Examples of Farming Types

Make sure you can describe the characteristics of each farming type...

Intensive Subsistence Farming

Rice Farming in India:

1. CLIMATE - the Monsoon climate stays above 21oC with a long wet season, plenty of moisture available for growth, followed by dry, sunny weather which is ideal for ripening and the harvest 2. HUGE DEMAND - Rice is the staple food of 65% of the population of India and forms 90% of the total diet. (India is indeed the world's second largest rice producer, producing 20% of the world's total) 3. FLAT LAND - ideal for paddy fields as it stops water draining away, allowing rice to grow in it 4. FERTILE SOILS - increases productivity and good crops are grown 5. WATER SUPPLY - plentiful water usually available due to the monsoon climate 6. LARGE LABOUR FORCE - rice farming is labour intensive and provides direct employment to about 70% of the working people in India where large numbers of workers are available.

What are the characteristics of the rice farms in India?

- many farms are very small (may only be one hectare - size of a football pitch) - consequently rice farming is intensive, with large amounts of inputs compared to the size of the actual farm - due to the small farm size and the poverty, often there is little no mechanisation and the farms are labour intensive (e.g. preparation of fields, planting, weeding etc.) - the farmers are subsistence farmers - although they may sell what little surplus they might have and many poor farmers are only tenants as opposed to land owners.

Changes to the Rice Farming System:

- Natural disasters may severely affect farms - e.g. Typhoon Damage in October 1998 damaged yields - Use of hybrid rice requires fertilisers and pesticides – expensive and can lead to health problems - the characteristics of rice farms have also changed dramatically due to the Green Revolution Extensive Subsistence Farming What is shifting cultivation? Shifting cultivation is an example of arable, subsistence and extensive farming. It is the traditional form of agriculture in the rainforest. Indians in tribes such as the Quicha and the Kayapo clear small areas of the Amazon Rainforest. They then burn it because the ash provides nutrients for the infertile soil. The land is then farmed for 2-3 years before the Indians move on to another area of the rainforest. As weeds begin to invade and this also allows the area of rainforest to recover. Changes – increasing populations and changing land uses in the rainforest (e.g. the expansion of cattle ranching, mining...) mean that it is more difficult to leave land to recover fully...

Extensive Commercial Farming – Arable: Extensive commercial farming is carried out in the Great Plains of the USA and in the Prairie Provinces of Canada. This system of farming makes up for relatively low crop yields by increasing the scale of production. Vast holdings are cultivated and improvements in technology for irrigation, different strains of cereals, machinery and agrochemicals has seen output soar, causing large surpluses.

Before the American mid-west was settled, vast areas of land were divided into geometric patterns by teams of surveyors. The land was divided into townships of 36 'sections', six miles by six miles. Each settler was given a quarter-section, provided he built a house on the land. Railway lines and, later, roads were all- important in getting farm inputs to the area and farming outputs to markets.

As population in the area has decreased since it was originally settled, many farms have been amalgamated into much bigger units and lots of farmhouses have been abandoned.

The main farming activities centre on:  monoculture of cereal cash crops in very large open fields  very high reliance on machinery and technology There are both physical and human factors which have led to these farming activities.

Physical factors:  Immense areas of land are available.  The climate is marginal and not suited to more intensive types of farming.

Human factors:  The land is relatively cheap, so large areas can be purchased.  Population density is low so there is little pressure on the land to be used for other purposes.  Large farms generating large profits require large corporations to payroll the cost of expensive machinery and technology.  An increase in the use of contract labour, especially at harvest times, reflects the small labour force employed full-time on farms.

Extensive Livestock farming – can be commercial or subsistence

 Likely to refer to cattle ranching or sheep  Commercial: rearing in locations such as Australia, west USA . Availability of large amounts of land may be seen as important in parts of USA. There are limited inputs in terms of fertilisers, fodder, etc., and in terms of labour; the physical factors can be seen as being important. The Hills of Wales and N England – sheep farming dominates due to poor physical conditions – steep slopes, shallow soil, heavy rainfall and human constraints such as accessibility to markets.

 Subsistence: nomadic herders in parts of North Africa.e.g.The Maasai are traditionally nomadic pastoralists The climate and soils determine the productivity of the land and the quality of the cattle. Where conditions are extreme – as in North Africa, the herders move around in search of water and the quality of the cattle is poor. The Maasai move in accordance to the wet and the dry season in search of suitable pasture for their cattle. Intensive Commercial Farming Glebelands Market Gardening, Greater Manchester - concentrates on leafy and salad crops where freshness is most marked: we are able to cut for sale at Unicorn Grocery- less than 2 miles away - the same day. What we lose in smaller scale, we tend to make up in higher value crops.

We use well-established techniques such as on site composting, crop rotation and green manure crops to maintain soil fertility and plant health, but also more cutting edge techniques to extend the season wherever possible. This includes the use of horticultural fleece, mesh covers, polytunnels and drip irrigation lines. The environmental cost of synthetic materials is currently considerably less than truck impact from Spanish and other origins.

Typical crops include Kale, Broad Beans, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Squashes, Basil, Parsley, Chard and Spinach, as well as leaf salad. The main UK season focuses on June to October (due to climatic limitations, mainly low light levels), but we specialise in producing salad right through the colder, darker months. We grow up to 15 types of salad leaf, according to the time of year, such as the Oriental Brassicas Mizuna, Namenia, various Mustards which can survive, even thrive, in the winter lower light levels, plus carrot leaf and various types of chicory and endive. Intensive commercial farming – Pastoral... Dairy Farming in West of England and close to major conurbations – Important physical factors = Gentle relief; fertile soils; high rainfall for grass growth; mild winters (over 6°C) , Human factors – the proximity to large markets. Most farms are not particularly large, proportionally and farmers put a lot of inputs (technology, machinery etc) into their farms in order to produce a large amounts of outputs (yields of milk & dairy produce. A lot of the farming is mechanised – tractors etc and far fewer people are employed now than a couple of decades ago. At certain times of the year external contractors are brought in, i.e. to harvest and wrap silage bales.

Watch this – does it help you revise?! It will make you laugh... http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/agriculture/types_farm_video.shtml In an exam?!

 Outline the characteristics of extensive livestock farming (5 marks)

 Outline the characteristics of intensive commercial farming (5 marks)

 Compare characteristics of extensive and intensive farming (5 marks)

 Contrast subsistence and commercial agricultural food production systems (15 marks)