In conclusion, extensive commercial farming is a sustainable and stable form of agriculture because the level of input is very similar to the level of output, which creates stability. Equilibrium is maintained and reinvestment and innovation returns to the system. This works as a cycle, where income from outputs allows further funds for more input. There is a great amount of land and there is potential to increase effectiveness. As inputs, there is currently a small labour force and high capital, but perhaps a larger labour force can maximize efficiency. The large area of land requires more workers in order to increase productivity. This may be a slight problem because labour in the United States is nowhere near cheap. But with the available capital that the country has, greater profit and wealth can be expected.
CHAD (CENTRAL AFRICA):
EXTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE
➔ Introduction:
Extensive subsistence agriculture is where the amount of labour and capital are small in relation to the area being farmed. As a result, the yields per hectare and the output per farmer are both low. It is an agricultural production system that uses little inputs on vast areas of land. The farmers using this method only produce crops and animals for their own family or local community, since there is no surplus of production. Due to a lack of capital, these farmers are unable to improve their output. The nomadic pasturalism in central Africa, especially Chad, uses the technique of extensive subsistence farming.
➔ Case study:
Extensive subsistence farming occurs in countries of central Africa, such as Rwanda, Burundi, and Chad, but for this matter, Chad will hold the chief focus. Agricultural products of Chad include cattle, sheep, goats and camels. The labour force is divided as follows: 80% work in the agriculture portion, including subsistence farming and herding, while the remaining 20% work in the industry and services portion.
Chad's landlocked position, poor transportation network, inadequate natural resources, and ongoing political turmoil have severely hampered economic development. The economy is based primarily on sedentary subsistence agriculture and nomadic pastoralism. The best farming zone is in the south, where rainfall is sufficient for the cultivation of cotton and peanuts (the country's leading cash crops) for export and some subsistence crops, including millet, sorghum, rice, cassava, and yams. Cattle, sheep, goats, and camels are raised.
Pastoralists move from one part of the range to another over the course of the year to escape dry conditions. They need a large area to provide such a retreat in order to minimize the effects of or otherwise avoid altogether the hazards they cannot afford to risk.
Chad is a landlocked country. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the "Dead Heart of Africa". Only 3% of Chad is and none of it has ; therefore, most of Chad’s population relies on subsistence farming and raising livestock for its livelihood. However, most of the farmers are involved in production of cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, and potatoes, leaving a small labour force for nomadic pastoralism. The amount of labour and capital are very small compared to the area of land needed to be managed, thus the result is a small output since they lack in investment and employment to begin with. In other words, there are large areas of land and minimal labor input per acre. Products per land unit and population densities are low.
Environmental hazards in Chad include hot, dry, dusty winds in the north, periodic , and plagues. , which is in Chad and Cameroon, was once the second-largest lake in Africa but has shrunk dramatically during the last few decades and is now down to less than 10% of its former size. This problem affects the agriculture of the country because the amount of water available for crops is continually decreasing.
Extensive subsistence farming is not the most effective form of agriculture because first, production is only enough to feed the family. Second, production depends greatly on climate, soil conditions, and agricultural practices. Generally, it requires between 1000 and 40000m² (0.25 and 10 acres) per person, which would mean that each individual would be taking care of an extremely large plot of land. The rate of productivity cannot expect to be high since the system lacks in labour. In addition, extensive subsistence farming is used in several LEDCs where the available amount of capital is relatively low. Chad is facing various economic problems as it places 155th in terms of GDP per capita rankings. This shows that Chad is not a country to have a large capital for agricultural means. The lack of labour and capital suggests that the output is very limited. Of the four forms of farming, extensive subsistence offers the smallest output.
This particular system seems to represent stability because the income from outputs pretty much equals the cost of inputs. Yet it is not a system of great effectiveness. Nomadic pastoralism (pastoral farming) is less favourable to arable farming. If the grazed area has too many animals on it, its carrying capacity is exceeded or the quality of the soil and grass is not maintained, causing erosion and desertification. Livestock numbers increased can lead to overgrazing, which then results in the land being stripped of its protective grass cover, where the vegetation cannot re-establish itself, followed by soil exposed to rain and wind, finally left in desertification. Therefore, the livestock numbers is an important factor and the large amount of land in Chad must be maintained well and protected, or else productivity will only decrease.
