Summary of Human Geography: Farming and Urbanization
Human Geography: Farming and Urbanization Explained
Introduction
Agriculture is the practice of growing crops and raising animals to produce food, fiber and raw materials. It shapes landscapes, supports economies and provides livelihoods for millions of people worldwide. This guide breaks down types of farming, key processes, factors that affect farming, and real-world examples so you can understand how agriculture works in different places.
Definition: Agriculture is the production of crops and the rearing of animals for food, fiber and other products used by people.
1. Main purposes of farms
- Subsistence farming: produce mainly for the farmer's household; small extra surplus may be sold locally.
- Commercial farming: produce mainly for sale to markets (local, national or international).
Definition: Subsistence farming is farming where most produce is used by the household and little is sold. Commercial farming is farming where produce is grown primarily for sale.
2. What farms produce (product type)
| Type | What it produces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Arable | Crops | Wheat fields in the Canadian Prairies (grain farming) |
| Pastoral | Livestock | Sheep farms in New Zealand |
| Mixed | Both crops and animals | Grain plus dairy on many European family farms |
3. Level of input (intensity)
| Type | Characteristics | Yields | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensive | Large area, low labour & technology input | Low per hectare, high total from area | Extensive subsistence in parts of Congo |
| Intensive | Small area, high labour &/or technology input | High yield per hectare | Intensive subsistence rice in India |
Definition: Intensive farming uses high inputs of labour or technology to get high yields per unit area. Extensive farming uses low inputs over large areas.
4. Permanence and movement
- Nomadic farming / nomadic herding: people move with their animals to find grazing (e.g., some Sahel or Saudi Arabia herders).
- Sedentary farming: farmers stay in one place and cultivate the same land (common in Europe, parts of Asia).
Definition: Nomadic farming involves regular movement to access grazing. Sedentary farming involves permanent settlement on cultivated land.
5. Typical global examples (map-style list)
- Canada: commercial grain farming across the prairies (NOT nomadic hunters)
- France: commercial (mixed) farming with significant pastoral and arable elements
- India: intensive subsistence (e.g., small-scale rice and wheat cultivation)
- Northern Siberia: nomadic hunters/herders or areas unsuitable for farming due to climate
- Italy: Mediterranean agriculture (olives, grapes, citrus)
- Congo: extensive subsistence (shifting cultivation in tropical forest zones)
- Saudi Arabia: nomadic herding in arid zones (where possible), and irrigated commercial farms in oases
- Argentina: commercial pastoral (large cattle ranching) and commercial grain in Pampas
- Greenland: largely unsuitable for agriculture (very short growing season)
6. Typical agricultural processes (crop vs animal)
| Crop / Plant processes | English translation | Animal processes | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| a) oranie | ploughing | g) kŕmenie | feeding |
| b) sadenie | planting | h) dojenie | milking |
| c) polievanie | watering / irrigation | i) strihanie oviec | sheep shearing |
| d) hnojenie | fertilising / manuring | j) spásanie, pasenie | grazing |
| e) pliet, trhat burinu | weeding | k) očkovanie | vaccinating |
| f) žat, zbierat úrodu | harvesting | l) porážanie, zabijanie zvierat | slaughtering |
Definition: Irrigation is the artificial supply of water to crops to assist growth when rainfall is insufficient.
7. Factors affecting farming
Farming is affected by physical and human factors.
Physical factors
- Relief: altitude and s
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Agriculture Overview
Klíčové pojmy: Farms are classified by purpose: subsistence vs commercial, Arable farms grow crops; pastoral farms rear animals; mixed farms do both, Intensive farming uses high labour/technology for high yields per hectare, Extensive farming covers large areas with low input and low yield per hectare, Nomadic farming moves animals to grazing; sedentary farming stays in one place, Physical factors: relief, climate, soils strongly determine farm type, Human factors: market access, transport, technology, labour and government influence farming, Common processes: ploughing, planting, irrigation, fertilising, weeding, harvesting, Animal processes: feeding, milking, shearing, grazing, vaccinating, slaughtering, Examples: India = intensive subsistence; Argentina = commercial pastoral; Italy = Mediterranean agriculture, About 37% of global workforce in agriculture (2012), varies widely by country, Government subsidies and technology can shift farming type and productivity