8.02 SUBSISTENCE AND COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE

livestock ranching

animals are raised on a plot of land on which they graze. Livestock ranching is practiced primarily in areas with natural grasslands: prairies, steppes, and savannas. Almost all livestock ranches are found in the middle latitudes in the Western United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and Central Asia. However, some ranches are found in the tropics of Hawaii and Brazil. These animals are raised for their meat, hides or wool, and some byproducts such as their bones that may be ground and used in a variety of products.

Milkshed

ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling

hectare

A unit of land that is approximately equals 2.4 acres

shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field to another; each field is used for crops for relatively few years and left abandoned for a relatively long period. Shifting cultivation is primarily practiced in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Estimates suggest that about 250 million people practice shifting cultivation, and approximately 100 million of these people are in Southeast Asia alone.

intensive agriculture

A type of agriculture in which large amounts of labor or resources are used relative to the size of land being farmed Resources might include machinery, money, fertilizers, and pesticides

extensive agriculture

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

Difference of Subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture

Subsistence agriculture- performed primarily in developing countries by farmers who aim to produce food for their own consumption, they sell only the surplus The percentage of farmers in the workforce in countries that primarily practice subsistence agriculture is extremely high, ~50% of workers work in agriculture in developing countries They primarily work using tools that can be operated manually or with animal power. Subsistence farms are often small compared to the size of commercial farms. Because subsistence farmers work to produce enough food for their families, the size of the farm must be large enough to support the number of people in the family. Commercial agriculture- Commercial agriculture is performed primarily in developed countries by farmers whose goal is to sell the crops and animals for profit. On average, less than 10 percent of workers are involved in agriculture in developed countries. This percentage is much lower in some countries. For example, in the United States, less than 1 percent of the labor force is involved in agriculture. In developed countries, farmers have the resources available to invest in farming equipment, such as tractors and plows Commercial farms tend to be extremely large. According to the 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture, there were about 922,095,840 total acres of farmland in the United States, which is about 40.8 percent of the total land area in the country. The average U.S. farm size was about 418 acres in 2007.

Characteristics of commercial agriculture

The use of machinery, commonly found in developed countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and countries in Western Europe as it is the the production of food mainly for sale in local or global markets.

Intensive agriculture/ subsistence agriculture

There are two main types of intensive subsistence agriculture: intensive subsistence agriculture that is focused on wet rice and intensive subsistence agriculture that is focused on crops other than wet rice.

Characteristics of Subsistence agriculture

Use of hard labor, common in developing countries as they produce food needed for survival

Pastoral Nomadism

a form of subsistence agriculture that involves the breeding and herding of animals to produce food, shelter, and clothing. primarily practiced in semiarid, arid, or high polar climate regions with little or no arable land. Pastoral nomads are found in the Middle East (Bedouin), North Africa (Karimojong, Tuareg), Central Asia (Mongols, Kazakh), and parts of the Arctic (Saami of northern Scandinavia or the eastern Siberian Chukchi).

mixed crop and livestock farming

both growing crops and raising animals occurs. This form of agriculture is practiced primarily in the Western united States and most of Europe. unlike grain farmers who most often grow crops for human consumption, mixed crop and livestock farmers generally grow crops for their livestock's consumption. The animals provide fertilizer in the form of manure for the crops and goods for sale, such as beef, milk, or eggs.

Grain Farming

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. Grains are grown on every continent except Antarctica.

dairy farming

milk-based products are produced for sale. Dairy farming takes place primarily in the united States, Canada, Europe, and parts of Australia. Dairy farms usually produce either fresh milk or milk products, such as butter and cheese. The location of a dairy farm is an indicator of the type of product the farm produces. For example, if a dairy farm is located close to a city or marketplace, the farm likely specializes in fresh milk production.

Mediterranean agriculture

primarily practiced in the region located near the Mediterranean Sea. However, it is also practiced in areas that have a climate similar to the climate found in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean climate is generally hot and dry in the summer and very mild in the winter. Outside of the Mediterranean, this type of agriculture is practiced in California as shown in the image, Chile, parts of southern Africa, and southern Australia. Most of the products characteristic of this type of agriculture are luxury crops that are not essential for human survival and sold for expensive prices to satisfy a specific consumer demand. Tobacco and wine-producing grapes are examples of luxury crops.

Commercial Gardening and Fruit Farming

the backyard garden on a larger and more lucrative scale. Farmers who practice this type of agriculture generally grow vegetables and fruits, such as apples, squash, tomatoes, and peaches, that consumers demand. Then these fruits and vegetables are sold to local consumers, shipped via truck to markets around the country, or sold to large corporations.