Top 10 Types of Agriculture
types of agriculture Although agriculture is not uniform worldwide, it is the most widespread activity. It is grown based on the type of crop, the scale of cultivation, intensity, mechanization level, livestock assemblage, and how agricultural produce is distributed. Following are the different types of agricultural activities around the world:
1. Shifting Cultivation
Shifting cultivation is commonly practiced in harvesting. This includes forest clearance through burning and harvesting. The cleared land is cultivated until its fertility declines, or for three to five years or overtakes native flora and weeds. When this happens, the farmers leave the land for the fallow period and vacate another forest area for cultivation.
It is a type of subsistence farming that is usually done manually. In tropical regions such as South-East Asia, people adopt this type of agricultural activity with a focus on growing grain. However, due to the pressures environmentalists and activists make to support environmental protection from such volatile practices, activity is declining.
2. Itinerant Swarm
Itinerant shepherd is the practice of keeping and grazing animals on natural pastures. It is common in arid and semi-arid regions such as parts of Saudi Arabia, northern Africa, and northern parts of Eurasia. This practice resembles pastoral farming.
The nomads go from one place to another in search of water and pasture for their animals. The type of herd of animals varies from one region to another. These include sheep, cattle, camels, goats, donkeys, and horses. Activity is a form of subsistence farming to feed the family.
3. Rudimentary Sedimentary Tillage
Unlike other types of agricultural activities, rudimentary sedentary farming is a type of subsistence farming practiced on the same piece of land from year to year. The land is lying fallow after a few years to regain its soil fertility. It is commonly practiced in the tropics and includes the growth of tree crops such as para rubber trees and grains.
4. Livestock farming / pastoral farming
Animal husbandry focuses on raising animals. Unlike nomadic herds, farmers do not move from one place to another in search of pasture and water but live in settlements. Pasture land is developed for grazing animals. This type of agriculture is practiced for commercial reasons in many areas around the world with large pieces of land with sufficient grazing areas for animals.
5. Commercial Plantation
Also known as tree crop farming, industrial agriculture, or plantation farming, commercial orchards cover large land areas. Even if practiced on a small piece of land, the activity has a high commercial value. This includes the cultivation of tropical crops such as tea, rubber, coffee, coconut, cocoa, grapes, apples, spices, oranges, avocados, mangoes, and palm oil.
6. Mixed farming
Also known as grain and livestock farming, mixed farming involves growing crops and raising animals. It originates in moist, mid-latitudes except in Asia. It is an agricultural activity with its roots mainly in Europe. Mixed farming develops in close relation to market infrastructure. It is commonly practiced in New Zealand and Great Britain.
7. Specialized gardening
Special horticulture developed due to the increasing demand for horticultural products in densely populated high urban areas. It has been successfully adopted for vineyards in northern Hungary, France, and the Swiss lake regions.
8. Subsidy farming
Subsidy farming involves raising crops and keeping animals for the sole purpose of feeding the farmer and his family. It involves the use of simple agricultural implements on small pieces of land. Most subsistence farmers are considered poor and thus unable to purchase improved seeds and fertilizers. Therefore, they cultivate land with low soil fertility or rough areas.
9. Intensive cultivation with/without rice as a major crop
Cultivation with rice as a major crop
The densely populated and high-rainfall tropical regions are areas where intensive subsistence farming is practiced. Rice is the main crop grown because it can charge and give employment to many people in every unit area. It is mainly adopted in South-East Asia and farmers use animal and manual power to carry out farming activities. Most farmers use manure to improve the productivity of their farms per unit area.
10. Mediterranean Agriculture
Mediterranean agriculture involves animal husbandry and growing crops in the rugged, Mediterranean. Small animals and crops such as citrus fruits, vine, and wheat are the main crops grown in the region. Horticulture is also practiced with most of the crops sown in winter due to winter rains. also read more information guruunews
