AGRICUTULTURE

AGRICUTULTURE
AGRICULTURE
 Agriculture is typically defined as 'the rearing of animals, and cultivation plants and fungi for food and
other products used to sustain human life’.
 It is relatively easy to identify the food items, but the 'other products' can include growing timber in a
plantation for house building or fuel,
 Growing plants to produce medicines,
 Breeding fish for fish oils or
 Growing roses to produce table decorations in up-market restaurants.
NB: Agriculture therefore has a much wider meaning than you might realize, and it does not even need to use
soil.
 The type of agriculture used in different parts of the world depends on a number of factors, including:
 Climate
 Culture
 Technology
 Economics.
Types of agriculture
With such a range of different products, grown in different ways, it is useful to group types of agriculture
together using various classifications.
Subsistence farming (foodcrop )
 Subsistence farming is the cultivation and production of food to meet the needs of the farmers and their
families.
 There is very little surplus food; if there is any surplus it is often exchanged (bartered) for other things the
family needs, and perhaps a small amount of cash. Subsistence farmers aim to grow almost everything they
need.
Commercial farming(cash)
 Commercial farming is the cultivation of products with the main focus of selling them for cash.
 While some of the food may be used by the farmers (and their families), this is only a very small proportion
compared with the amount that is sold.
 Commercial farms often use technology to increase yields and reduce the costs of production.
 Commercial farmers aim to grow crops to obtain money to buy the things they need. While it is possible for
both farming systems to provide a farmer with money, it is the proportion of food that is used for each
purpose that is important.
Arable versus pastoral
Another way of describing the type of farming is by the type of product.
Arable farming is the production of plants for consumption by humans. Examples include growing rice, maize, wheat and
soybeans. The scale of production (size and number of fields) can vary greatly and there are examples of subsistence arable
farmers and commercial arable farmers.
Pastoral farming is the production of animals or animal-related products. This may also be known as livestock farming or
grazing. Plants such as grass or grain may be grown on the farm but they will be used to feed the animals. Pastoral farms can
produce meat or other animal byproducts, such as milk, wool or eggs.
Mixed farming: farms that grow crops for food and rear animals.
Extensive versus intensive
Farm production can also be described by evaluating the relative yield compared with the size of space used.
Extensive production occurs when there is a relatively small amount of production (either crops or animals) from a large area of
land.
Intensive production occurs where large amounts are produced from small areas of land. This style of production tends to have
high 'inputs', such as a lot of labour, fertilisers or machinery.involved, which can be a barrier for many farmers. Similarly, some
people choose to ignore intensive production on ethical or environmental grounds: it can have an increased impact on the local
ecosystem and, in the case of livestock, there are welfare issues associated with keeping animals in small confined spaces
CASH CROP FARMING
Cash crop farming refers to a type of farming where agricultural crops are grown for the purpose of sale or
to make profits, instead of subsistence or barter. It is also called commercial farming or cash cropping..
- Most of the crops are exported outside the country.
- Some of the main cash crops grown are:
 Tea
 Coffee  Maize
 Cotton  Bananas
 Pyrethrum  Flowers
 Wheat  Sisal
In simpler words, cash crop farming is done by farmers to earn money in return for sustenance or to meet the
family’s requirements. Also, an additional profit would be required for the next crop-related activity. That is,
farmers have to borrow money from banks to purchase seeds for planting. Then, depending on the rise in market
prices, they sell the harvested crops. In this way, they are able to repay their loans only after the sale of their
crops.
The farming techniques used vary with each farmer as well as from one country to another. That is, traditional
farmers in developing countries employ farming techniques that they are accustomed to. In the more developed
countries, intensive cultivation and mechanized farming techniques are commonly used.
Advantages
► Cash crop farming is considered as an accurate method that has proven to raise affordable food in high
quantities.
► It is profitable to the farmers and serves as a source of their sustenance.
► It gives employment where cash crops can be processed and promotes economic diversification.
► It earns revenue for the government.
Disadvantages
► Monocropping or sole cropping is followed, wherein a single crop is grown each year on the same land. Due to
this, there may be limited production of certain food crops.
► Moreover, the continuous use of monocropping has been linked to soil degradation or decline in the soil
quality, which further leads to the growth of pests and disease-causing pathogens. The outcome of this could also
be mass starvation caused due to the extensive destruction of a particular crop.
► Cash crop farming may prove beneficial only to those farmers who have food security and access to other
necessary inputs and income, whereas small farmers may face constraints.

AGRICUTULTURE

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