Types of farming 

• Arable, pastoral, mixed

• Subsistence & commercial

• Extensive & intensive

 

Arable farming

• Cultivate crops

• Warm climate

• Gently sloping/ flat land

• Deep, fertile soil

• Fairly sheltered and suitable for use of machinery

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Ways of increasing the area of arable land

• Conversion of pastures to arable land

• Deforestation

• Terracing hillsides

• Irrigation

• Use of machinery

• HYV crops

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Pastoral farming

• Rearing animals/livestock

• Cold, wet, windy climate

• Land with steep slopes 

• Poor soil: only heather / grass can grow

• Land does not support use of machinery

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Mixed farming

Cultivation of crops along with rearing of animals/livestock

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Advantages of mixed farming

• If crops fail, farmer can rely on animals (vice versa)

• Crop waste can be used for animal feed

• Animal manure can be used to fertilise soil 

• Animals can be used to plough fields

• Farmers can make use all types of land. e.g. flat land/fertile soils for crops and steep slopes/infertile soils for grazing.

• Work will be spread throughout the year; Income is received throughout the year.

• Can adapt to changes in demand; If crop prices are low, money still is being made from animal products. 

• Enables crop rotation

• For subsistence farmers, this provides different nutrients in the diet. 

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Subsistence farming

• Producing food or farming for consumption by a family or tribe; Not for sale/ profit

• Small scale

• Labour-intensive; no machinery/ technology used

• Mainly in LEDCs

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Why farmers in LEDCs are subsistence farmers

• Too poor to buy food/have large families to feed

• Small plots of land/ can’t afford large areas

• Can’t afford machinery/ fertilisers/ good quality seeds (HYVs)

• Lack of education about use of fertilisers, crop rotation, etc.

• Output is small/ not enough surplus to sell

• Live in remote/ isolated areas with poor road networks 

• No nearby markets

• Farmers use traditional methods/follow the practices of their ancestors

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Commercial farming

• Farming to sell output/make a profit/as a business. 

• Large scale

• Technology and machinery used with few workers to operate them.

• Mainly in MEDCs

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​Why farmers in MEDCs are commercial farmers

• They are farming as a job/to earn money/to get a profit

• They are able to use chemicals/fertilisers/pesticides

• Areas can be mechanised/they can afford equipment

• They produce large outputs/high yields/more crops

• Good communications enable transport to market etc.

• There is a large demand for products

 

Why some farmers within a country are commercial farmers, while others are subsistence farmers

• Difference in amount of land owned

• Difference in wealth of farmers/ availability of capital for inputs

• Difference in availability of labour supplies

• Difference in amount/ surplus which can be produced

• Difference in availability of local markets/ demand/ profitability

• Difference in accessibility/ access to distant market/ export market

• Tradition/ culture

• Difference in level of education of farmers

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Extensive farming

• Farms cover large areas of land

• Low yields per hectare

• Low Inputs per hectare  

 

Intensive 

• Land area is relatively small

• High yields per hectare

• High amount of inputs per hectare

 

Why farmers carry out intensive farming

• They only have small areas of land/ don’t need much land

• Higher yields per hectare

• They can afford fertilisers / machines

• They have access to many workers

• Make more profit/money

 

Factors affecting agricultural land use

Physical factors 

Relief 

• Flat land/ gentle slopes are used for growing crops

  • Easier to mechanise

  • Easier to irrigate (eg. for rice)

  • Soils are likely to be more fertile

  • High land may be extremely cold, preventing growth of crops

  • Steep slopes are susceptible to soil erosion

• Steep slopes are used for grazing sheep/ pastoral farming

  • Thin soils would result in poor yields

  • Sheep can withstand cold temperatures on mountains

• Sloping land is used for crops/livestock that cannot tolerate waterlogging

  • Sloping land is better drained than flat land

 

Aspect: South facing slopes in northern hemisphere & north facing slopes in southern hemisphere receive more sunshine, and are usually used for growing vines

 

Soil fertility 

• Poor soil will be used for grazing sheep

• Fertile soil will be used to grow crops

 

Amount of precipitation/ water supply: Determines which crops can grow

• Large amount of precipitation is needed for rice growing

• In dry areas, goats may be kept 

 

Temperatures

• Crops will not grow in cold areas; May only be possible to graze sheep

• Some crops need a tropical climate/ warm temperatures 

• Mild climate for cattle

 

Wind

• Strong winds causes low yield as it destroys perishable crops

• In some areas wind causes bushfires.

 

Length of growing season/ number of frost-free days: Influences choice of crops

• Some areas are too cold to grow crops so animals are kept

• Rice needs a growing season of 190 days

• Frost will kill sugar cane/fruit

 

Sunlight (number of hours of sunshine): Sunshine needed for ripening of crops (eg. cereal crops)

 

Human factors 

Economic factors

• Wealth of farmer/ capital availability 

• Source of water for irrigation

• Availability of labour supplies

• Availability of local markets for products

• Demand/ price of products

 

Social / cultural factors

• Tradition/ culture

• Level of education of farmers

• Land tenure/ Amount of land available

 

Political factors 

• Government can give incentives to grow certain crops

• Government can restrict amount of certain crops grown using quotas

• Government can encourage use of new technology by offering loans/grants/low interest rates

