agribusiness

American  

[ag-ruh-biz-nis] / ˈæg rəˌbɪz nɪs /

Or agrobusiness

noun

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

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agribusiness British  

/ ˈæɡrɪˌbɪznɪs /

noun

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

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agribusiness Cultural  

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

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

Etymology

Origin of agribusiness

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

Example Sentences

Hundreds of Indigenous people have been protesting in northern Brazil for two weeks outside the port terminal of US agribusiness giant Cargill, angered over the dredging and development of Amazonian rivers for grain exports.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

"We want our lands free from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal miners and illegal loggers," he said.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

Andersons said results in its agribusiness were hurt by spending patterns as “with a large harvest and low market prices, feed and end-use customers continue to limit their purchasing to immediate needs.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

Harris, who owned the multimillion-dollar agribusiness Harris Farms, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025

They are dropouts from the industrial agribusiness food chain, trying to build a new one.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan