After completing this unit, students are expected to 

master the following learning objectives. 

Language Skills  
Primary Objective (Reading benchmark 3)  
I can read short, simple sentences and understand main idea and 
some information in short, simple paragraphs specific to Agriculture.  
Secondary Objective (Writing Benchmark 2)  
I can write short, simple sentences using common familiar 
 words specific to Agriculture.  

Language 
Components  

Vocabulary  
I can select and use common technical terms specific to Agriculture in 
general.  

Grammar  
I can mention, analyze, and apply word endings appropriate to 

contexts of Agriculture. 

UNIT 1  
INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE  

A. READING  

TEXT 1  
THE BRANCHES OF AGRICULTURE  

Agriculture is composed of five specialized branches. The five branches are:  

1. Agronomy; 
Agronomy 
deals  
with soil  management and  
the  growing of crops.  
2.  Horticulture; Horticulture  
deals with  the cultivation of  
 fruits, vegetables, and  
ornamental crops.  
3. Agricultural Engineering;  
Agricultural engineering  
involves knowledge of farm  
also deals with developing  
new systems and practices to address problems facing agriculture. 4. 
Agricultural Economics; Agricultural Economics deals with the business 
end of farming.  
5. Animal Science; Animal Science is basically the breeding and machines 
and equipment. It is caring of animal for specific purposes, such as for 
there meat, milk and/or fur. 
2 | ​E N G L I S H F O R A G R I C U L T U R E​ : ​
L e t ’ s L i s t e n , S p e a k , R e a d , a n d​ W​ r i t e i
n​ E​ n g l i s h​ T
​ EXT
2  
I. Read the following passage and then answer the questions that 
follow.  
Agriculture is one of the world’s most important ​industries. It produces 
food and provides employment for millions of people. Farmers work 
on the land and try to control and adapt the natural ecosystem. They 
use fire to clear the land and they irrigate crops. They plant crops at 
certain times of the year. They try to control pests and diseases. In 
hunting and gathering societies, people have very little impact on the 
natural environment. In urban societies, people have a very large 
impact.  
Agricultural ecosystems affect the environment more than hunting and 
gathering Societies, but not as much as urban societies. Agro- 
ecosystems can be complex, with hundreds of crops and animals, or 
they can have just one type of plant and animal. Two of the most 
important agro-ecosystems in Asia are slash-and-burn cultivation (also 
called ​‘swidden’ or ‘upland agriculture’) and lowland rice cultivation.
Slash and burn farming is a form of shifting agriculture where the 
natural vegetation is cut down and burned as a method of clearing the 
land for cultivation, and then, when the plot becomes infertile, the 
farmer moves to a new fresh plot and does the same again. This 
process is repeated over and over. By slashing and then burning 
tropical forest, these landless farmers can \ sustain themselves for only 
2 consecutive years on the same patch of soil.  
Lowland rice cultivation is practised in all countries in tropical Africa 
and on about half of the total rice area. Although rice is both the main 
crop and staple food of many farmers in Africa, most sources of 
information on small-scale rice production are focused on Asia. The 
aim of this Agrodok is therefore to provide extension workers and 
smallholder rice farmers in tropical Africa with practical and current 
information about efficient, profitable and sustainable lowland rice 
farming applicable to their local circumstances.  

Adapted from : Fardhani (1) and Rainforest Saver 2012 Scottish 

Registered Charity no. SC039007 
3

1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? a. 
Agriculture c. Plant Crops  
b. Ecosystem d. Societies  

2. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?  

a. Agriculture is as the important industries in the world b. Kinds 
of work in agriculture are done by the farmers c. Roles of farmers 
involve in the natural ecosystem d. Urban societies have impact for 
agriculture  

3. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?  

a. The urban societies are affected by the agriculture ecosystems b. The 
complexity of agro-ecosystem is involved in agriculture c. Two factors 
are the most important agro-ecosystems in Asia d. Slash-and-burn 
cultivation and lowland rice cultivation  

4. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?  

a. Shifting agriculture in the natural vegetation  
b. One of the form shifting agriculture is slash and burn farming c. The 
process of shifting agriculture repeated over and over d. Tropical forest 
through the process of slashing and burning  

5. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?  

a. The aim of Agrodok in tropical Africa  
b. profitable and sustainable is in lowland rice farming applicable c. 
Lowland rice cultivation is practised in all countries in tropical Africa.  
d. Rice area is both the main crop and staple food in Africa  

II. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph a - d from the list of the 
following heading and then write the correct number i-vi in the spaces 1-4 
below.  

