Agriculture

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Factors influencing
Agriculture
 Natural Factors
 Climate
 Soil
 Topography
 Economic Factors
 Market
 Transportation Facilities
 Labour
 Capital
 Social Factors
 Political Factors

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 Subsistence Agriculture

 Subsistence agriculture are of two types

 Primitive or simple subsistence farming
 Intensive subsistence farming

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Primitive or Simple Subsistence
Agriculture
 It is the oldest form of Agriculture
 From primitive gathering some people have taken a
step upward on the economic ladder by learning the
art of domesticating plants
 This type of farming is done on self sufficient basis
 The resultant economy is thus static
 The characteristic of subsistence farming are as
follows

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The characteristic of subsistence
farming are as follows
 The sites for agriculture are usually selected in the
virgin forests by experienced elders. Hill slopes are
preferred because of better drainage
 The forests are cleared by fire and ashes added to the
fertility of the soil also known as slash and burn
agriculture
 The cultivated patches are usually small about .5-1
hectare
 Primitive tools are used for agriculture such as sticks
and hoes
 Few crops are raised, main crops are starch food (yams,
tapioca, rice etc)
 Short period of crop occupancy with long period of
fallowing
 This form of migratory agriculture still supports many of
the aboriginal tribes of the tropical rain forest 5
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Sedentary subsistence farming
 This is the more advanced form of subsistence farming
mostly done in tropical low lands
 The fallow fields are frequent reused and the
community stay at one spot
 Crop rotation is also practised at some places
 Methods of tillage are more intensive though crude hand
implements are often used
 It requires great manpower
 It can support more population o permanent basis
 Many animals are also kept such as buffaloes, swine ,
horses etc
 Crops are sown in cool season , grows through rainy
period and harvested in the dry season

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Intensive subsistence farming
 It is a type of agriculture characterised by high output
per unit of land and relatively low output per worker
 Although it is known as subsistence agriculture it is
more sophisticated then the primitive agriculture
 It is also known as monsoon type of Agriculture

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Intensive subsistence agriculture

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The characteristic of Intensive
subsistence farming are as
follows
 Very Small holdings, average farm in japan is .6 hectare
in India it is eve smaller
 Farming is very intensive, so much so to have double or
triple crops are practised. Usually paddy cultivation is
done.
 Much Hand labour is entailed. Ploughing is done with
the aid of buffaloes and ox, fields are raked by hand,
planting is done painstakingly in precise rows.
 Use of animal or plant manure
 Dominance of Paddy, other crops being Wheat, soya
beans, barley etc.

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Plantation Agriculture
 It is one of the oldest form of commercial agriculture
 The specialised commercial cultivation of cash crops on
estates or plantations is a distinctive type of tropical
agriculture
 Initiated by the Europeans during the colonial period
 Found in parts of Asia, Africa, and tropical and subtropical
America.
 Main plantation crops are- rubber, oil palm, cotton, coffee,
tea, banana, sugarcane etc
 Earlier it was developed as a response to the demand in
the European countries but now it is used for export in the
international market.
 The sole aim is to make profit.
 Apart from the crop cultivation it also involves processing
packing transporting and exporting.

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The characteristic of
Plantation Agriculture
 Plantation agriculture is highly sophisticated and
scientific methods are used for large scale production
 There is specialization of single crop like coffee in
Brazil, tea in India , Rubber in Malaysia etc.
 Estate farming: plantation crops are usually raised on
large estates of more than 40 hectares each
 The seeds are grown in nursery seed beds and then
transplanted in neat rows on the estate
 Foreign ownership and local labour
 Farming in estates is scientifically managed
 Heavy capital outlay
 It is export oriented agriculture
 This type of agriculture is well planned having facilities
like residences, transport, hospital etc 13
 Continued………
 This agriculture often encourages migration from other
countries . In colonial period thousands of people
migrated from one place to another
 Most of the crops grown in plantation agriculture have a
life cycle of more than two years

The major difficulties and problems of plantation agriculture

 Climatic Hazards: the climatic requirements of the crops like

rubber cocoa and oil palm need constantly high temperature, high
relative humidity and very heavy rainfall

 Prevalence of diseases and insect pests

 Difficulty of clearing and maintenance (Undergrowth)

 Rapid deterioration of tropical soil

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Mediterranean Agriculture

 It applies to agriculture done in Mediterranean type of

climate.
 This type of agriculture is a mixture of diverse
biocultural activities (both animal husbandry and crop
farming)
 It is dominated with the agriculture of citrus fruits along
with horticulture and floriculture.

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The characteristic of
Mediterranean Agriculture
 The natural setting of Mediterranean type of agriculture
is erratic rainfall, mild temperature, irregular
topography and nearness to large water bodies.
 In this type the farming is intensive, highly specialised
and varied in crop raising
 Crops like wheat and barley are raised for domestic
consumption and citrus fruits are grown for export.
 The land use in these regions are dependent on such
factors as the total annual amount of rainfall, length of
summer drought and melting snow, local soil condition
and price fluctuations.
 The four main aspects of mediterranean agriculture are
 Orchard farming
 Viticulture
 Cereal and vegetable cultivation
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 Limited animal husbandry
Orchard Farming
It represents highly specialized commercial agriculture
The world supply of citrus fruits, olives and figs come
from Mediterranean
These trees have scanty foliage and wide spreading roots
The rainfall is as low as 15-25 inches

Viticulture
Also known as grape cultivation is a speciality of this
region
It is a very intensive form of farming
Itrequires good conditions of moisture, temperature, soil
and personal care

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Cereal and vegetable cultivation
Hard winter wheat is the principal food grain
Barley is grown in poorer areas
Range of other crops such as beans, onions, tomatoes,
carrots, sugar beet and leafy vegetables are grown
Limited animal husbandry: animals who survive on grass
here.

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Mixed Farming
 It is the combination of cultivation of crops and
domestication of animals
 This type of farming provides security in case of crop
failure
 Crops frown are: wheat, barley, oats, rye.many pra tise
crop rotation and also grow crops like turnips, potatoes,
and legumes

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Characteristic of mixed farming
 It is done for sustenance of animals
 For own consumption
 For commercial sale
 90 % land is used for agriculture
 Crop rotation is followed to maintain soil fertility
 Cereal and vegetable for consumption, hay, alfalfa,
clover for livestock consumption and wheat and maize
for commercial sale.
 The farming is mechanized, heavy use of machines
 Large scale use of organic and inorganic fertilizer

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Commercial grain farming
 It is extensive and mechanized form of agriculture
 Developed in continental lands of the mid latitudes
 this region has low rainfall
 The use of machine is very heavy

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Characteristics of commercial
grain farming
 Specialized in single crop : wheat
 Farms are very large :240-16000 hectares, average size
in US being 400 hectares.
 Highly Mechanized
 Low yielding per acre but high yield per man
 Other features
 Lack of irrigation
 Farm ownership
 Prone to climatic hazard
 Dependence on market fluctuation.

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Percent labor force in agriculture
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