What is Horticulture?

Horticulture is the study of the cultivation of crops and plants for human consumption or aesthetic purposes such as gardening. Horticulture usually happens on a small scale like a greenhouse or formal flower bed. It deals with the cultivation of all types of flora, from trees and shrubs to flowers and vegetables. Horticulturists study plants and use technology to improve their quality and quantity.

Sub-disciplines of horticulture include:

• Olericulture – the production of vegetables
• Pomology – the production of fruit
• Floriculture – the production of flowering plants
• Landscape horticulture – involves designing, constructing, and maintaining landscapes

Benefits Of Horticulture

Horticulture uses scientific principles and technologies to improve the yields produced by plants. This means more food in your community garden or more products to sell at the farmer’s market. Horticulture often uses intercropping, or polycultures, which indigenous people have used for centuries to cultivate the land sustainably. For example, the Iroquois people always planted corn, beans, and squash together. The three crops provided mutual benefit to each other, increasing the yield and quality of the food crops and the lifespan of the soil.

Drawbacks Of Horticulture

Usually, horticulture requires a large up-front investment to buy equipment, soil, plants, and other supplies. It is usually very labor intensive, and working outside means exposure to environmental hazards. Gardens, greenhouses, and urban farms also attract rodents and other small animals that may become pests.

Other potential drawbacks of horticulture include high water consumption and water contamination if you use pesticides or other chemicals in your gardens. Lastly, horticulture sometimes leads to more invasive species in an area such as the poison hemlock which was brought into the country for aesthetic purposes.

What is Agriculture?

Agriculture involves the large-scale cultivation of plants and animals, usually for food. Agriculture includes traditional farming and raising livestock. Common crops and animal products produced in the U.S. include corn, soy, beef, and cotton.

Benefits Of Agriculture

Human civilization could not exist without agriculture. The main benefit of agriculture is that it supplies our society with an essential resource – food. It also provides many jobs, ingredients for medicines, and other raw materials such as wool and leather.

Hydroponics and aquaponics are often used in agriculture. These practices can also be used in horticulture, but their benefits are amplified when used in large-scale production. Hydroponics and aquaponics involve growing plants in water. Aquaponics also includes fish in the water to provide natural fertilizer to the plants. This sustainable practice could help improve plant and seafood production in the future.

Drawbacks Of Agriculture

The environmental impact of monoculture farming is seen in soil depletion, making the land unusable for cultivation. Non-sustainable farming practices have also led to increased global warming. For example, meat production produces 14% of the world’s human-made carbon emissions. The overuse of pesticides has harmed workers and animals and contaminated the water supply. However, these drawbacks can be mitigated by implementing more sustainable practices.

Find the best jobs in sustainable agriculture to turn your passion for food into a career.

Differences Between Horticulture And Agriculture

What is the difference between horticulture and agriculture? The main difference between horticulture and agriculture is the scale of production. Horticulture focuses on small-scale crop production, and agriculture focuses on large-scale production which means higher outputs. Agriculture tends to be monoculture, while horticulture tends to be polyculture.

Some people consider horticulture actually to be a subdivision of agriculture. Why is horticulture important to agriculture? Horticulture specializes in improving plant quality and yield which can be used to make agricultural practices more effective and sustainable. This includes making plants more nutritious and resistant to disease.

Agriculture VS Horticulture