Agriculture is an important aspect of life for nearly every human. Vegetables, meat and dairy products all come from farms and in modern times, some aim to change these farms through an agricultural project. Some projects aim to make farms simpler and more organic, and some want to use technology and advanced scientific thought to move agriculture forward. No matter the aim, the three basic types of agricultural projects are educational, promotional and research. Most projects encompass one, if not more, of these elements to help change the way farming is done.
Education is a popular form of agricultural project because it takes very little capital, resources and employees. By gathering and presenting information, this aims to teach farmers and non-farmers alike about a certain aspect of agriculture in order to change opinions and practices. One good example would be an educational project to educate people about the benefits of free-range chickens. A group, possibly a non-profit agricultural group or even an animal rights group, will present findings to an audience, showing the health and profit benefits of not raising these animals in a cage. The group can take its message to the public through places such as farmers markets or even go directly to the farms and meet with farmers themselves.
Promotion is another popular form of agricultural project. It is similar to education in that it has a message to send, but the goal of this type of project often is not to change practices but to encourage buying. The sustainable agriculture movement is an excellent example of this type of project. Local farms that use organic sources and distribute locally have projects to encourage customers to seek out and buy this type of product rather than food that comes from factory farms. These projects often are very specialized and funded by the farms themselves.
A third type of agricultural project is a research-based project. Often funded by a university or an agricultural company, this aims for progress on the farm. Seeking out either private or public funding with a specific goal, the workers in these projects act like laboratory scientists attempting to invent new products. An example of a research agricultural project would be a university attempting to create a new hybrid soybean. This project would combine scientific research, hypothesizing and testing in order to create an advancement in agriculture.
