agribusiness

or ag·ro·busi·ness

[ ag-ruh-biz-nis ]

noun

1. the businesses collectively associated with the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products.

agribusiness

/ ˈæɡrɪˌbɪznɪs /

noun

1. the various businesses collectively that process, distribute, and support farm products

agribusiness

1. The part of the economy devoted to the production, processing, and distribution of food, including the financial institutions that fund these activities.

Notes

Agribusiness emphasizes agriculture as a big business rather than as the work of small family farms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of agribusiness¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; agri- + business

Word History and Origins

Origin of agribusiness¹

C20: from agri ( culture ) + business

Example Sentences

Farming and agribusiness account for 30% of the country’s GDP, and without water readily available for irrigation, the industry and its farmers are set to take a massive hit.

From Ozy

It’s like the example of global agribusiness that is impacting the climate in a negative way.

From Freakonomics

After studying agribusiness in the Netherlands, she came home and dove headfirst into a swarm of flies, food waste, and fundraising—on a mission to produce enough animal feed to replace soy and fishmeal as both grow increasingly unsustainable.

From Quartz

The government instead continued to characterize the state and its Afro-descendant population as backward and in need of modern agribusiness, highways and hotels.

From Washington Post

As the boom continued, however, small farmers faced mounting competition from larger operations, including global agribusiness concerns.

From MIT Technology Review

Farmers like Scott, whose own agribusiness, was just north of the border in Zambia.

From The Daily Beast

California has been the source of much innovation, from agribusiness and oil to fashion and the digital world.

From The Daily Beast

The great bulk of subsidies flow—directly or indirectly—to wealthy people and agribusiness.

From The Daily Beast