3.2 - Food Production Flashcards
Arable farming
The cultivation of crops e.g. rice or wheat
Pastoral farming
Rearing livestock e.g. beef or sheep farming
Commercial farming
Growing crops or raising livestock to sell the products for profit
Subsistence farming
Growing food and/or raising livestock to feed the farmer and their family
Extensive farming
A farm with low inputs or yields per hectare e.g. sheep farming
Intensive farming
A farm with high inputs or yielfs per hectare e.g. battery chicken farming
Nomadic farming
Farmers move seasonally to different areas with their livestock e.g. that one minecraft villager with his camel
Sedentary farming
The same area of land is farmed year after year
Mixed farm
A farm that has both livestock and grows crops
Physical factors influencing farming
- temperature
- growing season
- percipitation
- relief and slope aspect
- soil type and fertility
- drainage
How does temperature affect farming?
Temperature (minimum 6°C for crops to grow) influence the types of crops that can be grown,
* e.g. hot, wet tropical areas favour rice, while cooler, drier areas favour wheat.
How does growing season affect farming?
The length of the growing season affects the type of crop grown
* e.g. barley needs about 90 days from sowing to harvest whereas rice takes about 120 days
How does percipitation affect farming?
both the average annual rainfall (at least 250mm to 500mm) and the distribution over the year affect the types of crops grown
How does relief and slope aspect affect farming?
- Lowlands, such as flood plains, are good for crops.
- Steep slopes hinder machinery and have thinner soils; lower, more gentle slopes are less prone to soil erosion.
- Tea and coffee crops prefer the well-drained soil on hill slopes.
- Temperature decreases by 6.5°C for every 1000 metres gained in height.
- South-facing slopes receive more sunlight.
How does the soil type and fertility affect farming?
- Fertility is important; poor soil means lower outputs or larger inputs of fertilisers.
- Floodplains are good for rice because of the alluvial (made up of sand and earth left by rivers, floods, etc.) soils.
- Good drainage reduces the dangers of waterlogging.
How does the drainage affect farming?
Good drainage reduces the dangers of waterlogging (to become saturated/covered by water)
Human factors influencing farming
- Tradition
- Government policies
- Transport
- Farm size
- Market
- Capital
How does tradition affect farming?
Many farms simply grow the crops or raise the livestock that have been on the farm for generations
Some farms may only grow crops for religious reasons (e.g. Bali grows flowers for Hindu sacrifices)
How do government policies affect farming?
- Governments influence the crops farmers grow through regulations, subsidiesand quotas.
- Governments offer advice, training and finance to farmers and, in new farming areas, may build the infrastructure of roads and drainage, e.g. Amazonia.
- In some countries, e.g. Kenya and Malaysia, the government is trying to help nomadic farmers to settle in one place.
- Some governments plan and fund land reclamation and improvement schemes.