Environmental factors such as coldness vs. warmth, and dryness vs. wetness, can alter the production rate of pastoral farming. In Chad, there is little rainfall and increased drought. There is also increased evaporation of water. Animals need water to live and the limited resource of water is a problem in countries such as Chad.
In conclusion, extensive subsistence farming is not very effective because it only supports the local population, or perhaps just the farmer’s own family. But with limited resources and capital plus extreme weather conditions in a country such as Chad, pastoral farming is the way to go. To increase efficiency, the labour force should be increased. Advantages for the labourers are that they may be employed and earn money. The value of labour in LEDCs is regarded to be less significant than in MEDCs, thus there can be benefit both ways: labourers receive a wage; the country’s economy strengthens. Capital also needs to increase, but there may be problems as Chad is an LEDC and continues to need foreign aid in terms of its economy.
THE NETHERLANDS:
INTENSIVE COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE
➔ Introduction:
Intensive commercial agriculture is where the amount of capital is high but the input of labour is low. The farms are smaller in size, yet the yields per hectare and the output per farmer are high. This is a large scale and profit-making production because farmers seek to maximize yields per hectare. It is an agricultural production system characterized by the high as relative to land area. The market gardening (especially tulips) in the Netherlands is an example of intensive commercial farming. It is associated with the increasing use of , which has enabled a substantial increase in production. Mechanized agriculture has become the key to the success of contemporary farming.
➔ Case study:
Intensive commercial agriculture can be observed in the Netherlands, where there is market gardening. The Netherlands is one of the world's three largest exporters of agricultural produce. Alongside dairy farming, market gardening is its main agricultural activity. Agriculture employs around 3% of the Dutch workforce and accounts for 2.2% of the country's GDP. Its productivity has grown enormously in the past few decades. This is largely due to high-quality training, first-class research and an effective system of disseminating practical advice to farmers.
In recent decades, market gardening has expanded both in output and acreage. Its main products are flowers, vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, trees and tulip bulbs. Greenhouse growers are currently spending large amounts to meet environmental targets agreed on with the government. The objective is to reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides and hence the production of waste.
Intensive farms generally take up a fairly small area of land, but aim to have a very high output, through massive inputs of capital and labour. These farms use machines and new technologies to become as efficient and cost-effective as possible. They use technology appropriate to their country to enable them to get the highest yields from their land.
Human factors also play a huge role in determining where different farming types are located. Market gardens require excellent transport links to their markets as they are producing goods that will quickly go off. Market gardening requires large capital inputs, whilst sheep farming and dairying require much less. However arable farms and market gardens tend to be the more profitable also. In this case, the Netherlands does not seem to encounter much problem with capital since it is ranked amongst the top of the list (15th for its GDP per capita).
Intensive Commercial Agriculture is practiced in areas such as the Netherlands, where large amounts of capital (machinery, fertilizers) and labor per unit of land are used with the crops being sold in the market place.
This method of intensive commercial agriculture is effective because the output is much greater than the input. First, the flowers form a tourist attraction, especially in the spring. Attracting tourists is important because it allows the country as a whole to benefit. The economy is strengthened when tourists constantly arrive. Many tourists arrive in the Netherlands to see the beautiful flower displays, and meanwhile, they would most likely want to visit other tourist destinations within the country. Hotels, restaurants, shops and many other businesses would benefit because they would make a profit.
Secondly, the tulip bulbs are exported all over Europe from the nearby Schipol Airport. Exporting this product to other countries would mean that the country of import (Netherlands) would earn some sort of profit. Since not many other countries export tulips, there is a great demand for the product. The high demand requires high supply, which means that the Netherlands would need to continually produce tulips to satisfy the needs of its customers.
