Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The name of the part of the chewing gum after the flavour
is gone? It is called Chicle — it is made from the milky
juice of zapota tree.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is practised under multiple
combinations of physical and socio-economic
conditions, which gives rise to different types of
agricultural systems.
Based on methods of farming, different
types of crops are grown and livestock raised.
The following are the main agricultural systems.
Subsistence Agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is one in which the
farming areas consume all, or nearly so, of the
Fig. 5.5: Commercial Livestock Rearing products locally grown. It can be grouped in
two categories — Primitive Subsistence
Reindeer rearing in the northern regions of Alaska where Agriculture and Intensive Subsistence
most of the Eskimos own about two-third of the stock. Agriculture.
emphasis is on breeding, genetic improvement, Primitive Subsistence Agriculture
disease control and health care of the animals.
New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Primitive subsistence agriculture or shifting
Uruguay and United States of America are cultivation is widely practised by many tribes
important countries where commercial livestock in the tropics, especially in Africa, south and
rearing is practised (Fig. 5.6). central America and south east Asia (Fig. 5.7).
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The vegetation is usually cleared by fire, Basically, there are two types of intensive
and the ashes add to the fertility of the soil. subsistence agriculture.
Shifting cultivation is thus, also called slash (i) Intensive subsistence agriculture
and burn agriculture. The cultivated patches dominated by wet paddy cultivation: This
are very small and cultivation is done with very type of agriculture is characterised by
primitive tools such as sticks and hoes. After dominance of the rice crop. Land holdings
sometime (3 to 5 years) the soil looses its fertility are very small due to the high density of
and the farmer shifts to another parts and clears population. Farmers work with the help
other patch of the forest for cultivation. The of family labour leading to intensive use of
farmer may return to the earlier patch after land. Use of machinery is limited and most
sometime. One of the major problems of shifting of the agricultural operations are done by
cultivation is that the cycle of jhum becomes manual labour. Farm yard manure is used
less and less due to loss of fertility in different to maintain the fertility of the soil. In this
parcels. It is prevalent in tropical region in type of agriculture, the yield per unit area
different names, e.g. Jhuming in North eastern is high but per labour productivity is low.
states of India, Milpa in central America and (ii) Intensive subsidence agriculture
Mexico and Ladang in Indonesia and Malaysia. dominated by crops other than paddy:
Find out other areas and the names with which Due to the difference in relief, climate, soil
shifting cultivation is done. and some of the other geographical factors,
it is not practical to grow paddy in many
Intensive Subsistence Agriculture parts of monsoon Asia. Wheat, soyabean,
barley and sorghum are grown in northern
This type of agriculture is largely found in
China, Manchuria, North Korea and North
densely populated regions of monsoon Asia.
Japan. In India wheat is grown in western
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Fig. 5.12: Areas of Extensive Commercial Grain Farming
This type of agriculture is best developed building, extensive use of chemical fertilisers
in Eurasian steppes, the Canadian and and green manures and also by the skill and
American Prairies, the Pampas of Argentina, the expertise of the farmers.
Velds of South Africa, the Australian Downs and
the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand. (Locate Dairy Farming
these areas on the world map).
Dairy is the most advanced and efficient type of
rearing of milch animals. It is highly capital
Mixed Farming
intensive. Animal sheds, storage facilities for
This form of agriculture is found in the highly fodder, feeding and milching machines add to
developed parts of the world, e.g. North-western the cost of dairy farming. Special emphasis is
Europe, Eastern North America, parts of laid on cattle breeding, health care and
Eurasia and the temperate latitudes of veterinary services.
Southern continents (Fig. 5.14).
Mixed farms are moderate in size and
usually the crops associated with it are wheat,
barley, oats, rye, maize, fodder and root crops.
Fodder crops are an important component of
mixed farming. Crop rotation and intercropping
play an important role in maintaining soil
fertility. Equal emphasis is laid on crop
cultivation and animal husbandry. Animals like
cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry provide the main
income along with crops.
