"Agriculture: A Very Short Introduction" explains what farmers do and why they do it. Beginning with the most basic resource, the soil, it shows why it is important, and how farmers can increase its productivity, before turning to the plants and animals that grow on it, and tracing the connections between their biology and the various ways in which farmers work with them. It concludes by looking at some of the controversial issues facing contemporary agriculture: its sustainability; its impact on wildlife and landscape; issues of animal welfare; and the effect of climate change and the development of genetically modified organisms on farmers. -- From publisher's description.