In conclusion, intensive commercial agriculture is probably the most effective method of farming. The amount of labour is low, and that is reasonable because labour in the Netherlands is not low-cost. As a relatively wealthy country, it can provide a high capital to support agriculture. The physical input of climate is favourable for agriculture and therefore, the land can be maintained and renewed each year. As a rather highly developed country, the economic input of transport, market, and technology is sufficient to support the industry. The working age group in the Netherlands is dominant, where 67.8% of the population belongs. All of these factors bear the potential to maximize profit and wealth for the country in terms of agriculture.
CHINA (SOUTHEAST ASIA):
INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE
➔ Introduction:
Intensive subsistence agriculture is where the amount of labour is high, but the input of capital is low in relation to the farmed area. The yields per hectare may be high although the output per farmer is often low. Using this method of agriculture, the farmers only produce enough to feed themselves and their family, without having any more to sell for profit. The rice and grain production in Southeast Asia, or more so China, is an example of intensive subsistence farming.
➔ Case study:
Intensive subsistence agriculture maximizes food production on relatively small fields, which are carefully tended, fertilized, and irrigated. Intensive subsistence agriculture occupies less than 10% of the world's land area but supports about 50% the world's population.
The system requires a large amount of inputs (labour, seeds and fertilizers). Usually the produce is consumed by the farmers. Any food left over is traded for other food, machinery or other resources.
Rice is widely grown by subsistence farmers in much of Southeast Asia, and here the focus is placed on southeast China. Rice production involves several steps that require a lot of hand labor in order to maximize yield. Farmers use water buffalo or oxen to plow the field. The field is then flooded. These flooded fields are called sawah in much of Southeast Asia. Dry seeds will be scattered through the field or seedlings will be transplanted from a nursery. The plants will grow submerged in water for about three-fourths of the warm, wet growing season. Harvesting is done by hand. This wet rice cultivation must be done on flat land such as river valleys and delta regions. As the need for expanded production rises, many farmers terrace the hillsides of river valleys.
Intensive subsistence agriculture can support large populations. Families must produce enough food to survive on very small parcels of land. To insure as much food production as possible, no land is wasted, fertilizer (usually manure) is used, double cropping is common, the same fields are planted every year, livestock are usually not grazing on land that could be used for crops and little grain is planted for animal feed.
Intensive subsistence farming is an agricultural production system characterized by the high as relative to land area. There is a high amount of labour and a low amount of capital available to work the land. The output per farmer is low, but the yield per hectare is high.
An advantage of intensive subsistence farming is that there is an increased local employment rate because the system requires a large labour force. However, a disadvantage is that overuse of land can, and often does, lead to soil exhaustion and erosion. Exploitation of the workforce may take place, as they only receive minimum wages.
For the input aspect, there are plenty of labourers who work in the agricultural industry in China. In this case, a high number of labourers is a strong point of the system because wage is not too high. If the wages were high, then the country could not afford so many labourers. China is home to the large population in the world (1,313,973,713 people) of which 71.4% is in the working age group. These people often compete for employment and lack of labour is rarely a problem, if even at all.
Although the physical input (precipitation, wind, temperature, soils) is not of the highest quality due to frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts), damaging floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, and land subsidence, the conditions in China is still acceptable for agriculture. Farms are abundant since 18.86% of its land is arable land. (Only 4.57% of Canada’s land is arable!)
The output is currently at the stability level, where the income from outputs equals cost of inputs. Looking at China’s ongoing technological improvements and developments, it is a country that can work to reach greater profit. Increased capital is necessary in order to increase production. Currently, the input of labour is strong; the input of capital is lacking. Perhaps further developments in the country’s economy will pave a way for bigger agricultural success.
In conclusion, the effectiveness of intensive subsistence farming in China is sitting near the satisfactory level. However, the high amount of labour should be able to produce more output with the increase of capital. Climatic conditions of floods may somewhat limit farming in certain areas of the country, but it is not a severe problem overall. The cost of labour is not too high as compared to that in the United States; therefore, the large labour force can be kept. The labour input in intensive subsistence farming is huge when compared to the other three methods of farming, but keep in mind that it is because the others have such small labour inputs. This system can be seen as effective due to its small land usage, showing that China making use of their land as best they can. China needs to strive to improve its economy and place more capital in the agricultural industry.
