husbandry
n.n. the careful care and management of something, especially animals or crops. It is an old-fashioned word that people use to describe farming or keeping livestock.
n. the careful management and care of animals or crops. Often used in the context of agricultural or livestock management, though it is now largely archaic in general usage.
The farmer practiced good husbandry to keep his cows healthy.
In the eighteenth century, the success of a farm depended on the husbandry of the soil and the careful breeding of livestock.
The ancient texts describe the meticulous husbandry required to maintain the delicate balance of the orchard, ensuring that the fruit trees remained productive despite the harsh local climate.
From Middle English hus-bō̆ndrī, hus-bō̆ndrīe, husbanderi, husbonderie, housbondrye, housebondrie (“household management, housekeeping; household duties; economy, skilful management, thrift; farm management, agriculture, farming; cultivation; household articles; husbands collectively”), from hǒus-bō̆nd, hǒus-bō̆nde (“male spouse, husband; master of a house; male head of a household; man having charge of something, household manager; (figuratively) host, inhabitant, resident; bondsman, villein; farmer, husbandman”) (see further at husband) + -rīe (suffix forming nouns collectively denoting members or practitioners of a craft or profession). By surface analysis, husband + -ry.