• Government can invest in research and development

• Impact of war/conflict

 

Methods to increase yields 

• Use irrigation (e.g. sprinklers, build bunds, wells)

• Mechanisation (e.g. ploughs, harvesters) 

• Use of fertilisers/animal manure

• Use of insecticides/pesticides/herbicides

• Use of HYVs / GM seeds / disease resistant seeds 

• Education about improved techniques

• Hydroponics

• Aeroponics

• Crop rotation

• Terracing

• Mulching

• Greenhouses/glasshouses/polytunnels 

• Contour ploughing/ wind breaks: to prevent erosion

• Put electric fences around fields: prevents theft by people OR trampling by animals/ stop animals eating them

• Nets to keep off birds/scarecrows

• Farming cooperatives

• Land reform

• Selective breeding of livestock/vaccination of livestock

 

Irrigation

How irrigation increases the yield of crops

• Gives water / provides water / won’t dry out / have water constantly / they do not go for long spells without water

• Plants grow (faster / bigger) / keeps them alive / don’t die / more crops

 

Methods of irrigation used in LEDCs

• Farmers use low / intermediate technology / lack technology / machinery. Eg. they may use containers to draw water from wells, or animal power

• They have skills to use these methods / don’t have skills to use machinery

• Relatively low cost / people are poor / affordable method

• Do not require sources of fuel (electricity) / they use manpower

• Animal power is used, which is easily available

• Easy to maintain / build

• Made from local materials

 

As a country develops, how might the use of water for agriculture change?

• more demand for food (therefore more used)

• area used for agriculture increases (therefore more used)

• more irrigation (therefore more used)

• area used for agriculture decreases/primary employment decreases (thus less used), 

• food imported (therefore less used)

• more efficient irrigation (therefore less used)

 

Location of farms 

Explain how farmers can benefit from being near a large urban area.

• Market available/sell the produce there

• Perishable items can be produced/they get products to the market quickly

• Less transport costs

• Farming supplies; Eg. seed, machinery, etc. can be transported 

• Workforce available

 

Why are factories that process crops like jute, sugarcane, and tea are close to areas where they are grown?

• So crops can easily be transported to factory/ less distance for crops to be transported

• Reduces cost of transport

• These crops are bulky

• Crops get to the factory while they are still fresh

• Avoids damage to crops in transit

 

Why are vegetable gardens located closer to the village, than rice fields?

• Vegetables need much more (regular) attention

• They can be protected from thieves/wild animals

• They do not need to be close to the river (like the rice does)/rice grows on flood plain/rice needs more water

• They don’t need as much land/large fields

• Vegetables are harvested/picked more regularly

 

Soil erosion 

How farming causes soil erosion

• Deforestation/ clearance of vegetation/ slash and burn

• Soil is bare/ not protected

• Roots of vegetation no longer hold the soil together

• It can be washed away by rain

• It can be blown away by wind

• Overcultivation/ monoculture

• Overgrazing 

• Soil exhaustion/ nutrient content reduced

• Tractors/ cattle compact the soil

• Ploughing uphill and downhill

 

Strategies used by farmers to reduce soil erosion

• Plant trees

• Protect the ground with vegetation cover

• Add mulch

• Terracing

• Irrigation

• Prevent water being channelled downslope

• Reduce impact of wind

• Avoid overgrazing/over cultivation

• Crop rotation (to prevent exhaustion of nutrients)

• Contour ploughing/avoid ploughing up and down the slope

 

Food shortages 

Causes of food shortages

Natural / physical causes

• Drought / desertification

• Infertile soils

• Crop diseases

• Pests / locusts 

• diseases could spread among the crops

• Flooding / tsunami / Tropical storm

 

Human causes - economic & political

• Overpopulation/ population growth

• People cannot afford food due to unemployment/currency devaluation

• Cannot afford fertilisers/ pesticides

• Lack of cultivable land

• Lack of government investment

• Government cannot afford to import food

• Unstable/corrupt government

• Poor distribution network/poor road system

• Food aid is poorly distributed

• Farmers produce cash crops for export rather than food for people who live there

 

Explain why war may cause a country’s food supply to decrease 

• Crops/supplies destroyed/animals killed/farmland damaged

• Market/shops destroyed

• Increased food prices

• People unable to work so cannot afford food

• Farmers have to fight in army/reduced labour force/farmers killed/evacuated

• Unsafe to farm due to bombing/mines/farmers too scared to work in fields 

• Government investment in farming reduced due to war effort/spend all the money on the army/divert food for the army

• Unable to transport food/unable to import food

• Country split so one part may not have agricultural land

 

Impacts of food shortages 

• Death/ starvation/ low life expectancy/ malnutrition/ famine

• Malnutrition/ Conditions such as marasmus/ scurvy/ kwashiorkor/ rickets

• People cannot resist disease/ infection

• People are too weak/ cannot work properly

• Cannot escape poverty

• Requirement of international aid

• Increased food prices

 

Solutions to prevent food shortages 

• Emergency famine relief/ food aid

• Trading of goods in exchange for food

• Improve roads/ distribution networks (for international food aid)

• TNC/ foreign investment to create jobs so people can buy food

• Better storage/ refrigeration/ grain silos

• Use land to grow crops for locals rather than for export

• Anti-natalist policy/ give free contraception (to reduce population)