Chapter 9: Agriculture
Agriculture is the farming of either crops (arable farming) or the rearing of animals (pastoral
farming).
If the population grows and the food supply does not keep pace with it, it will result in increased
poverty and even starvation – which may then stop or slow population growth.
Physical inputs: soil, land and its relief, climate (temperature, rainfall, sunshine)
Human inputs: capital, labour, machinery and tools, seeds, government and market influence,
irrigation and fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides (for weed).
Processes: clearing vegetation, providing terracing, drainage and irrigation systems, ploughing,
sowing, weeding, application of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and irrigation, harvesting and
finally storage and transporting to market.
Outputs: crops, meat, milk, industrial products (cotton, rubber, leather)
The by-products include animal waste which can be used as fertilizer for the crops and straw
bales for animal feed.
Commercial farming is where the farmer sells his or her output to make a profit while
subsistence farming is mainly for the sustenance of his or her family. A surplus could be sold for
profit.
Capital
(money)
Land
Labour
Machinery
and tools
Seeds
Market
influence
Fertilizers
Pesticides/
herbicides
Irrigation
Organic farming: no use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, intensive farming (high-skilled
labours) and less harmful to the environment.
Intensive farming is the farming to achieve the maximum output per hectare.
o Area of land is small, large machines and rarely used, labour is high, fertilizers used are
high and the output is also high because the people focus more on the land.
Agriculture is the farming of either crops (arable farming) or the rearing of animals (pastoral
farming).
If the population grows and the food supply does not keep pace with it, it will result in increased
poverty and even starvation – which may then stop or slow population growth.
Physical inputs: soil, land and its relief, climate (temperature, rainfall, sunshine)
Human inputs: capital, labour, machinery and tools, seeds, government and market influence,
irrigation and fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides (for weed).
Processes: clearing vegetation, providing terracing, drainage and irrigation systems, ploughing,
sowing, weeding, application of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and irrigation, harvesting and
finally storage and transporting to market.
Outputs: crops, meat, milk, industrial products (cotton, rubber, leather)
The by-products include animal waste which can be used as fertilizer for the crops and straw
bales for animal feed.
Commercial farming is where the farmer sells his or her output to make a profit while
subsistence farming is mainly for the sustenance of his or her family. A surplus could be sold for
profit.
Capital
(money)
Land
Labour
Machinery
and tools
Seeds
Market
influence
Fertilizers
Pesticides/
herbicides
Irrigation
Organic farming: no use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, intensive farming (high-skilled
labours) and less harmful to the environment.
Intensive farming is the farming to achieve the maximum output per hectare.
o Area of land is small, large machines and rarely used, labour is high, fertilizers used are
high and the output is also high because the people focus more on the land.