A Basic Type of Agriculture  

a  
12,000 years ago, the only way humans could gain food was to either hunt animals 
or gather wild-growing plants. It was a meager living, requiring small groups of 
people to regularly move so as not to deplete the resources 
4 | ​E N G L I S H F O R A G R I C U L T U R E​ : ​
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n​ E​ n g l i s h​ ​of
an area. Agriculture, the deliberate growing of food, 
allows larger numbers of people to settle down, because it can produce 
far more food than what can be found in the wild. It also allows 
surpluses to be stored, leaving people less at the mercy of the 
environment. However, the wild first needs to be tamed, and this was 
first done through slash and burn  

techniques. Though in its historical origins slash and burn was 

practiced in a variety of climates, including woodlands and grasslands, 
in modern times, slash and burn is commonly utilized in tropical 
rainforests and grasslands, like those of the Amazon and Southeast 
Asia.  
b  
Farmland needs to be clear of native plants, which grow everywhere 
there is fertile soil: the same soil needed for farming. Everything needs 
to be cut down, generally with common hand tools. Larger plants such 
as trees need to be cut and left to dry. Eventually everything is burned. 
The burning has a twofold purpose. The first is to clear debris. The 
second, however, is to return nutrients to the soil via the ash of the 
fires. These nutrients are what allow the land to produce large 
quantities of food, which, in turn, make it possible for populations to 
settle down and build towns.  
c  
Agriculture depletes the soil of nutrients. Without it being replenished, 
crops can only grow for a couple years. In slash and burn agriculture, 
plots go through three phases. The first includes the actual slashing 
and burning of trees and ground cover. The second is farming, and the 
third is allowing the land to naturally overgrow. After a number of 
years, the cycle is repeated, with the new growth once more slashed 
and burned.  
d  
Over time, slash and burn techniques tend to damage the landscape, 
especially when done in large scale. Trees, in particular, are destroyed 
at a much greater rate than new ones can grow. Also, soil no longer 
held together by established root systems is eroded away by the 
elements.  
Adapted from : http://study.com/academy/lesson/slash-and-burn-in- 
agriculture-definition-and-method.html 
5

List of Heading  

i. And-Environmental-Erosion-Impact-Deforestation  
ii. 

In-Slashing-Type-Burning-Agriculture-Basic-And-of-Agriculture iii. 
Clearing-Preparing-And-Land-The  
iv. Over-Slashing-Burning-And-Time  
v. The-Farmland-Needs-of-in-Cultivation  
vi. The-Agriculture-of-Birth 

List of Heading  
i. 

………………………………………………………………………​ii. 
………………………………………………………………………​iii. 
………………………………………………………………………​iv. 
………………………………………………………………………​v. 
 ………………………………………………………………………​vi. 
………………………………………………………………………

1. Paragraph A  
…………………………………………………………………
…​2. Paragraph B  
…………………………………………………………………
…​3. Paragraph C  
…………………………………………………………………
…​4. Paragraph D  
……………………………………………………………………
6 | ​E N G L I S H F O R A G R I C U L T U R E​ : ​
L e t ’ s L i s t e n , S p e a k , R e a d , a n d​ W​ r i t e i
n​ E​ n g l i s h​ ​B. VOCABULARY  
There are technical vocabularies used for farming and agriculture. 
They have particular meanings which differ from the general or literal 
meanings. Kenneth Beare lists 200 common vocabularies based on the 
Occupational Handbook provided by the United States Department of 
Labor.  

Farming and Agriculture Vocabulary  

By Kenneth Beare  
(​http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishvocabulary/a/farming_agriculture_vocabulary.html​) ​1. 

