What agricultural activity involves gathering crops once they have matured?

Harvesting is the agricultural activity that involves gathering crops once they have matured. This process marks the final stage of crop production, where mature plants are cut, picked, or otherwise removed from the field to be processed, stored, or sold. It plays a crucial role in the agriculture cycle, as it directly influences the yield and quality of the produce.

In contrast, sowing refers to the act of planting seeds in the ground, which is an essential part of the cultivation process but occurs before the crops have matured. Fallowing involves leaving land unplanted for a season or more to restore its fertility, which happens after the previous crops have been harvested and before new crops are sown. Germination is the process by which seeds develop into new plants, marking the beginning of a plant's life cycle, significantly before any harvesting can take place. Therefore, harvesting is distinct from these other activities, as it specifically pertains to the collection of fully grown crops at the end of their growth cycle.