agrícola

Agrícola is an adjective used in Spanish and Portuguese to denote anything related to agriculture or farming. It is applied to products, activities, policies, and sectors tied to the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock, as well as to rural life in general.

Etymology: The term derives from Latin agricola, meaning farmer. The Romance-language adjective form -ícola is used to indicate belonging or relation, producing agríc- al in Spanish and português igual in Portuguese.

Usage: The word is common in technical and economic language. Examples include producción agrícola (agricultural production), sector agrícola (agricultural sector), maquinaria agrícola (agricultural machinery), ingeniería agrícola (agricultural engineering), and derecho agrario (agrarian law). It also appears in discussions of agricultural policy, agroindustria (agribusiness), and sustainability initiatives.

Geographic and linguistic notes: The form is standard in Spanish-speaking and Brazilian Portuguese-speaking contexts. The word translates to “agricultural” in English, and while it is related to the broader notion of rural life, agrícola specifically connotes farming activities and industries rather than rural life in a generalized sense.