Agriculture versus IT

Source: Agriculture_in_Vietnam_with_farmers_By Dennis Jarvis – Flickr_wikimedia13276337

The development of a country is a multifaceted concept which progresses at different levels. Factors like economy, education, infrastructure, etc. influence this development heavily and have a lot to do with how the general public lives. 

The rise and fall of the economic condition of a country can impact the whole working of the system. If there is no money, how will the rest of the sectors get the funds to function? They obviously can’t. So, a functioning and booming economy is good as this is what will help the country develop. But what drives the economy? Which sector contributes the most?

For a lot of countries, the agricultural sector sets the foundation for the country- it forms the crux of livelihood. But the last century has witnessed the rise of the IT sector which is equally beneficial. So, which one should we focus on more? 

What is Agriculture? 

We can use Agriculture as a common word to define all methods by which crops and animals sustain human population by becoming the source for food and other products. The word literally means field tillage but has come to mean so much more in regards to other activities like cultivation, horticulture, vegeculture, and domestication. 

The Agricultural revolution, which occurred in numerous countries, represents a major change in the way humans strategize about planting, domestication, and cultivation. Humans learnt how to manipulate soil behaviour to enhance their yields, get animals to do manual work for them, and domesticate different species. And they got their dues in return. 

Agriculture is and always has been a major source of both food and income for the population. Their productivity is threatened by changing climatic conditions but aid and support has helped us make through. According to reports, Agriculture can reduce poverty, improve food security, and raise incomes for about 80% of the world’s poor. Developing this field is the key to boosting prosperity and economic growth of the country. The global gross domestic product owes up to 4% of its total amount to this industry; some developing countries have agriculture as the sole contributor for 25% of their GDP. 

Rise of the IT sector 

Source: Image by Chathura Anuradha Subasinghe from Pixabay_robot-8043125_1280

Like I mentioned earlier, the last century was when the IT sector came into existence and started booming. The success this industry has acquired is second to only that of the agricultural revolution. 

Before we start getting into discussions about its impact on the economy of a country, let us understand what IT means first. Information Technology, IT for short, is a new discipline which refers to using computers and similar devices to create, secure, and store all forms of data in electronic format. Initially developed for use in business operations, the commercial use of IT took over every other form of IT use. 

The industry developed steadily but swiftly after the 1950s; the cost of the device and energy consumption decreased as the purposes and functions increased. Today everyone we know has experienced working with IT gadgets. It’s harder to find someone who hasn’t done so. This is because of the advent of the technological age where everyone has access to the latest tech and relies heavily on this tech. 

This industry has incorporated itself into various areas like administration, compliance, business, education, and more. Its importance increases proportionally with respect to increase in its functionality. This becomes more evident when we look at the industry trends from the last few years. In 2022, the industry was estimated to have a worth of 5.2 million US dollars. Phew! This is a large amount. The future doesn’t seem bleak either- there has been an expected growth rate of 3.7% in the upcoming years for this industry.   

Combined impact of the two 

Why choose one when you can have both? Or more accurately we should say- you can’t choose one as profit will only come your way if you have both. You heard it right! There is no ‘one sector is superior’ answer for this debate. This is because while it seems one industry may have more advantage over the other in some areas, both have become important cultures to integrate into society for prosperity. 

If a country chooses to let agriculture go, to foster the IT sector, there are dire consequences in store for it. Conflicts like climate change and inflation have already become harbingers of chaos for this industry. In the face of such problems, the food security of a country declines significantly. You want proof? One fourth of the global population faces food insecurity today!

So, let’s go of IT instead? Buzzzzz, wrong! Digital technologies have spread so rapidly and integrated into our everyday life so perfectly that now any nation without these automatically ends up on the losing end. Facilities like computers, phones, and other IT gadgets are there everywhere; cutting them off would only invite more loss to hit the economy. 

To choose or not to choose then? I think we shouldn’t. How about you? 

Resources

What is Agriculture? 

1. Harris, D. R., & Fuller, D. Q. (2014). Agriculture: Definition and Overview. ResearchGate; unknown. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301345493_Agriculture_Definition_and_Overview 
2. Overview. (2024). World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/overview 

Rise of the IT sector

1. Kinza Yasar. (2024). information technology (IT). Data Center; TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/IT 
2. 2020 IT (Information Technology) Industry Trends Analysis | Business of Technology | CompTIA. (2020). Default. https://connect.comptia.org/content/research/it-industry-outlook-2020 

Combined impact of the two 

1. 2020 IT (Information Technology) Industry Trends Analysis | Business of Technology | CompTIA. (2020). Default. https://connect.comptia.org/content/research/it-industry-outlook-2020 

Overview. (2024). World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/overview