Processing (agriculture)
As processing is used in agriculture
- the conversion of plant products (see also plant production ) into higher quality animal products
- and the plant grafting meant on documents .
The livestock is therefore used as livestock production referred; Farms that generate the majority of their turnover with animals or animal products are called processing companies .
Economic factors
Due to the amount of feed required , the energetic - and therefore ecological - expenditure for the production of animal products is significantly higher than that of vegetable products. Due to the metabolism of the livestock, part of the energy supplied with the feed is lost in the form of body heat. Aquaculture is an exception ; Since fish are cold-blooded , the feed conversion is much greater. In order to produce the same energy for feeding with animal products as with plant-based nutrition, much larger areas are therefore required. Humans achieve the greatest energy efficiency of the chemical energy obtained through photosynthesis when their trophic level reaches the lowest possible level. Because at every trophic level , energy is lost through metabolic processes in the form of heat for further use.
On a global scale as well as in traditional agriculture, the possibility of being able to operate the processing industry is therefore dependent on areas that are not required for the production of plant-based staple foods . However, on the other hand, the processing industry also offers the possibility of agricultural use of areas that are not suitable for arable farming , but only as grassland . In industrial agriculture - particularly in the area of factory farming , the: the livestock industry on a local scale area-independent as animal feed are purchased - land use shifts in regions that can work effectively in feed production. Currently, 40% of grain production , around 65% of oilseeds and 30% of fish catch are used for processing.
development
In principle, the processing is derived from the working methods of secondary utilization of a subsistence economy ( household waste as feed in the pig fattening , straw as feed additive to hay , ...)
Today's importance of the processing industry is based in particular on the increasing demand for high-quality animal products with increasing prosperity , with which higher revenues can be achieved than with vegetable products. Central European agriculture generates around three fifths of its revenues from the processing industry. In comparison, in developing countries less than a fifth of the production value of agriculture is usually accounted for by the processing industry.