Lesson 1

UNIT 1

Agricultural development

BASIC AGRICULTURE

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Agriculture in Ukraine

Learn the active vocabulary of the Lesson and be ready to use it in your further work:

DO THIS TEST!

Crop production — рослинництво;

animal husbandry — тваринництво;

livestock n – тваринництво, домашня худоба;

grain and industrial crops — зерновi та технічні культури;

cereals n — хлiбнi злаки;

dairy and beef cattle breeding — розведення молочної та м’ясної  худоби;

pig raising — свинарство;

sheep farming — вiвчарство;

bee-keeping — бджiльництво;

poultry industry — птахiвництво;

poultry farm – птахоферма;

state farms —  радгоспи; державні підприємства;

collective farms — колгоспи; колективні підприємства;

farm n – фермерське господарство;

farm property – фермерське майно;

land share – земельний пай;

shareholder n – пайовик;

land back – повернення землі;

private agricultural association – приватне сільськогосподарське об'єднання;

subsidy n – субсидія;

livestock inventory - інвентаризація худоби;

to cope v – впоратися, долати;

fleets of aging - старіння парку;

inefficient machinery – неефективна техніка;

crop selection – відбір сільськогосподарської культури.

Read the text and answer the questions:

1. Why is agriculture very important?

2. What are the two branches of agriculture?

3. How do people increase crop yields?

AGRICULTURE IN UKRAINE

Ukraine has very favourable conditions for the development of agricultural production: fertile soils, temperately warm climate, a well- developed industry processing agricultural raw materials. Ukraine has been known as the breadbasket of Europe, accounting for about 25% of the world most fertile black soil. Ukraine is the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil and one of the top exporters of grains.

There are two main branches of agricultural production in Ukraine: crop production and animal husbandry.  Crop production is the practice of growing and harvesting crops. It includes: grain and industrial crops, meadow culture, fruit and vegetable raising. Almost half of the cropping area is occupied by cereals such as winter wheat, maize and legumes, rye, oats and barley. Among the industrial crops such as sugar beet, sunflower, flax the leading position is occupied by sugar beet. Close to 40 types of vegetable crops are grown in Ukraine: potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, red beets, carrots, onions, garlic, etc. Melon-growing is practiced mainly in the south.

Animal husbandry is the practice of breeding of farm animals and their use. The most widespread branches of animal husbandry are: dairy and beef cattle  breeding, pig raising, sheep farming and bee-keeping.  The poultry industry is spread through all the provinces. Birds farmed include chicken, duck, goose, turkey. There are large mechanized poultry farms to produce eggs and meat.

Ukrainian agriculture has been evolving since it achieved independence in 1991, following the breakup of the Soviet Union. State and collective farms were officially dismantled in 2000. Farm property was divided among the farm workers in the form of land shares and most new shareholders leased their land back to newly-formed private agricultural associations. The sudden loss of State agricultural subsidies had an enormous effect on every aspect of Ukrainian agriculture. The contraction in livestock inventories that had begun in the late 1980's continued and intensified. Fertilizer use fell by 85 percent over a ten-year period, and grain production by 50 percent. Farms were forced to cope with fleets of aging, inefficient machinery because no funds were available for capital investment. At the same time, however, the emergence from the Soviet-style command economy enabled farmers to make increasingly market-based decisions regarding crop selection and management, which contributed to increased efficiency in both the livestock and crop-production sectors. At the present, in order to increase crop yields and animal products farms apply widely intensive technologies.

EXERCISES

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Is life possible without plants?

2. Where are farm crops used?

3. What is crop production?

4. What are the main farm crops?

5. What does animal husbandry include?

6. What products do farm animals produce?

7. How do farmers improve the physical condition of the soil?

8. What do farms do in order to increase crop yields and animal products at the present?

II. Translate the international words:

Condition, production, productive, industry, industrial, region, material, climate, machine, tractor, practice, agricultural, combine, bulldozer, to mechanize, position, tendency, tradition, traditional, farm, collective, intensive technology, mix, problem, cultivation, hectare, popular, progress, process.