Ability  

21. Cattle   41. Crop  

2. Academic  
22. Certification  
42. Customers  
3. Activities  
4. Affect   Clean   Decade  
23. Chemicals 24.  43. Dairy 44. 
5. Agricultural   Demands  
25. Climate   8. Animal  
6. Agriculture   28. Communication  
26. Cold   48. Diseases  
7. American   9. Animals  
27. Common   29. Computer  
45. Decline 46. Delivering 47.  10. Aquaculture  
 30. Computers   32. Constantly  
11. Aspects   52. Environment  
31. Conditions   33. Continued  
12. Background  
49. Driver's 50. Duties 51. Eggs   53. Equipment  

13. Bails  
14. Bitten  
34. Continuing  
54. Expensive  
15. Breed  
35. Contracts   17. Breeding  
16. Breeders   55. Exposure 56. Facilities  
36. Contrast  
37. Cooperatives  
57. Farm  
18. Buildings  
38. Corporations  
58. Farmer  
19. Businesses  
20. Care   Credit   Farming 
39. Cows ​40.  59. Farmers ​60. 
7

Continued List  

61. Farmland  
62. Farms   Land   132.Landowners  
96. Laborers 97.  131.Organic 
63. Farmworkers  
98. Leading  
133.Landscaping  
64. Fed 65. Feed   License   Oversee  
99. Lease 100.  134. Outdoors 135. 
66. Feeding  
101. Lifestyle  
136. Overseeing  
67. Fertilizer   102. Live   137. Pack  
68. Fertilizers  
103. Livestock  
138. Participate  
69. Fiber 70. Financial 71. Fish 72. Flowers  
104. Location   107. Maintain  
139. Payments  
105. Machinery  

140. Pens   142. Physical  

106. Machines  

141. Pesticides  
73. Fluctuations  
108. Maintenance  
143. Plant  
74. Fruit   144. Planting  
109. Majority  
75. Fruits 76.  110. Male 111.  145. Plants 146. 
Future   Market   Poultry  
77. Grazing  
112. Marketing  
147. Practices  
78. Greenhouse  
113. Markets   114. Meat  
79. Greenhouses   148. Price 149. Process  
80. Grown 81.  0.  1. 
Handle 82. Harvest   Pr Pr
115. Methods 116.  od od
Migrant 117.  uc uc
Monitor   e  t  
15 15 152. Production  
83. Harvesting   153. Productive  
118. Month  
84. Hay   119. Months   154. Property  
85. Hazardous  
120. Notice  
155. Prospects   158. Raised  
86. Health 87. Helpful 88.  89. Horticultural  
Horses   124. Nuts  
121. Numerous   90. Horticulture  
156. Protect   125. Offer  
122. Nurseries   159. Raising 160. Ranch  
91. Indoors 92. Injury 93. 
157. Raise   Kicked 94. Kinds  
123. Nursery   126. Offspring  
161. Ranchers  
 127. Operate   129. Operations  

162. Ranches  
128. Operation  
164. Records  

163. Ranching  
95. Knowledge  
130. Operators  
165. Reflecting 
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n​ E​ n g l i s h​ C
​ ontinued List  
166. Regulations   190. Size  
178. Season  
167. Repair   179. Seasonal   191. Specialty  
168. Repairs   192. Supervise  
180. Seasons  
169. Responsibilities  
181. Section  
193. Training  
170. Retire 171.  182. Seed 183.  194. Traits 195. 
Risk 172. Rural  Seeds 184. Select  Trees 196. Variety 
173. Safety 174.  185. Sell   197. Vegetables 198. 
Scale   186. Share   Water  
175. Schedule 176. Science 177.  188. Shellfish  
Scientists  
187. Sheep   200. Weather  
199. Watering   189. Shrubs  

III . Do the vocabulary exercises basedon the instructions given. 

Instruction  
1. Read the vocabulary list and underline the words specifically used in 
agriculture.  
2. Identify the vocabulary into of Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb.  
3. Identify the unfamilar words, find their meanings, and try to 
pronounce them correctly. Use dictionary or encyclopedia.  

