Agronomy is called the knowledge and techniques that allow the development of crops. It is a discipline that, based on data from different sciences, contributes to the exploitation of livestock and agriculture.
The purpose of agronomy is to optimize the processes that make it possible to obtain and transform agricultural products. For this, he dedicates himself to analyzing different issues related to biology, chemistry, physics, sociology and economics that, in one way or another, affect the different production processes.
Another name by which agronomy is known is agronomic engineering, which can also be used to refer to the degree studied in the faculty. Although the interest in this knowledge may arise in people of any origin, it is common for people born and raised in the field to choose this path in order to inherit the family business and continue to grow it with the most relevant techniques and resources.
It is often said that agronomy studies agroecosystems: models of human intervention on nature to obtain raw materials. This work of man involves the application of theoretical knowledge and technology to fulfill his objectives.
Agronomy specialists are known as agronomists. Among its tasks are increasing soil productivity, improving plant characteristics and promoting livestock farming. Although planet Earth was perfect before our arrival, we have exploited its resources to such a point that it seems to be insufficient. If the human being controlled his birth to avoid overpopulation, as all other species do, it would not be necessary to apply artificial treatments to the soil to carry out the tasks of agriculture.
Between science and agronomy there is an essential relationship. Before continuing, it is necessary to establish the difference between applied and formal sciences: the former encompass all applications of scientific knowledge with the aim of finding the solution to practical problems, based on as many areas as necessary; the formal sciences, for their part, are dedicated to the study of mathematical and logical processes by means of the deductive method, that is, to everything that is not part of the natural and tangible world.
Taking this distinction into account, it is easy to understand that livestock and agriculture are applied sciences, since they can be carried out through the use of concepts belonging to various sciences. Agronomy encompasses all this knowledge, necessary for the production of goods based on resources found in nature or created by the human being himself.
The exponential growth that has taken place in agricultural activities in recent decades makes it increasingly necessary to use technology to face problems such as the large volumes of production demanded by the market, but also to promote greater care for the health of the workers: the work in the field is very hard, as much for the physical efforts as for the duration of the days, and that’s why the specialized machinery is so beneficial.
In the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina), Agronomy is the name of a neighborhood. Its name is due to the fact that on its surface of just over two square kilometers is the headquarters of the Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires.
About 14,000 people live in Agronomy. One of the main characteristics of the neighborhood is that it houses the facilities of various sports entities, highlighting the presence of the Communications Club. The writer Julio Cortázar (1914-1984), for his part, lived in Agronomy and today a street remembers him with his name.