Agriculture is where it all started and where it keeps on giving for these 10 most advanced countries in agriculture. While the 7 most advanced countries in space technology keep on pushing the boundaries, these agricultural export giants are the ones who keep the foundation for them strong and supply what is probably the most important resource to all humanity – our own fuel – food.
Also known as the harnessing of nature, what we call agriculture today has long been more than just cultivating animals, plants and fungi for food and other precious resources. Nowadays technology has changed the face of agriculture and all related industries to the point where it looks like something out of a science fiction movie, sometimes frighteningly so. Let’s look back in time when there was no such thing as walking out to the store to get a couple of things you need for the fancy meal you’re making. In fact, in the pre-industrial revolution world, the majority of humanity’s labor was concentrated on agriculture because that was the main way to survive. Imagine having to actually visit China to eat Chinese food because there was virtually no way to prepare anything remotely resembling their cuisine due to the lack of ingredients you would need. It is estimated that the paving of the long road to modern-day agriculture began around eleven thousand years ago when someone finally figured out how to cultivate plant species that were usually found in the wild. With multiple generations of specially selected crops, the genetic structure of these domesticated plant species started to differ from what can be found in the wild, thus giving scientists a tip on how long ago the whole ordeal started.
Soon after, cultivation techniques such as crop rotation, irrigation and all the special things that make your salad so fresh and crunchy (including natural fertilizers) came to be and started slowly becoming the highly automated and almost autonomous agricultural activity we know nowadays. The past century, specifically has brought on some major leaps in the area such as several major breakthroughs in synthesizing fertilizers, pesticides and selecting and genetically modifying crops for a bigger yield. All these highly complicated processes played their role in making the world a better place but they did so more for some than others. Let’s take a look at the 10 most advanced countries in agriculture.
10. Japan
Output in billion USD for 2015: 51
First off on our list is Japan, the little big nation that leads the world in many other areas as well. As we all know, Japan is one of the biggest seafood suppliers. Agricultural industries there are the primary focus of the economy and for a good reason.
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9. Argentina
Output in billion USD for 2015: 59
Argentina’s main agricultural exports are wheat, soybeans, and maize. Even though the country takes the ninth spot, the focus of the country’s population has been shifting away from strict agriculture lately.
8. Turkey
Output in billion USD for 2015: 62
Turkey has a very versatile and widely developed agricultural sector. The country is one of the leaders in the production of a great variety, including figs, lemons, tobacco, cherries, lentils, pistachios, hazelnuts and many more.
7. Pakistan
Output in billion USD for 2015: 63
Pakistan takes the seventh place proudly with close to half the population of the country being employed in agriculture. The agricultural capital of Pakistan – Punjab – is a center for growing wheat and cotton.
6. Nigeria
Output in billion USD for 2015: 106
The country of Nigeria takes the sixth spot among the 10 most advanced countries in agriculture with its impressive output of a great variety of fruit, beans and nuts, as well as natural rubber.
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5. Brazil
Output in billion USD for 2015: 110
Brazil is widely known for being the leading supplier of things like sugar cane, coffee, soybeans and chicken. The South American country continues to develop its agricultural sector.
4. Indonesia
Output in billion USD for 2015: 127
Number four goes out to Indonesia which has almost half of its population working tirelessly in the agricultural sector. The country is a major exporter of things like natural rubber, coffee, spices, cacao and many more.
3. USA
Output in billion USD for 2015: 290
The USA takes the third spot on the list with impressive feats such as being the largest corn producer. Other major exports for the country include all sorts of meat, together with milk and other animal products.
2. India
Output in billion USD for 2015: 413
India’s agriculture employs over half of the country’s population, although that number is slowly but surely declining. Our second contender’s export mainly goes to developing countries, including some of the least developed.
1. China
Output in billion USD for 2015: 1 088
China takes the crown in this list of the 10 most advanced countries in agriculture with not too far from as much as all the other nine combined, making it the biggest agricultural exporter in the world.
