5 ms·

Farming is less than 1% of human activity currently.

xyzzy4 10y ago
In India it's half of the workforce. So I don't think your 1% is accurate. Also most jobs are nonessential for human survival, unlike agriculture.
- cmdrfred 10y ago
  In first world nations it is. The US has 3.2 million farmers and a population of 325 million or so. I don't know if your figure is inaccurate, misleading or farmers in India are extremely inefficient.
  - xyzzy4 10y ago
    "Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and fisheries accounted for 13.7% of the GDP (gross domestic product) in 2013,[2] about 50% of the workforce.[3][4]" - Wikipedia
    - cmdrfred 10y ago
      Wow, the output of a single American farmer must be an order of maginatude higher than an Indian one. Not really something I'd strive for.
    - vonmoltke 10y ago
      50% of the population is in agriculture, not farming. Total agriculture represents about 10% of US jobs, but only 10% of agriculture jobs are farming jobs.
  - battlebot 10y ago
    What's funny is, all the farmers I have met were millionaires. I know that isn't strictly true, but many do very well for themselves. Land value has a lot to do with it, I suppose.
- JumpCrisscross 10y ago
  India keeps its agricultural sector inefficient as a jobs program. Compare the yields from India to best-in-class producers of the same products [1]. For the top 5 products (excluding Buffalo milk) Indian production is 70% less efficient. (Buffalo milk is excluded because I don't have a source for best-in-class production.) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_India https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_India Largest agricultural products in India by value
WildUtah 10y ago
About 3% of people in modern developed rich countries work in farming. In every other kind of country, it's more. In Africa and India it's the majority still. But 150 years ago—and for 10,000 years before that—farming employed 90% or more of the workforce in every country.
deleted 10y ago
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In India it's half of the workforce. So I don't think your 1% is accurate. Also most jobs are nonessential for human survival, unlike agriculture.

cmdrfred 10y ago
In first world nations it is. The US has 3.2 million farmers and a population of 325 million or so. I don't know if your figure is inaccurate, misleading or farmers in India are extremely inefficient.
- xyzzy4 10y ago
  "Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and fisheries accounted for 13.7% of the GDP (gross domestic product) in 2013,[2] about 50% of the workforce.[3][4]" - Wikipedia
  - cmdrfred 10y ago
    Wow, the output of a single American farmer must be an order of maginatude higher than an Indian one. Not really something I'd strive for.
  - vonmoltke 10y ago
    50% of the population is in agriculture, not farming. Total agriculture represents about 10% of US jobs, but only 10% of agriculture jobs are farming jobs.
- battlebot 10y ago
  What's funny is, all the farmers I have met were millionaires. I know that isn't strictly true, but many do very well for themselves. Land value has a lot to do with it, I suppose.
JumpCrisscross 10y ago
India keeps its agricultural sector inefficient as a jobs program. Compare the yields from India to best-in-class producers of the same products [1]. For the top 5 products (excluding Buffalo milk) Indian production is 70% less efficient. (Buffalo milk is excluded because I don't have a source for best-in-class production.) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_India https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_India Largest agricultural products in India by value

WildUtah 10y ago

About 3% of people in modern developed rich countries work in farming. In every other kind of country, it's more. In Africa and India it's the majority still. But 150 years ago—and for 10,000 years before that—farming employed 90% or more of the workforce in every country.

deleted 10y ago

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