Mixed farming is characterised by high
capital expenditure on farm machinery and Fig. 5.13: A Dairy Farm in Austria
It is highly labour intensive as it involves There are three main regions of commercial
rigorous care in feeding and milching. There is dairy farming. The largest is North Western
no off season during the year as in the case of Europe the second is Canada and the third belt
crop raising. includes South Eastern Australia, New Zealand
It is practised mainly near urban and and Tasmania (Fig. 5.16).
industrial centres which provide
neighbourhood market for fresh milk and dairy
Mediterranean Agriculture
products. The development of transportation,
refrigeration, pasteurisation and other Mediterranean agriculture is highly specialised
preservation processes have increased the commercial agriculture. It is practised in the
duration of storage of various dairy products. countries on either side of the Mediterranean
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Fig. 5.16: Areas of Dairy Farming
sea in Europe and in north Africa from Tunisia links with the urban centre where high income
to Atlantic coast, southern California, central group of consumers is located. It is both labour
Chile, south western parts of South Africa and and capital intensive and lays emphasis on the
south and south western parts of Australia. use of irrigation, HYV seeds, fertilisers,
This region is an important supplier of citrus insecticides, greenhouses and artificial heating
fruits. in colder regions.
Viticulture or grape cultivation is a This type of agriculture is well developed
speciality of the Mediterranean region. Best in densely populated industrial districts of
quality wines in the world with distinctive north west Europe, north eastern United States
flavours are produced from high quality grapes of America and the Mediterranean regions. The
in various countries of this region. The inferior Netherlands specialises in growing flowers and
grapes are dried into raisins and currants. This horticultural crops especially tulips, which are
region also produces olives and figs. The flown to all major cities of Europe.
advantage of Mediterranean agriculture is that The regions where farmers specialise in
more valuable crops such as fruits and vegetables only, the farming is know as truck
vegetables are grown in winters when there is farming. The distance of truck farms from the
great demand in European and North American market is governed by the distance that a truck
markets. can cover overnight, hence the name truck
farming.
Market Gardening and Horticulture In addition to market gardening, a modern
Market gardening and horticulture specialise development in the industrial regions of Western
in the cultivation of high value crops such as Europe and North America is factory farming.
vegetables, fruits and flowers, solely for the Livestock, particularly poultry and cattle
urban markets. Farms are small and are rearing, is done in stalls and pens, fed on
located where there are good transportation manufactured feedstuff and carefully
supervised against diseases. This requires heavy is based on social ownership of the means of
capital investment in terms of building, production and collective labour. Collective
machinery for various operations, veterinary farming or the model of Kolkhoz was
services and heating and lighting. One of the introduced in erstwhile Soviet Union to improve
important features of poultry farming and cattle upon the inefficiency of the previous methods
rearing is breed selection and scientific of agriculture and to boost agricultural
breeding. production for self-sufficiency.
Types of farming can also be categorised The farmers pool in all their resources like
according to the farming organisation. Farming land, livestock and labour. However, they are
organisation is affected by the way in which allowed to retain very small plots to grow crops
farmers own their farms and various policies of in order to meet their daily requirements.
the government which help to run these farms. Yearly targets are set by the government
and the produce is also sold to the state at fixed
Co-operative Farming prices. Produce in excess of the fixed amount
is distributed among the members or sold in
A group of farmers form a co-operative society the market. The farmers have to pay taxes on
by pooling in their resources voluntarily for the farm produces, hired machinery etc.
more efficient and profitable farming. Individual Members are paid according to the nature of
farms remain intact and farming is a matter of the work allotted to them by the farm
cooperative initiative. management. Exceptional work is rewarded in
Co-operative societies help farmers, to cash or kind. This type of farming was
procure all important inputs of farming, sell the introduced in former Soviet Union under the
products at the most favourable terms and help socialist regime which was adopted by the
in processing of quality products at cheaper socialist countries. After its collapse, these have
rates. already been modified.
Co-operative movement originated over a
century ago and has been successful in many MINING
western European countries like Denmark,
The discovery of minerals in the history of
Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy etc. In
human development, is reflected in many stages
Denmark, the movement has been so successful
in terms of copper age, bronze age and iron age.
that practically every farmer is a member of a
The use of minerals in ancient times was largely
co-operative.
confined to the making of tools, utensils and
weapons. The actual development of mining
Collective Farming
began with the industrial revolution and its
The basic principal behind this types of farming importance is continuously increasing.
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as safety precautions and equipment is
relatively low in this method. The output is both
large and rapid.
SHAFT MINING
OPEN-CAST OR
(STRIP MINING)
Primary Activities 43
3. Answer the following questions in not more than 150 words.
(i) Differentiate between Nomadic Herding and Commercial Livestock Rearing.
(ii) Discuss the important characteristic features of plantation agriculture. Name
a few important plantation crops from different countries.
Project/Activity
Visit a nearby village and observe the cultivation of some crops. Ask
the farmers and list the various operations.