Numbers show that the prediction of Thomas Malthus should be treated with more respect. Even without saying it, he inspired the worldwide initiative for scientific studies and search for discoveries to improve crop farming methods.

In the 18th century, he published his famous treatise Essay on the Principles of Population. This paper survived and has become the basis of the Malthusian Theory.

An English clergyman, economist and demographer, Thomas Malthus had come to the conclusion that the rate of growth of the world’s population was outstripping the capacity of the land to provide the food necessary to subsistence and that only recurring famine, pestilence, or wars would tend to keep down the number of inhabitants (Rook, A. (ed.). 1958. The Origins and Growth of Biology. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, Ltd. p. 268).

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It is generally accepted that the history of agriculture began more than 10,000 years ago. But, without written records, the evolution of agriculture can only be reconstructed through deductions using logic. These deductions are based on anthropological and arhaeological evidences rather than scientific facts. Examples of these evidences are artifacts of ancient farming tools and remnants of wild grain.

It is believed that the transformation from hunting-gathering to agriculture occured gradually after a long period of time. According to Went and The Editors of Life (1963), the early development of agriculture may have involved first the management of wild grains and other useful plants by removing adjacent weeds. It is also possible later that a primitive tribe may have discovered a vigorous plant; the seeds were harvested for food, but some were deliberately sown to ensure supply for the next season.

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Click to read: / Growing Bamboo / Clumping Bamboo Plant Care / Potted Bamboo / Buddha Belly Bamboo /

Learning first the different practices in plant care is a requisite in bamboo production. This is especially important when planning to establish bamboo plantations in commercial scale.

After having been convinced that growing bamboo is financially feasible but before the commencement of the activities in farm development, the next step that an agri-entrepreneur has to do is the preparation of a master plan. In the preparation of such plan, familiarity with the care of bamboo plant is essential.

Although the basics of crop farming apply to bamboo plant care, their application is in general and not specific. Bamboos are unique plants with various properties and growth habit requiring special care. There are tall and dwarf bamboo, erect and climbing bamboo, running and clumping bamboo.

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Are the various vertical farming issues convincing enough to slow down the advocacy in favor of this indoor, urban farming technology? Or to abandon it totally? These questions ought to be addressed in order to accelerate its implementation.

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Vertical farming or high-rise farming is a proposed indoor, urban farming technology involving large-scale agricultural production in multi-story buildings. It is an intensive farming strategy which mainly employs advanced techniques such as hydroponics and aeroponics to produce crops like fruits, vegetables and edible mushrooms continuously. It also includes the raising of livestock and fishes indoor.

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Urban farming or urban agriculture is the growing of plants and the raising of livestock animals within and around towns, cities and metropolitan areas for food, other human needs or economic gain, including processing, marketing and distribution of the products (click here to read What is Agriculture?).

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James Watson sold his Nobel Prize medal! This is my top choice for the most startling, mysterious, controversial biological science-related story for the year 2014. For me, sad too.

I first read of this news on December 6, 2014 from LiveScience, just two days after the auction. The gold medal was awarded to James Watson as one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for co-discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the chemical name for the gene which is the common term for the carrier of heredity in all living organisms. In his pioneering work published in 1866, Gregor Mendel, now considered the Father of Genetics, called it “factor”.

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Yes, Latin names are useful in plant identification. At the start, memorizing the scientific names of farm crops and other plants is time-consuming and difficult. This is especially true when there is no live specimen to associate the name with.

But with regular reading and with diligence, you will discover that it’s fun. As you continue to pile the names in your memory and learn how to use them in plant identification, you will realize that the task is not as difficult as it was at the start.

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Familiarity with the different plant names, their accurate identification, and their agricultural classification are important in learning the basics of crop science.

There are various ways of assigning names to farm crops: either by common names, or by scientific names. The use of common names, also called local names, vernacular names and country names, is generally restricted to one geographical area. This area may consist of a small locality which is dominated by a certain ethnic group, or it may be an entire country.

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