 billion in sales per year.
If we talk about Food and Nutrition, the population of people living in developing countries with average food intakes below 2200 kcal per day fell from 57 percent in 1964 – 66 to just 10% in 1997 – 99.Yet 776 million people in developing countries remain. Under nourished – about one person in six.
By 2030, three quarters of the population of the developing world could be living in countries where less than 5 percent of people are undernourished less than 8 percent live in such countries at present.
Agriculture, poverty and international trade
Undernourishment is a Central manifestation of poverty. It also deepens other aspects of poverty, by reducing the capacity for work and resistance to disease, and by affection children’s mental development and educational achievements.
Trade has an important role to play in improving food security and fostering agriculture. Some estimates put the potential annual increases in global welfare from free trade in agriculture as high as US $ 165 billion.
Developing countries should benefit more from the removal of trade barriers for products in which they have a comparative advantage (such as sugar, fruits and vegetables), from reduced tariffs for proceeded agricultural commodities, and from deeper preferential access to markets for the least developed countries.
On another side for Crop production, new technology is needed for areas weight shortages of land or water, or with particular problems of soil or climate. Agriculture production could probably meet expected demand over the period to 2030 even without major advances in modern bio technology. Needed for the twenty-first century is a second, doubly green revolution in agricultural technology. Bio technology offers promise as a means of improving food security and reducing pressures on the environment, provided the perceived environ-mental threats from biotechnology itself are addressed.
Genetically modified crop varieties – resistant to drought, water – logging, soil acidity, salinity and extreme temperatures – could help to sustain. Farming in marginal areas and to restore degraded lands to production. Pest – resistant varieties can reduce the need for pesticides. Meanwhile, other promising technologies have emerged that combine increased production with improved environmental protection. These include no- till or. Conservation agriculture and the lower – input approaches of integrated pest of nutrient management and organic agriculture.