Subsistence & Commercial Farming

Grain Farming

a form of commercial agriculture in which farmers grow grains to be exported to other places as a food product. The crops generally grown on these types of farms are cereal grains, such as wheat, corn, rice, millet, and sorghum

Dairy Farming

a form of commercial agriculture in which milk-based products are produced for sale. Dairy farming takes place primarily in the United States, Canada, Europe, and parts of Australia.

Mediterranean Farming

is primarily practiced in the region located near the Mediterranean Sea. However, it is also practiced in areas that have a climate similar to the hot and dry summer and very mild winters found in the Mediterranean such as California, Chile, parts of southern Africa and southern Australia.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

requires a heavy footprint and supports about half the world's population and is usually found in densely populated regions, such as parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. (wet rice is the most common form... see definitions of "intensive" and "subsistence" for further details)

Commercial Farming

Farms primarily in developed countries by farmers whose goal is to sell the crops and animals for profit, may form partnerships with major food-processing companies and agree to sell their produce and animals only to those companies.

Livestock Ranching

a form of extensive commercial agriculture in which animals are raised on a plot of land on which they graze, is practiced primarily in areas with natural grasslands: prairies, steppes, and savannas. Almost always found in the middle latitudes in the Western United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and Central Asia.

Shifting Cultivation

a form of extensive subsistence farming in which plots of land are cleared and used for several years and then abandoned for a long period of time as farmers move on to farm other areas of land.

Intensive Agriculture

a type of agriculture in which large amounts of labor or resources are used relative to the size of land being farmed

Extensive Agriculture

a type of agriculture in which small amounts of labor or resources are used relative to the size of land being farmed

Mixed Crop & Livestock Farming

a type of commercial agriculture in which both growing crops and raising animals occurs. This form of agriculture is practiced primarily in the Western United States and most of Europe

Hectare

abbreviated ha, is a unit of land that is approximately 2.4 acres

Pastoral Nomadism

also referred to a pastoralism, is a form of subsistence agriculture that involves the breeding and herding of animals to produce food, shelter, and clothing.

Subsistence Farming

the production of food mainly for the farmer's family or local community, is most often practiced in developing countries around the world