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Designed By:
Christian Alas
Created and illustrated By:
Angelo Romero and Camilo Sanabria
Agribusiness
Agribusiness is the business sector encompassing farming and farming-related commercial activities. It involves all the steps required to send an agricultural good to market, namely production, processing, and distribution. This industry is an important component of the economy in countries with arable land since agricultural products can be exported.
Agribusiness treats the different aspects of raising agricultural products as an integrated system. Farmers raise animals and harvest fruits and vegetables with the help of sophisticated harvesting techniques, including the use of GPS to direct operations. Manufacturers develop increasingly efficient machines that can drive themselves. Processing plants determine the best way to clean and package livestock for shipping. While each subset of the industry is unlikely to interact directly with the consumer, each is focused on operating efficiently in order to keep prices reasonable.
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Market forces have a significant impact on the agribusiness sector, as do natural forces, such as changes in the earth’s climate. Changes in consumer taste alter what products are grown and raised. For example, a shift in consumer tastes away from red meat may cause demand, and therefore prices, for beef to fall, while increased demand for produce may shift the mix of fruits and vegetables that farmers raise. Businesses unable to rapidly change in accordance with domestic demand may look to export their products abroad. If that fails, they may not be able to compete and remain in business.
Climate change has placed intensifying pressure on many companies in the agribusiness industry to remain relevant, and profitable, while adapting to the threats posed by large-scale shifts in weather patterns.