Agriculture and Farming: Types, Techniques, and Factors
Agriculture: Cultivating Land for Food and Raw Materials
Agriculture is the cultivation of land to obtain food for human consumption and raw materials for industry. The agricultural revolution refers to a rapid change in land ownership and farming methods.
Agriculture Today
In Developed Countries
This activity employs less than 5% of the active population. Agricultural productivity is high thanks to technical advances.
In Developing Countries
Almost 80% of workers are engaged in agricultural activities. Agriculture occupies most of the population and contributes over 20% of the national wealth. The use of traditional farming techniques results in lower productivity, which hinders meeting food needs.
Physical Factors of Agriculture
Climate
Each plant needs specific temperature and humidity conditions to grow. Certain climatic factors can impede the practice of agriculture.
Relief
The altitude and slope of the terrain affect agricultural activity. Temperatures decrease as altitude increases.
Soil
The ground floor needs adequate features. The size of soil grains and its porosity determine the amount of oxygen in the soil and its ability to retain water.
Drainage
- Clay soils: Very fine and compact, they are rich in nutrients but easily become waterlogged.
- Sandy soils: Grains are very loose and do not retain the water or nutrients that plants need.
- Silty soils: Medium grain and compact, they are optimal for agriculture, retaining water longer.
Human Factors in Agriculture
Population Volume
The need to feed an increasingly large population.
Farming Techniques
The use of different techniques determines the performance of cultivated lands.
Production Destination
Subsistence agriculture is devoted to the consumption of rural households. Market agriculture specializes in one or a few products.
Agricultural Policies
Governments decisively influence the characteristics and evolution of agriculture through various measures.
- Fee: Maximum production.
- Intensive agriculture: Maximizing land use.
- Extensive farming: Not fully exploiting the parcel.
- Dryland agriculture: Crops only receive water from rain.
- Irrigated agriculture: The farmer provides the water needed by plants.
- Polyculture: Different plant varieties are cultivated in the same area.
- Monoculture: Only one product is grown.
Traditional Agriculture
Traditional agriculture aims to obtain the necessary food for the farming family. It is a subsistence agriculture practiced on small properties. Polyculture predominates. Farming is carried out with great effort using primitive tools and techniques. There is no access to technological advances, and there is a strong dependence on physical factors.
Livestock
Livestock is the breeding of animals for human use.
- Ranching: Large farms are characteristic of natural grasslands. They require few investments, but productivity is low. Characteristic livestock types are cattle and sheep.
- Intensive farming: Practiced in specialized farms, it requires large investments, and productivity is high. It is a feedlot system, and characteristic livestock types are cattle, pigs, and poultry.
Fisheries
Fisheries involve catching fish and other aquatic animals.
- Inshore fishing: Carried out near the shore in tiny boats without motors. Catches are used for local consumption.
- Coastal fishing: Done close to the coast in small or medium-sized boats.
- Deep-sea fishing: Takes place at sea, equipped with large tonnage vessels.
- Trawling: Use of nets that are dragged along the seabed.
Where to Fish?
Fishing grounds: These are the continental shelves.
Aquaculture
The captive breeding or controlled environment for aquatic plants and animals.
Forestry
The economic exploitation of forests.
Silviculture
Determines the surface that can be exploited depending on the capacity for regeneration.