Global Agricultural Landscapes: Developed vs. Developing
Global Agricultural Landscapes Today
Agricultural activities are the basis for human consumption, and hunger is one of the worst problems affecting the world we live in.
Agricultural Landscapes in Developed Countries
Common features found in most agricultural landscapes of developed countries:
- Employ heavy machinery. This makes work much easier and gives better yields and production.
- Have workers and skilled workers. Men and women working in agriculture and livestock are becoming better trained in technology and business management.
- Are devoted to the cultivation of competitive products on the market. Prices of products are considered to produce something that can give better benefits.
- Employ advanced systems and techniques. The use of fertilizers, pesticides, selected seeds, irrigation systems, etc., increase yields.
- Receive support and subsidies from governments. This is especially true in the European Union, where people engaged in agriculture and livestock improve their living standards through official aid they receive from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.
Do not forget that in many corners of developed countries, we see examples of traditional agricultural landscapes in which there are no such features.
Agricultural Landscapes in Underdeveloped and Developing Countries
In the Third World, one can find a great diversity of agricultural landscapes, depending on climate and natural conditions, the culture of the area, etc. In general, the great drama of the agriculture of these countries is that they fail to produce enough food to maintain the population. These are some features of agricultural landscapes in the Third World that can help you understand the problem:
- Agriculture is labor-intensive, but poorly trained.
- Are devoted to growing consumer-oriented products for family use and with low profitability.
- Use rudimentary tools and techniques.
- In many cases, the best agricultural land in these countries is occupied by modern plantations by large foreign companies that do not produce food and do not leave much benefit to the country.
Much of the food problems of the Third World are due to the injustice of an economic system that exploits their agricultural resources for the benefit of rich countries.
The Spanish Agricultural Landscape
Rather than the Spanish agricultural landscape, we should speak of Spanish agricultural landscapes because, in our country, the variety of natural conditions (climatic and relief) and cultural traditions creates a great diversity. Broadly speaking, the Spanish agricultural landscape has the qualities we’ve seen for developed countries in general. These are the features:
- Agriculture and livestock employ few people and every time better educated.
- The use of machinery and advanced techniques has expanded dramatically.
- Agricultural activities are aimed at producing high-value products.
- It receives support from the government.
- In the regions of the North, which coincide with the Spain of wet weather, usually dominate the landscape of Bocage (fenced plots), small farms (small holdings), and the remarkable importance of cattle breeding by the abundance of grasses. The most characteristic settlement is dispersed.
- In the Spain of Mediterranean climate (central, southern, and Mediterranean coast), the landscape is more typical of openfield (plots without fences) and the presence of large estates (large estates) oriented to monoculture. The most characteristic settlement is concentrated. They also frequently appear areas of orchards where irrigation systems through traditional and modern can get very different products, including some tropical.
Field of barley Honrubia (Cuenca). Openfield devoted to cereal monoculture typical of inland Spain.
The difference between Spain’s wet weather and dry Spain greatly affects the agricultural landscape typical of each area.