Theme 3 - 3.2 - Food Production Flashcards
Define system.
A practice in which there are recognisable inputs, processes and outputs.
Define irrigation.
Supplying dry land with water by systems of ditches and also by more advanced means.
Define economies of scale.
The reduction in unit costs as the scale of an operation increases.
Define agricultural technology.
The application of techniques to control the growth and harvesting of animal and vegetable products.
Define land tenure.
The ways in which land is or can be owned.
Define Green Revolution.
The introduction of high-yielding seeds and modern agricultural techniques in developing countries.
Why can farms and general types of farming be seen as systems?
They require INPUTS into the farm, PROCESSES which take place on the farm and OUTPUTS from the farm.
What is the aim of agricultural ‘systems’?
To produce the best possible outputs.
When is a profit generatedby an agricultural system?
When the income rom selling the outputs is greater than the costs of the inputs and processes.
Give some examples of inputs into a farming system.
- Land
- Energy
- Labour
- Machinery
- Administrative and organisational costs
- Fertlisers
- Pesticides
- Seeds
- Soils and rain
What types of inputs into an agricultural system are there?
- Physical (e.g. Climate, Relief, Soil)
- Human and economic (e.g. Machinery, Fertiliser, Labour)
Give some examples of processes in a farming system.
- Preparing land
- Ploughing
- Harrowing
- Manuring
- Sowing
- Fertilising
- Weeding
- Pest control
- Harvesting
- Animal rearing
- Feeding
- Milking/Shearing/Calving
(- Recycling product from last year)
Give some examples of outputs from a farming system.
- Crops
- Animal products
- Animals
- Waste
(- Profit)
What are the three types of output that a farming system produces?
- Main product
- By-product
- Waste product
Give an example of the main product, by-product and waste-product of a system.
System - Wheat farm
- Main product - Wheat grain
- By-product - Straw bales for animal feed
- Waste - Stubble, which is burned or ploughed in to enrich soil next year
Define arable farming.
Cultivation of crops and not animals. It can be concentrated on one or more crop.
Define pastoral farming.
Keeping livestock such as dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, pigs. (Crops may have to be grown to feed these)
Define mixed farming.
Cultivating crops and keeping livestock together on a farm.
Define subsistence farming.
The most basic form of agriculture, where the prodcue is consumed entirely or mainly by the family who work the land or tend the livestock.
Define commercial farming.
Farming where the onjective is to sell everything the farm produces, while maximising profit.
Define extensive farming.
Production of a relatively small amount of produce from a large area of land using low inputs of labour, fertiliser, etc. (but the total yield may be high)