Types of Agriculture
Think of a modest family farm on a small piece of land and a massive industrial farm covering thousands of acres. What distinguishes these two varieties of farms, in your opinion? Despite the fact that each of these farms are intended to produce food, there are differences in their production processes, yields, and target markets.
Numerous diverse forms of production have been used since the advent of agriculture. Industrialized agriculture and subsistence agriculture are the two categories into which agriculture is currently separated.
Industrialized Agriculture
Agriculture that uses industrialized ᴍᴇᴛʜods to generate vast amounts of livestock and commodities for sale is known as industrialized agriculture. Increasing crop yield, or the amount of food produced on each unit of land, is the aim of industrialized agriculture. This kind of agriculture produces crops and livestock for mass consumption, and the goods are exported to other countries.
Due to the farming techniques employed, industrialized agriculture is able to produce vast amounts of food. Industrialized agriculture makes use of massive, powerful machinery that can operate more quickly and vigorously than animals and huᴍᴀɴs can to work the fields. Industrial farms are using more fossil fuels as a result of the switch to machinery, which means that food prices can alter in response to variations in the price of oil.
To boost output and plant size, chemical fertilizers are frequently utilized in industrialized agriculture. These fertilizers enrich the soil with inorganic nutrients. In industrialized agriculture, the use of pesticides is also widespread, and the majority of pesticides aid enhance productivity by eliminating pests that are damaging or eating the crops. Growing monocultures, which is when a single crop is cultivated on a vast scale, is another agricultural approach utilized in industrialized agriculture. Although growing monocultures can boost total productivity, this technique of farming also makes crops more prone to ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ and reduces consumer dietary variety.
Subsistence Agriculture
There is another sort of agriculture that is still actively practiced today, despite the need for industrialized agriculture to feed the world’s expanding population. When a farmer raises enough food for his or her family plus a modest bit of cash crop on a tiny plot of land, the farmer practices subsistence agriculture. Producing enough food to ensure the survival of a single family is the aim of subsistence farming. Food that is produced in excess is locally sold to other families or individuals.
Subsistence farming employs more organic ᴍᴇᴛʜods rather than using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. The majority of farmers keep chickens, goats, and cows, and they use the dung from these animals to fertilize the plants. The harvested crops are then eaten or sold, and the plant’s inedible byproducts are fed to livestock.
Subsistence farmers rely on natural pest predators to reduce the pest population rather than utilizing artificial pesticides. What is being planted is another significant distinction between industrialized and subsistence agriculture. Contrary to industrialized agriculture, which relies on monocultures, subsistence agriculture relies on polycultures, or the planting of multiple crop varieties in the same space. In order to maximize crop yield on a small plot of land, polycultures are planted.
Kinds of Subsistence Agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is still practiced in ᴍᴀɴy regions of the world, despite the fact that industrialized agriculture has mostly replaced it. Over one-third of those who reside in Latin America, Asia, and Africa are thought to rely on subsistence farming for their nourishment. There are quite a few different types of subsistence farming practiced today. The most typical kind is traditional subsistence agriculture, often known as intensive subsistence agriculture. In countries like Iɴᴅɪᴀ, Cʜɪɴᴀ, Vɪᴇᴛɴᴀᴍ, Cᴀᴍʙᴏᴅɪᴀ, Mᴇxɪᴄᴏ, and Pᴇʀᴜ, this kind of agriculture is utilized.
Let’s see 7 Mɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇs In American Agriculture That You Didn’t Know in the ᴀᴡᴇsome video below.
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Video resource: ᴍᴀɴu Farm