III.  Arrange the words into pairs of:

a) synonyms:

Administration, forecast, command, opinion, obey, also, data, workforce, work, to choose, to demonstrate, too, information, staff, job, to show, to foresee, personnel, order, point of view, to submit, management, layer, level, to select, vice versa, on the contrary.

b) antonyms:

To reject, same, satisfaction, senior, inward, to lose, junior, outward, democratic, to achieve, to obey, autocratic, to command, to adopt, another, dissatisfaction.

IV.  Match the words on the left with their meanings on the right:

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V. Complete the sentences using the appropriate words from the text:

1.Ukraine has very favourable conditions ... . 2. There are two main branches of agricultural production in Ukraine ... . 3. Crop production is ... 4. It includes ... . 5. Almost  half  of the cropping area is occupied by cereals such as ... . 6. Close to 40 types of vegetable crops are grown in Ukraine: ... . 7. Animal husbandry is ... . 8. Birds farmed include ... . 9. In order to increase crop yields and animal products collective and state farms apply ... .

VI. Read and translate the meanings of the following terms. Translate the sentences with them:

Proprietor - is an owner, especially of a business or hotel.

1. All complaints should be made to the proprietor.

Property - 1) is a thing or things owned, whether material or abstract;

2) is land and buildings;

3) is a house, factory, etc. and the land around it.

1. Please take care of personal property. 2. The site was bought by a property developer. 3. He has bought a property in the south of France.

Loan - is something lent, usually money, on the condition it will be paid back after an agreed period with interest.

VII. Translate into Ukrainian and form the sentences:

Favourable conditions; agricultural production; fertile soils; agricultural raw material; crop production; animal husbandry; grain crops; industrial crops; temperately warm climate; dairy and beef cattle breeding; poultry industry; farms.

VIII. Match the English names of garden tools and agricultural implements to their Ukrainian equivalents:

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IX. Read and translate the text paying attention to the active words and word combinations:

FARM WORK IN DIFFERENT SEASONS

Spring

Spring is the time to prepare the soil for planting. First, the farmer fertilizes his field with cow manure or a chemical fertilizer. Then he plows the soil, turning it over and mixing in the fertilizer to provide a rich soil for the crops. Later, when the days a little longer and the sun has warmed the soil, it is time to plant the seeds. Meanwhile, if the farmer raises the animals, spring is the time when the animals are giving birth, and both mothers and their young  ones have to be watched  and cared for.

Summer

After planting the farmer waits and watches .He watches the weather, hoping for enough sun. He waters the young plants and watches carefully for sings of plant 31 disease and attacks of insects. Many farmers spray their fields with chemicals to keep away disease and harmful insects. With water, sun, care and protection the plants grow strong and healthy. Summer is also suitable time for cutting grass and making hay.

Autumn    

This is the busiest time of the year. Now the crops in the fields are ready to harvest. The fruit is ready to pick. It is time to gather in the vegetable crops and to reap the grass crops, such as wheat and corn. The farmers have to work quickly. Often it is necessary to call in extra workers to work in the fields and bring in the crops. Work starts when the sun  rises  and finishes  when the sun sets. The days are hard and long. But when the job is done, it is time fore celebrating, for dancing, eating , drinking and having fun.

Winter

The days are getting shorter and shorter. The harvested crops are sold in the markets or stored in the barns, ready feed and animals though the winter months. The farmer chops wood, preparing to keep his house warm through the long cold winter nights. And when winter finally comes, it is time for planning, for deciding where and what to plant next year. For soon it will be spring again and the cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting will start again.

X. Answer the questions:

1. Spring is the time for gathering crops, isn' t it?

2. What does the farmer do in the fields in spring?

3. What does he fertilize his fields with?

4. Why does he plow the soil?

5. Have you ever visited a farm? When? Where?

6. Would you like to be a farmer? Why? Why not?

XI. Put these events in the order they usually occur:

1. First, the farmers_______                 a) harvest the crops.

2. Then, they____________                 b) fertilize the fields.

3. After that, they________                  c) feed the animals in winter.

4. They may have to______                 d) store the crops.

5. Finally, it' s time to_____                  e) plant the crops.

6. Then they have to______                  f) plough the fields.

7. Now they can_________                 g) spray the crops.