Geography - Agriculture and Industry (Ordinary Level)

 

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture/Farming is the production of crops, trees and animals or it is the growing of crops and trees and rearing of animals.

• Crops include: maize, potatoes, onions, millet, tomatoes, carrots, sorghum, wheat, rice and beans
• Trees include: fruit trees (orange trees, mango trees, apple trees, etc.), conifers/evergreen trees (sometimes grown for purposes of afforestation and reforestation).
• Animals include: cattle, goats, sheep, chicken, ducks, quails, rabbits, donkeys, etc.

Farming

TYPES OF FARMING:

• Commercial Farming is when animals are kept or crops are grown in order to be sold by the farmer.
• The farmer gets income from the profits he/she makes at the market. Common cash crops include: tobacco, maize, cotton and wheat. 
• The types of farmers who make profit from farming are Commercial Farmers and Small-scale Farmers.
• Subsistence Farming is when animals or crops are grown fro use of the farmer and his family. 
• Any produce that is left over (known as surplus) is sold at a local market to provide more income to buy other commodities like maize, sorghum, onions, millet and potatoes. 
• Shifting Cultivation is also used in this type of farming. 
• Pastoral Farming is the rearing of livestock.
• Dairy Farming is mainly devoted to the production of milk.
• Arable Farming is the growing of crops on tilled land.
• Mixed Farming is the combination of growing crops and rearing of livestock.
• Intensive Farming is farming which is practiced on a small farm while having high inputs of labour and/or technology and producing high yields per hectare.
• Extensive Farming is farming which is practiced on a large farm while having low inputs of labour and/or technology and producing low yields per hectare.
• The size of the farm guarantees sufficient produce for survival.  

Factors Which Influence Farming:

1. The Farmer's Decision - the farmer needs to identify the type of farming which is best suited for the demand from the market (for profit generation) or farming which is appropriate for the farm's location (considering a variety of factors).
2. Physical Factors:
1. The suitability of the soil - crops need adequate nutrition and water for osmosis so there is a need for the soil to be fertile and the farming land needs to have good drainage.
2. The suitability of the relief - You have heard the saying, "the higher you go, the cooler it becomes," this is one of the areas where this is applicable for analysis. Majority of the farming types mentioned above require flat land because steep land is unsuitable for stability of vehicles transporting inputs, outputs etc, on the farm.
3. Last but not least, the suitability of the climate - Climate is a major factor to be considered, amongst all physical factors because climate change is unpredictable in most parts of the world; it is worse now that we have global warming (and sometimes global cooling). Only a few types of crops are drought resistant so consistent annual rainfall within the range 220-1000mm is of great need. For example, for dairy cows to produce more milk, they need a good diet which means pastures need to have good grass, therefore regular high rainfall is of great need. 
3. Human Factors:
1. The government's policies - imposed quotas. The government can make it possible for subsidies to be available, as well as regulation of prices (for the farmer's required inputs).]
2. The market - the farmer needs to look at the type of market he/she is dealing with, the competition that is available as well as the transport networks that link the market to the farm (also looking at the suitable means and modes of transport and the transport costs. This is mainly for the transportation of the farm produce, to the market). The farmer needs to identify the location of his desired market; whether it is national or multinational.
3. Tech and Labour - As we saw for example Intensive farming, there is a need for more labour and high input because of the required output. However, this is not the case for all types of farming. Technology is a factor which helps with efficiency and monitoring of crop and animal growth. You might need to do some research on some modern types of farming which use artificial intelligence and general tech (examples like aquaponics and vertical farming).