���SOILS & BIOGEOGRAPHY�(Agriculture Systems & Types)

Yaw Asamoah, PhD.

yasamoah@uew.edu.gh

UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

• “If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the same time cultivate the fields to produce more bread; otherwise, there will be no peace” – Norman Borlaug.

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• "Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness” – Thomas Jefferson.

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• “If you eat, you are involved in agriculture” – League of Women Voters.

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Introduction

• The word 'Agriculture' is derived from the Latin word 'Ager' means Land or field and 'Culture' means cultivation.
• Agriculture, the human enterprise by which natural ecosystems are transformed into ones devoted to the production of food, fiber, and, increasingly, fuel.
• 3 important questions raised with agriculture:
• What to produce;
• How much to produce;
• How to produce.
• Systems and types of agriculture answers these questions.�

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Agriculture System

• Agriculture can be seen as a system – a set of inter-related, interacting and interdependent elements acting together for a�common purpose.
• It is a system because several activities are closely related to each other by the common use of the farm labour, land and capital, by risk distribution and by the joint use of the farmer’s management capacity.
• Agriculture system is an assemblage of components which are united by some form of interactions and interdependence, and which operates within a prescribed boundary to achieve a specified agricultural objective on behalf of the beneficiaries of the system.
• It can also be referred to as the overall framework of how farming is organized and managed, including inputs, processes, and outputs.
• At the center is the farmer who takes decision in an attempt to achieve his aspirations, goals and desired objectives within the limits of technologies available to him.�

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Classification of Agric. Systems

• Co-operative farming system – one in which members pool their land voluntarily and manage it jointly under an agreed arrangement or democratic constitution.
• Sub-categories:
• Co-operative better farming; Co-operative joint farming; Co-operative tenant farming; Co-operative collective farming
• Peasant farming
• State farming
• Capitalistic farming/state farming
• Collective farming
• Contract farming

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Other classifications

• By purpose: subsistence vs. commercial farming

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• By intensity: intensive vs. extensive systems

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• By land use: arable, pastoral, mixed

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• By ecological setting: rainfed, irrigated, flood-recession, agroforestry

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• By scale & technology: traditional vs. modern/industrial systems

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Class. cont’d.

• FAO classifies farming systems into:

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• Irrigated systems (rice-based, diversified horticulture, etc.)

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• Rainfed humid systems (tree crops, root crops, maize-mixed)

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• Rainfed dry or cold systems (pastoral, sparse systems)

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• Coastal artisanal fishing systems

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• Urban and peri-urban systems

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Factors Determining Farming Systems

• Physical factors – all external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of an organism.
• Climate
• Solar radiation – essential for photosynthesis
• Rainfall – main source of moisture supply to the soil for the activation of plant growth
• Temperature – affects evapo-transpiration, photosynthesis and soil warming.
• Relative humidity – ratio of water vapour in the air.
• Wind and ocean currents – brings about rainfall and harmattan

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Physical factors cont’d.

• Soils – crop productivity is strongly dependent on physical, chemical and biological conditions of the soil.
• Physical Soil Factors Affecting Crop Production
• These include the soil’s:
• Texture – relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles in the soil
• Structure – the arrangement of the particles (sand, silt, clay) in the soil.
• Porosity – he percentage volume filled with air when the soil is fully drained of saturated water.
• Bulk density – mass of soil per unit volume of the soil.
• Soil water – amount of water held in the soil.

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Physical factors cont’d.

• Chemical Factors of Soil Affecting Crop Production
• Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
• Soil pH
• Available plant nutrient
• Topography – position of farm on the toposequence whether on the crest or valley bottom.
• Biological Factors of Soil Affecting Crop Production
• Soil fauna – the beneficial and damaging animal organisms.
• Soil flora – Pathogens such as bacteria, fungi and viruses are important as sources of soil infections in crop lands

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Determining Factors cont’d.

• Biological factors
• These include:
• Crop and livestock species,
• Pests,
• Diseases, and
• Weeds

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Determining Factors cont’d.

