Farming in Ledcs

Farming in LEDCs

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This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable. For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation. 11ofof 2424 © Boardworks Ltd 20052006 How is farming different in less economically developed countries?

Challenges facing farmers in LEDCs.

Initiatives to help farmers in LEDCs. Learning objectives Learning

2 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Introduction to farming in LEDCs

How is farming different in less economically developed countries (LEDCs)? In less economically developed countries, farms are usually smaller and worked primarily to provide food for the farmer and his family. Farmers in LEDCs usually have almost no money to invest in their farms. They cannot afford things like pesticides, artificial fertilizers or agricultural machinery. As a result, their yields are usually low compared to farmers in more economically developed countries (MEDCs).

3 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Comparing LEDCs with MEDCs

4 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 What is subsistence farming?

Farming in LEDCs is often subsistence farming.

Subsistence farming means growing food just to feed yourself and your family.

A true subsistence farmer does not produce any surplus food that could be sold or bartered for other goods.

In practice, there is little true subsistence agriculture, as most farmers produce enough food in good years to be able to sell or trade some of it.

5 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Extensive subsistence farming in the Sahel

The Sahel is a large area in Africa, which lies between the Sahara desert and the true grasslands further south.

The land is poor, and the rainfall low, but there is enough grass to support cattle herding – however, the herds must keep moving to find fresh grazing.

6 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Extensive subsistence farming in the Sahel

All the rain falls between May and September. Seven months of the year are usually completely dry. The cattle graze further north during the rainy season and move south, closer to the water holes in the dry season. Sometimes the rains don’t come at all, and many cattle die. The cattle herders are subsistence farmers, however many of them sell some of their meat and milk at market, and use the money to buy vegetables and cereal crops. Some grow a few crops to add to their income from herding. This means staying in the same place for part of the year.

7 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 How is farming different in less economically developed countries?

Challenges facing farmers in LEDCs.

Initiatives to help farmers in LEDCs. Learning objectives Learning

8 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Why is farming in LEDCs so hard?

Farmers in LEDCs are often caught in a sort of vicious circle:

Yields are low

Cannot afford to The family has invest in the farm – no little surplus fertilizer or machinery produce to sell

The family has barely any income

9 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Why is farming in LEDCs so hard?

There are other cycles too:

The family has There is no money little food

There is Cannot little afford to Yields Nutrition surplus buy are low is poor produce machinery LABOUR NUTRITION

Have many Need lots of Farm workers children to labour to farm are physically provide labour weaker

10 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 The challenges of climate

Subsistence farmers only just grow enough food to survive. This makes them vulnerable to famine if conditions are bad. 1. Flooding – for example in Bangladesh. The rivers Brahmaputra and Ganges cause flooding in Bangladesh every year. In particularly heavy years, it is devastating. Thousands of people are drowned, or die of diseases spread by the dirty water. Entire crops are wiped out. Cattle and other livestock are drowned.

Farmers have no insurance or savings to help them cope. LEDCs have little money to spend on flood defences.

11 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 The challenges of climate

2. Drought – for example in the Sahel. Rainfall is unpredictable – since the 1960s, rainfall in the Sahel has been below average for the region.

Poor rainfall reduces the amount of grazing available, so herds congregate around the water sources.

These areas become overgrazed and conflicts develop between herders and settled farmers. Animals start to die.

This in turn causes famine among the people. The Sahel suffered several large-scale famines in the 1980s.

This is partly due to soil erosion and desertification.

12 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Soil erosion and desertification

Soil erosion is when the fertile top layer of the soil is blown or washed away.

In the Sahel, low rainfall has led to a loss of vegetation. With no roots to hold it together, the dry topsoil is easily removed by the wind, or washed away when the rains finally do come.

The growing population of the region also contributes. Grazing and arable fields are overused and become less fertile. More trees are also cut down for firewood.

Soil erosion can lead to desertification – ‘semi-arid’ areas turn to proper deserts.

13 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Desertification

14 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 How is farming different in less economically developed countries?

Challenges facing farmers in LEDCs.

Initiatives to help farmers in LEDCs. Learning objectives Learning

15 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution refers to initiatives started in the 1960s, aimed at improving agricultural production in LEDCs.

The Green Revolution had a particularly large effect on North India.

The initiative in India focused on the introduction of modern, high-yielding strains of rice and wheat. Large dams and irrigation systems were built to allow two harvests per year instead of one. It also aimed to improve access to the fertilizers needed to get the most out of the new crops.

Indian farmers were quick to adopt the new varieties.

In 1960, 1.9 million hectares were sown with the new high-yielding crops; by 1980, this had increased to 43 million hectares.

In the Punjab district, wheat production increased from 1.9m tonnes in 1965, to 5.6m tonnes in 1972.

By the late 1970s, India was able to export grain abroad.

How many changes can you see?

Was the Green Revolution a success?

There is now evidence that long term use of high-yielding crops and the extra chemicals they need, may lead to a decline in soil fertility. This means that more and more fertilizer is required to get the same yield.

However, India now produces enough food to make sure that tragedies like the Bengal famine of the 1940s, are unlikely to be repeated.

How successful do you think the Green Revolution was in solving India’s food production problems?

20 of 24 © Boardworks Ltd 2005 Other ways of helping farmers in LEDCs Fairtrade Small producers of goods like coffee, are often at the mercy of global commodity prices. Sometimes prices fall so low that they don’t even cover the cost of production. Fairtrade organisations buy goods directly from growers, who receive a fair price, or from plantations that pay decent wages and do not exploit their workers. The goods are then marketed to consumers as being ‘Fairtrade’. Charities Many charities and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) work with farmers in LEDCs on projects to improve agriculture, like irrigation and tree planting.

SOS Sahel is an NGO (Non-governmental Organisation) that works with rural people in the Sahel in Africa.

Encouraging local communities to manage forests. Helping to resolve conflicts between nomadic herders and settled farmers. Helping people gain access to small loans. Educating farmers about more efficient and sustainable farming methods.

In Ethiopia, SOS Sahel works with communities to set up forest management projects. Unmanaged land Local people agree to limit the amount of wood they cut in a given area. People who cut too much are fined by the forest group. © Janey Forgan In time the forest grows back. The trees hold the soil Managed land together and retain water, halting soil erosion and preventing desertification.