Farming at a Global Scale

1 Nomadic Hunting E.g. Australian Aborigines

2 Nomadic Herding E.g. Sahel Countries

3 Shifting cultivation E.g. Amazon Basin

4 Intensive subsistence farming E.g. Rice, Ganges valley

5 Plantation Agriculture E.g. Sugar cane, Brazil

6 Livestock Ranching E.g. American Prairies

7 Cereal Cultivation E.g. Canadian Prairies

8 Mixed farming E.g. UK

9 Mediterranean Agriculture E.g. Mezzogiorno, Italy

10 Irrigation E.g. Nile Valley

11 Not used for agriculture E.g. Sahara Desert

Classification of Farming

There are a number of classifications that can be used to distinguish between types of farm:

Economic Status

Subsistence farming Grow only enough food & fibre for their own needs and so hardly ever enter into the cash economy. However there is usually some element of commercialism.

Tends to dominate in LEDCs. E.g. Subsistence rice farming in the Ganges valley.

Commercial farming Produce agricultural commodities for sale as part of the agribusiness. The prime function is to make a profit. Capital is used to purchase items such as machinery.

These farms are generally larger than subsistence farms due to the large expense so they can

Mid-West prairies

Monoculture of wheat

Shifting Cultivation

Subsistence farming

Subsistence Rice

farming in the Ganges

Valley

Japan: -

Intensive Rice farming

Russian Steppes -

Wheat production Common Agricultural policy in EU

Hill farming in

Scandinavia due to

poor climate

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use economies of scale. Therefore they tend to dominate in MEDCs. E.g. Plantations & wheat

cultivation.

Collective farming Occur where there is a centrally planned economy. In these societies agricultural production operates under a system of collective & state farms. The workers tend

the land for a small salary but do not share in the profits. Generally these are not as productive as privately run farms. E.g. China, North Korea.

Specialisation - Arable arable is more efficient as there is greater food per unit area. - Pastoral Often a response to a limiting factor in the environment. - Mixed

Intensity of Land Use

Intensive farming A small farm compared to the amount of labour & the money spent. There is a high yield per unit area and there are high levels of inputs. E.g. commercial market gardening in which there are high amounts of capital, technology, labour & fertilisers. The

farms are often small & so investment is concentrated.

Extensive farming A large farm compared to the labour or money spent on it. There are lower levels of input and so there are lower yields per unit area. However because there is

very low labour, profits are fairly high, therefore extensive farms can be just as profitable as

intensive ones.

Nature of the Physical Environment

Land Tenure - Shifting / nomadic cultivation - Sedentary farming permanent.

Classification of Agricultural systems

CLASSIFICATION

BASIS

Environmental

Topical - Subtropical -

Temperate

Interior - Maritime

Upland - Lowland

Intensity

Extensive Semi-extensive

Semi-intensive

Intensive

Factory farming

Output

Livestock

Mixed

Crops

Monoculture -

Plants Shrubs Trees

Demand Pattern

Modifications through social

& political Influences

Subsistence Cash-cropping Commercial Livestock

(Home markets &

Overseas markets

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Factors Influencing Agriculture

The location of agriculture is influenced by the characteristics of both the physical environment & the

human environment. On a global scale climate is the dominant influence but on a more local scale soil

and relief explain variation better.

Type of farming dependent on:

Favourable physical conditions

Economic conditions

Expertise

Personal choice of the farmer

Political pressures

Size of farm

Market trends

An example of this is the Location of farming in Europe:

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The Physical Constraints of Agricultural Systems

The environment acts as a constraint on agriculture, as provides the basic essentials for plant life heat, sunshine, water & soil. Different crops vary in their environmental requirements.

Climate Most significant control growth & survival - Also affects soil formation & quality - Annual & seasonal amounts of rainfall, although this is now negated with irrigation. E.g.

N&W Europe has high rainfall for grass growth & so better to rear animals while the S &

E is dry so is better suited to arable farming.

- Length of thermal growing season. E.g. Italy where there is a long growing season so fruit ripens better.

Soil Influence on plant growth - Depth generally need to be deep & rich for intensive farming. - Acidity - Fertility - Moisture retention - Well-drained - Texture - Structure - Amount of soil nutrients

Relief Effect on climate & soils - Influence on aspect, altitude, slope etc. - The flatter the land the more efficient the farm.

Social, Economic & Political factors influencing

Agricultural Land Use

Farm size/ Tenure

Farm size varies due to land quality & availability. This determines whether farming is intensive or

extensive. Farm size also determines prosperity large farm allows economies of scale.

Forms of tenure:

1. Owner occupation freedom to do what you like & invest for the future 2. Tenancy Landowner provides the land & working equipment in exchange for an annual cash

return.

3. Communal ownership e.g. China where there can be problems of bad decision making due to poor leaders.

The impact on agricultural land use is often determined by the different access of these various groups

to capital for investment.

Inheritance laws Generally farm size has increased along with increased commercialisation of agriculture. However in mainland Europe the land is often split equally between all the children of a

deceased farmer leading to fragmentation of land. This has had a negative impact on the development

of commercial farming.

Accessibility

Transport availability and distance from markets impacts on price. Even where transport costs have

fallen this is still a strong influence.

Markets

The size & type of markets is very important. E.g. there is a lack of milk production in China as many

ethnic groups have an intolerance of dairy products. In the UK the rising popularity of organic goods

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has had a large impact on the type of goods produced in the UK. Also perishable goods tend to be

grown near to market.

Competition

There is competition for land from urban sprawl or recreation. Increased globalisation of food

production, so there is now greater competition with imports. This has been helped by the trend in

reducing trade barriers. E.g. Uruguay has lost its specialisation in beef markets due to the development

of beef industries in other countries. This had a catastrophic effect on Uruguay.

Economic Factors

In developed countries farming is capital intensive. Used to maximise yields with mechanisation or by

altering the landscape. In MEDCs farmers tend to rely on government subsidies. There is very little

capital in LEDCs and so co-operative systems are more useful. There are, however problems of price stability & exploitation in LEDCs so they cant get a fair price. Transport & markets are important in determining the crop but is no longer as important as it was due

to the advance in technology. TNCs tend to use global markets to produce fruit & vegetables, as it is

cheaper.

Farmers

Decision makers with personal goals.

Government intervention

Forms one of the supporting structures of the food supply system and so is a major influence. The

extent & impact of government interference has increased considerably during the 20th Century.

Methods of support:

Supplement incomes income support

Reduce costs Grants for improvements, restructuring & management.

Reduce supply Quotas & set-aside

Increase demand Domestic food subsidy, intervention buying, export subsidy & food aid. E.g. There is wide scale industrial farming in the UK to drive up production and be self-sufficient so

now farming here extremely efficient. Also helped by the development of CAP.

Similarly the World Trade Organisation & many TNCs have had a large role in developing global

markets and global production patterns. There has also been the development of the agribusiness due to

government intervention.

Human Impacts

Growing population need to produce more food.

Now MEDCs import more food.

Fertiliser increase the yield in affluent areas.

Mechanisation Increases yield, but reduces employment.

Varieties of seed GM crops & HYVs (High yield varieties) more resilient.

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Classification of FarmingClassification of Agricultural systems

EnvironmentalInterior - MaritimeUpland - LowlandIntensityOutputDemand PatternFactors Influencing AgricultureThe Physical Constraints of Agricultural SystemsSocial, Economic & Political factors influencingAgricultural Land UseFarm size/ TenureAccessibilityMarketsCompetitionEconomic FactorsFarmersGovernment interventionHuman Impacts