Understanding Agriculture: History, Landscapes, and Farming Systems
The History of Agriculture
Agriculture began in the Neolithic Age about 10,000 years ago, becoming the main economic activity all over the world.
In the 18th Century, the Agricultural Revolution, which began in Great Britain, occurred with the introduction of fertilizers, crop rotation, and agricultural machinery. Production increased as a result. This revolution caused two changes: the rural exodus and a population increase. In the first case, the machinery left many people unemployed, so they abandoned the countryside for the city. In the latter case, the greater availability of food meant people had a healthier diet and longer life.
These changes spread through Europe and North America, while this process of modernization was not possible in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, which still use traditional farming systems today.
Agriculture: An Overview
The main activity in the primary sector is agriculture. A third of the world’s population works in this sector, but that number varies depending on the country. Agriculture depends heavily on geographical factors such as:
- Climate: Each crop needs specific conditions of temperature and humidity. Too high or low precipitation or temperature can block their growth.
- Relief: Agriculture is mainly found in plains and valleys, but farmers also build terraced plots on mountainsides. Temperatures are lower at higher altitudes, affecting crop growth.
- Soil: Its texture affects a plant’s ability to retain water, and high levels of acidity negatively influence crop development.
Agricultural Landscapes
These are lands that have been transformed over time by human farming activities in order to grow crops and obtain resources from nature. There are different types of agricultural landscapes, depending on the different types of plots, the farming systems, and the local settlements.
Plots
A plot is a piece of land used for growing crops. Plots can vary in size (small or large), shape (regular or irregular), and be separated by different types of borders (enclosed or open):
- Enclosed fields: Irregular plots separated by walls or hedges. They are found in European countries near the Atlantic Ocean.
- Open fields: A group of regular plots without boundaries, and are more common in Central Europe.
Farming Systems
- Polycultures: Here, the land is divided up into small plots, and farmers grow a variety of crops.
- Monocultures: Here, farmers grow a single crop (such as coffee, wheat, or olives).
- Irrigated farming: The water from groundwater, reservoirs, or rivers is brought to fields by canals and irrigation ditches.
- Dryland farming: The fields need rain.
- Intensive agriculture: Occurs in densely populated areas with small farms. Farmers depend on fertilizers, special seeds, and a lot of manual labor.
- Extensive agriculture: Happens in sparsely populated areas with lots of land but limited manual labor, requiring the use of machinery.
Rural Settlements
These refer to the countryside areas in which people live. They can be scattered (isolated houses) or concentrated (several houses together).