&KEY WORDS

irrigation system: man-made system bringing water to agricultural land yield: amount of crop produced per square metre market garden: area for growing fruit and salad vegetables

Crop agriculture
Agriculture obtains fruit, vegetable and cereal products from the earth to be used for consumption or as raw materials for industry.

Crop agriculture practices

Different farming systems are used for the exploitation of agricultural space.

Farming systems
Depending on the use of water

Depending on the utilisation of the soil

Intensive agriculture: high capital investment (in tools, machinery, equipment, etc.) and labour are used to obtain maximum yield. Crops are produced for commercial purposes, for example, in the market gardens of Valencia and Murcia.

Irrigated agriculture: crops receive water from man-

-made irrigation systems. This method is used for the cultivation of fruit trees, rice, cotton and vegetables. Rain-fed agriculture: crops only receive rainwater. This method is mainly used for pulses, suntlowers, wheat, vines and olive trees.

Irrigated agriculture

Depending on the variety of species

Monoculture: the cultivation of a single species in an agricultural area. Cereals, cotton and coffee are often grown like this. Mixed cropping: the cultivation of several species in an agricultural area. Mixed crops grown by irrigated agriculture include fruit trees, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Intensive agriculture in the market gardens of Valencia

Extensive agriculture: does not use all the technological or human resources (workers) available to obtain the maximum yield. Production can be for sale (e.g. on the wheat plains in the United States) or for personal consumption.

Monoculture of cotton

Extensive agriculture in the United States

2.2. Agricultural landscapes

Agricultural activities create different types of agricultural landscape. Subsistence agriculture: this method uses ancient techniques and has low productivity. Most crops are for the farmers own consumption. There are different types of subsistence agriculture: Slash-and-burn agriculture: to prepare the land, the vegetation is cut down and burnt, and the ashes are used as fertiliser. Used to grow millet, sorghum and tapioca, for example. Intensive agriculture of Monsoon Asia: rice is grown on small plots. Commercial agriculture: this is characterised by high investment, the use of advanced techniques such as drip irrigation, and high productivity. Crops are produced for commercial purposes. There are different types of commercial agriculture: Advanced agriculture of Europe: flowers, market garden products and cereals are among the most important crops. Mediterranean agriculture: this is rain-fed (wheat, vines and olives) and irrigated (fruit trees and vegetables). Extensive New World agriculture: large farms employ few workers and use a lot of machinery. They mostly grow cereals. Plantations: large estates with monocultures of cocoa, tea, coffee, bananas and pineapples, for example. The farms are owned by big multinational companies.

@KEY WORDS
productivity: relation between the

amount produced and the work, time and money needed to produce it Drip irrigation: irrigation system in which water is applied in small amounts (drops) to each plant New World: countries that were colonised by European nations and obtained independence from the 18th century onwards; e.g. the United States

WORLD AGRICULTURE
ARCTIC OCEAN

PACIFIC OCEAN

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&KEY WORDS
feed (n.): dry food for livestock graze (vb.): feed on grass pasture: grassland where animals can graze

livestock farming
This type of farming obtains different products from animals (meat, milk, wool, eggs, etc.). The principal types of livestock are: cattle (cows, oxen, bulls), sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, horses, mules and poultry (hens, chickens, ducks, turkeys, etc.). Livestock farming can be classified as follows:

Types of livestock farming

Capital investment and labour
Extensive livestock farming: capital investment (in feed, farms, etc.) is limited and productivity low. The livestock is mostly cattle and sheep, and grazes on large pastures in the open air. Semi-confined livestock: in summer, the animals eat grass; when there is not enough grass, they eat feed.

Mobility of livestock
Nomadic herding: herders and their families are constantly moving with their animals in search of good pasture.

Extensive livestock farming

Intensive livestock farming: capital investment (in feed, farms, etc.). labour and productivity are high. Mostly cattle, pigs and poultry are farmed.

Food and feeding methods

Grazing livestock: animals feed on grass. This is an example of extensive farming. Confined livestock: animals are kept in sheds and covered pens, and eat feed. This is an example of intensive farming.

Nomadic herders

Transhumance (seasonal migration of livestock): herders move their animals several times a year between winter and summer pastures.

Confined livestock

Sedentary livestock farming: animals do not have to move around to obtain food because farmers give them feed.

Activities
1
Match the following words with the examples below: monoculture, irrigated crops, intensive agriculture, rain-fed crops. a) Farmers use technology to water these crops. b) A coffee plantation is an example of this type of crop. c) If the summer is very dry, these crops suffer because they receive no water. d) These crops need a lot of workers, machines and money.

5 Are these examples typical of subsistence or commercial

agriculture? a) Farmers and their families consume most of the crops. b)Machinery and modern techniques are used. c) The majority of crops are sold.

6 What type of livestock farming do these people practice?

a) Kumar is an Indian herder. He is constantly moving around with his family and his flock of goats, looking for pasture. b) Harry is an Australian farmer. His sheep graze on the fields on his farm. c) Pedro lives in Spain. Every summer, he moves his sheep from the valley to the mountain pastures.

2 Answer the questions.

a) What is the name of this plant? b) What type of crop is it? c) Is it an irrigated or rain-fed crop?

John is a Welsh farmer. Look at his timetable. Complete the questions with the following words: often, why, does, time, who, many, when.

5:25 am 6:15 am 8:00 am

John gets up and begins milking between six o'clock and quarter past six. John feeds the cows. John begins to do other jobs such as taking the cows out to pasture. In summer, John harvests grass, which he stores in order to feed the animals in winter. John continues with his other jobs. A milk tanker comes to collect the milk. The cows are milked again.

3 Complete the sentences.

a) The

10:00 am 12:00 pm 2:00 pm 4:30 pm

action of animals eating grass is called _______

b) Birds that are kept on farms, like chickens or ducks, are

called ___________
c) Is the grey substance that is left after you have burnt

something.
d) Vegetables and fruit are grown in

______________ and

a) What _________________ does John start work? b) How ________ does he milk the cows? At what time?

sold for profit.

e) Capital and labour

are used to increase _____________

c) ________________ does John feed the cows?

d) What other jobs _________________ John do?

Look at the photos and answer the questions.

a) What are the names of these animals? b) What type of livestock are the animals in photos 2 and 3?

e) _______________ does John harvest the grass? f) What time do they collect the milk? _________ collects it?

g)How ___________________ hours a day does John work?