IV. Fill in the sentences with the correct options given in the box  
varieties vitally harvest fertility plowed crops fallow field believe transplanted grow 

diversity 

1. We can improve the .... of soil.  

2. Floods damaged ..... in many areas.  
3. These plants will not ..... in hot climates.  
4. These crops are easy to ..... .  
5. Most of the fields are .... in the wet season.  
6. If bunds are not built carefully, water may seep out of the rice ......  
9

7. This is important.....  
8. Some farmers do not ...... that weeds are a problem.  
9. Scientists are always working to develop new ..... of plants and animals.  
10. The rice in that area was ..... last week.  
11. This ...... has many good characteristics.  
12. We will not use that land next season. We will leave it ..... .  

C. GRAMMAR  

V. Revise the forms of the words in the brackets to make the sentences 
grammatically correct. See the example given.  

Example: a. The (biology) control can be an integral component of 

IPMSystem. ​→ biological
b. Tropical climate is suitable for rice (plant). ​→ planting

1. Agriculture is defined as the types of agriculture based on plant nutrients 

of local (concentrate).  
2. (Emphasize) the supply of the nutrients is divided into two main classes of 
world agriculture.  
3. Someone who works as a (farm) is in the agriculture industry. 4. 
Sustainable (develop) has affected the direction of traditional agriculture.  
5. The impact of the change of (mean) is reflected in a number of cultivation 
ways.  
 6. The (establish) for rising of agriculture farming produces foodstuffs.  
7. The agriculture industry needs a specific (work) known in areas of soil 
mechanics.  
8. The use of chemical (function) techniques can damage plants growth.  
9. The (import) agriculture areas are influenced by the nutrients factors.  
10. (Enclose) was the single most important change to farming practices in 
the last thousand years. 
10 | E​ N G L I S H F O R A G R I C U L T U R E​ : ​
L e t ’ s L i s t e n , S p e a k , R e a d , a n d​ W​ r i t e
i n​ E​ n g l i s h​ D
​ . Writing  

A ​sentence ​in English must have at least one ​subject ​and one 
verb.​ This table presents examples of sentences in Simple 
Present Tense. ​[ SUBJECT+PREDICATE+OBJECT ] [
SUBJECT+PREDICATE+NOUN/ADJ/ADV ]

SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB EXPLANATION  

a​) He studies English  

b​) They study  
Verb + -s/-es = third  
for agriculture.   English for​ ​agriculture.  
person singular in the 
simple present tense 
Noun + -s/-es = plural  
c​) That topic in the  
d​) Those topics  
A prepositional phrase  
agriculture book is   that comes between a  
in agriculture  
interesting.   interesting.   not affect the verb  
are   subject and a verb does 
e​) Restaurants  
Two (or more) subjects  
and stores   connected by​ ​AND​ t​ ake  
want more  
a plural verb  
organic  
products.  
f​) Every student​ ​studies English for 
agriculture.  
 (Subject)  
i) Slash agriculture​ ​links to 
the trees  
The words​ ​EVERY​ a​ nd   slashing. (Object)  
EACH​ a​ re considered as  
singular noun  
g​) Each book is listed​ ​in the 
library.   A gerund is (Verb + ing)​ ​that 
functions as Noun.​ ​Therefore, 
it is used as​ ​(1) subject or (2) 
h) Seedling is step on​ ​rice 
planting cycle.   object​ ​in a sentence. 
11

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT: USING THERE+BE  

SINGULAR  
PLURAL VERB EXPLANATION 
VERB  

There​ ​is​ ​an indoor  

There​ ​are​ ​organic  
The subject follows​ ​“​to 
farming in modern  
and unorganic   be”​ ​when the word  
agriculture.   subject is singular and  
agriculture products.   use “are” when t​he  
“​There”​ ​is used.   subject is more than  
Use “is” when the one/plural.  

VI. Use the Vocabulary list in Part B  

a. Work in pair and choose ten specific and/or technical words to be 
classified in the following table.  

Parts of Speech  
Verb Noun Adjective Adverb Meaning 
b. Write sentences in Present Simple Tense correctly using the 
selected words in the table.  
1) ............................................................................................ . 2)
............................................................................................ . 3)
............................................................................................ . 4)
............................................................................................ . 5)
............................................................................................ .