Agriculture

Agriculture

Culture = cultivation

agri = soil

AgricultureAgriculture is the science, art and

industry of managing the growth of plants and animals for make use of by humans. In general, agriculture includes soil cultivation, growing and harvesting crops, raising and breeding livestock, dairy, and forestry (Crop Farming, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Farming, Forestry, Poultry Farming, Soil Management).

Types of farmingDepending upon the geographical conditions,

demandof produce, labor and level of technology, farming is

divided into TWO main types

Subsistence Farmin

g

Commercial

Farming

Subsistence Farming

Practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family

Low levels of technology and small amount of labour is used

Output of subsistence farming is used for the existence of the farmer’s family

Subsistence Farming

Intensive

Subsistence

Farming

Primitive Subsistence Farming

Intensive Subsistence Farming

Farmer cultivates a small plot of land

Uses simple tools and more labour

More than one crop annually because of more number of days with sunshine

What is shifting cultivation?

• Shifting cultivation is a farming system where farmers move on from one place to another when the land becomes exhausted.

• Shifting Cultivation is often practiced by primitive tribes in the forested highlands of the Amazon Basin, Congo Basin, etc.

• The most common form• is slash-and-burn

Oh yeah~

Shifting Cultivation

Arunachal PradeshAssamManipurMeghalayaMizoramNagalandTripura

Advantages Disadvantages

Easy to grow quickly Not long termEnvironmentally friendly

because it is organic farming Not good for land that is used

only for one type of crop

It is often a form of weed control.

Not enough food

It can play a part in pest management. Not cost effective

Troublesome to move around all the time

It may reduce the incidence of soil-borne diseases.

How was it done?

Cutting of trees Burning of felled trees

Environmental Effects

• Deforestation• soil erosion• loss of biodiversity• pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage.

HOW CAN U PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING?

• Minimize cultivation as much as possible.• Try to use less aggressive forms of cultivation.• Cultivate at an appropriate soil moisture

content (especially when using aggressive implements)

• • When you are using implements that mix soil throughout the cultivation depth, restrict the depth of working to 5 cm or less.

Commercial Farming

The area of cultivation is very large

Crops are grown, animals are reared for sale in market

Amount of human labour is very less

Most of the work is done by machines

Plantation

• In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.

• The plantation has an interface of agriculture & industry.

• Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant labourers.

• All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries.

The end!!