SYSTEMS DIAGRAMS
TYPES OF FARMING
Pastoral farming:
keeping livestock- meat and dairy-
specialises in rearing animals
Arable farming:
growing crops
wheat, barley, etc.
Mixed farming:
both pastoral and arable
mixed farmers often grow crops to feed their animals, so that money is saved on livestock feed
Intensive farms:
needs a high level of input to achieve a high yield per hectare
technology, fertilisers, greenhouses, machines, more labour
e.g. rice farming in S.E. Asia
Extensive farms
have a low input and output per hectare
high yield is produced by covering large areas of often low grade land but with few workers
e.g. a hill sheep farm- maybe only one farmer is needed to look after a large amount of sheep- do not need that much looking after
Subsistence farming
where produce is mainly grown for the use of the farmer
surplus may be sold to buy other goods
many subsistence farmers are very poor but this is not always the case- shifting cultivation is also an example of subsistence farming
Commercial farming
farming on a large-scales
producing food to be sold
Market gardening
farming using greenhouses to produce fruit and vegetables
Sedentary farming
farming where the farmer remains settled in one place
Nomadic farming
farming where the farmer does not stay settled in one place
e.g. shifting cultivation
CHANGES TO FARMING
- More tractors- less horses
-
Machinery- eliminate back-breaking jobs
Combine harvester- saves time and labour - Farming techniques operated by computers- milking + feeding cows, rearing chickens in battery units
- Machinery gets more expensive- farmers who can afford it buy land and farms from neighbours- cost of machinery may only be recovered and justified by creating larger economic units
- Bigger fields- removal of hedgerows- combine harvesters can be used
- Decrease in numbers employed in agriculture- increased mechanisation, urbanisation and industrialisation
- Expense of buying and running a farm has increased- more are being run by food processing companies- agribusiness
- Improved yields- increase in the use of fertilisers and pesticides, better strains, faster growing seeds, improved breeds
- Organic farming- avoids the use of artificial fertiliser and pesticides and using animal manure and compost instead
- Subsidies and grants- many British farmers are only able to grow certain crops and keep certain animals because of successive governments have provided subsidies and grants
- Changes in eating habits- refrigeration and frozen food, processed and dried food, fresh fruit and vegetables, decrease in meat-eaters, increase in health foods- influence of supermarkets
- More farm diversities- petting farms, horse riding, farm visits, farm shop, selling manure, pick your own fruit, plant nursery, specialist products, camping, paint balling, B+Bs
- Increased factory farming- cuts costs
