commercial agriculture

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   Farming that is done mainly to produce crops or animals for sale and profit, rather than for the farmer's own use.

   Grammar: No plural and no article: say 'Commercial agriculture is important,' not 'A commercial agriculture is important.'

   Patterns

   • commercial agriculture in a country
   • the rise of commercial agriculture
   • depend on commercial agriculture

   Large areas of the region have been turned over to commercial agriculture.

   Commercial agriculture provides most of the food sold in supermarkets.

   The government is encouraging commercial agriculture to increase exports.

Common combinations

large-scale commercial agriculture

Large-scale commercial agriculture requires expensive machinery.

commercial agriculture sector

The commercial agriculture sector employs thousands of workers.

shift to commercial agriculture

Many small farmers have shifted to commercial agriculture.

commercial agriculture production

Commercial agriculture production rose sharply last year.

Synonyms and how they differ

agribusiness

Agribusiness often refers to the whole industry, including processing and selling, while commercial agriculture focuses on the farming itself.

intensive farming

Intensive farming means using a lot of labor or chemicals on a small area; commercial agriculture is about selling for profit, whatever the method.

Opposites

Word family

commercial farmer noun

A person who farms mainly to sell products.

commercial farming noun

The activity of farming for profit.

Commonly confused: commercial agriculture or subsistence agriculture?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “commercial agriculture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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