• Socio-economic factors –
• Endogenous factors
• These are factors within the control of the rural household they are as follows:
• Family composition
• Health and nutrition
• Education
• Food preferences
• Risk aversion
• Attitude/goals
• Gender relations

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Socio-economic factors cont’d.

• Exogenous factors
• These are factors that are not within the influence of the rural household.
• Population
• Tenure
• Off-farm opportunities
• Social infrastructure
• Credit
• Markets
• Prices
• Technology
• Input supply
• Extension
• Savings opportunities

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Types of Agriculture

• The systems of agriculture of an area gives rise to the types of agriculture practiced in that area.
• Thus, the types are seen as subset of the system.
• The type of agriculture makes references to the specific ways that crops and/or animals are produced, including the methods and practices used.
• The type of agriculture practiced is based on a number of factors – scale & purpose of production, methods & technology, and sometimes, natural & socio-economic factors.

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Classification based scale & purpose of production

• Two main types of agriculture being practiced:
• SUBSISTENCE FARMING
• COMMERCIAL FARMING
• Subsistence agriculture – small farms, mainly for home/family consumption.
• only small portion is directed towards market
• Commercial agriculture – large farms, majority of products are sold at a market.

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Subsistence agriculture

• This agric type is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
• Traditionally, low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce on small output.
• It is predominate in developing countries.
• Further sub-divided into 3 –
• shifting cultivation,
• pastoral nomadism, and
• intensive subsistence.

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Shifting Cultivation

• Practised in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of southeast Asia and Northeast India.
• Found in areas where land is abundant.
• It is also called “slash and burn”
• What other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Pastoral Nomadism

• Herding of domesticated animals
• Adapted to dry climates
• Dependent on grassland soils
• Pastoral nomads depend primarily on animals rather than crops for survival.
• The animals provide milk, and their skins and hair are use for clothing and tents.
• •Pastoral nomads move with the seasons to find forage and water
• What other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Intensive Subsistence Agric/Farming

• Families must produce enough food for their survival from a very small area of land.
• Farm size is usually small due to high population growth
• Pressure on available lands.
• Farm takes place on fertile alluvial soils.
• Farmers are forced to farm on hillsides/slopes with

a method called terrace farming.

• Predominant in parts of East and South Asia
• What other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Commercial Farming

• It is sometimes referred to as plantation agriculture.
• Crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in market.
• The area cultivated and the amount of capital used is usually large.
• Most of the work is done by machines.
• Single type of crops are cultivated – monocropping/monoculture – cotton, sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and tobacco
• Production of export crops – takes place in developing countries
• dependent on fertilization

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Commercial farming

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• What other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Mixed-farming (Grains & Livestock)

• The land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.
• Most crops are fed to the animals instead of being directly consumed by humans.
• Soil fertility maintenance through manure
• What other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Commercial Grain Farming

• It consists of large, highly mechanized operations and exists only in temperate zones.
• Takes place on fertile temperate soils.
• It is fairly recent, as it did not exist before mechanization.
• It is basically an extensive farming

system.

• What other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Dairy farming

• It has its origin in Europe, and diffused to other parts of the world.
• Close vicinity to the market and a moderate climate are the two factors that are favorable for the development of this type of farming.
• Dairy farming is labour oriented.
• What are other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Market Gardening

• It is the commercial growing of flowers, vegetables, fruits, and other plants on a scale greater than a home garden,
• but small enough such that most of the gardening principles are applicable.
• This type of farming has been developed to take advantage of the demand for horticulture products by the population at large scale urbanized and densely populated areas of Europe.
• They are scientifically managed to achieve optimum yields.

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Market gardening

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• What are other major characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Type of agric. Based on Method and Technology

• Industrialized/mechanized agriculture

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• Agroforestry

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• Organic farming
• Any other type?
• What are their characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Their implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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Type of agric based on natural & socio-economic factors.

• Diversified farming
• Specialised farming
• Mixed farming
• Ranching
• Dry farming
• Mechanised farming
• Marginal farming
• Any other type?
• What are their characteristics?
• Major favourable soil type?
• Their implications on the environment?
• Advantages?
• Disadvantages?

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END OF LESSON

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