No country can ever survive without agriculture. Even the most industrialized nations need the wonders of agriculture to sustain their existence and to maintain their status in the global economic ladder. Be it their own or not, all countries are at the mercy of agriculture and its many branches and fields.



For so long, majority view agriculture as a classical, undated discipline -- something that only our forefathers can fully appreciate and love. Unknown to most of us, it is through agriculture that the earliest of human civilizations have survived the many changes that had occurred in earth's history. From the rivers and *borders of China*, to the fallen empires of Macedonia, all the way to the famous city-states of Greece, agriculture has played an indispensable role in the course of human evolution and survival.

From being a means of daily survival and sustenance and one of the earliest form of trading amongst economic groups and classes, agriculture has rapidly spawned to more areas unexpectedly. These days, more especially before the industrialization trend, agriculture has been elevated to a country's crucial affair from being a family or community affair alone. It has became an industry, which provided job opportunities for a lot of people especially in the rural regions. It is now even a highly politicized (positively and negatively) domain. Agriculture has become the base fuel of many countries' economic leverage over their trading partners. It has become a vital tool in balancing the tension between the scarcity of resources in some countries and its abundance in others. Policies on agriculture, such as subsidies and tax rates, are also disputed aspects of local and international relations on agriculture. Modernization is also at the forefront among the many developments and issues relating to agriculture.

But the most notable of all these developments is the institutionalization of agriculture as a body of knowledge. Agriculture is now a highly respected field of study, from merely being a day-to-day knowledge passed on from one generation to another. Traditional agriculture is now agricultural science. Governments and academic institutions have recognized the need to envelope the traditional, purely experiential acquisition of agricultural knowledge and skills with a scholastic sphere. Bachelor's degree programs, graduate studies, and vocational courses on agriculture and its many related fields are now being offered by reputable institutions in all continents of the world. In Asia, for example, the cooperation among various countries from Asia and the Pacific led to the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Seated in the highly agricultural region of the Philippines, the IRRI is in progressive tie-ups with many universities in the region to provide opportunities for a holistic education on agriculture for its students and citizens.

In the United States, the Michigan State University is one of the leading institutions advocating the advancement of agriculture as a field of study. It recognizes the importance of scholastic training as an integral element of optimizing the benefits of routinized practical agricultural activities inherited from the past generations.

The MSU On Line Learning and Continuing Education offers three main computer courses on Agriculture. The Independent Study in Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR 490) is a computer course, which explores the issues of food regulation in Canada, *Latin America*, European Union, and the United States. ANR 490 also focuses on International Food Laws and Regulations. The two others are the International Food Laws and Regulation (ANR 810) and the U.S. Food Laws and Regulation (ANR 811).

The online education program also offers courses on Animal Science (Animal Welfare Assessment), Crop and Soil Sciences (Computer Applications Agronomy and Watershed Concepts), Fisheries and Wildlife (Watershed Concepts, Special Topics on Fisheries and wildlife, and Advance Topics), Forestry (Watershed Concepts), and other courses related to the study and practice of agriculture.

Further, the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences of MSU offers online computer courses for its Agronomy students. The Introduction to Home Computing is a non-credit computer course, which aims to provide basic skills that are necessary to operate a computer. The Computer Applications in Agronomy is a credit computer course that aims to equip students with the basic knowledge in using a computer and the use of computer applications in the modernized practice of agriculture. The offering of these two online computer courses is a clear recognition by MSU of agriculture's much- needed embracing of useful modern technology for more progress and development.

Measures like these, being undertaken by various parties and institutions, are clear indications of agriculture's indispensability to our lives. Proactive efforts of preserving and even furthering agriculture amidst the rapidly increasing industrialization of many nations call for much celebration and due recognition.