Different Types of Agriculture Used Around the World
Traditional Agricultural Methods
-Rainforests of Central and South America
- Shifting agriculture - involves clearing land and using it for a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrients; sometimes uses a technique called "slash-and-burn" in which existing trees and vegetation are cut down, placed in piles, and burned
-Rainforests of Central and South America
- Nomadic grazing - feeding herds of animals by moving them to seasonally productive feeding grounds, often over long distances; vegetation can usually regenerate
Sustainable Agriculture- agriculture that fulfills the need for food and fiber while enhancing the quality of the soil, minimizing the use of nonrenewable resources, and allowing economic viability for the farmer
Sustainable Agricultural Methods
otherwise be blown away
Sustainable Agricultural Methods
- Intercropping - when two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction
- Crop rotation - achieves a similar effect to intercropping by rotating the crop species in a field from season to season
- Agroforestry - when trees and vegetables are intercropped
otherwise be blown away
- Contour plowing - plowing and harvesting parallel to the topographic contours of the land
Other Agricultural Methods
-Reduces CO2 emissions because the intact soil undergoes less oxidation
-Downside = farmers may have to apply herbicides to the fields so that weeds do not compete with the crops
and limited use of pesticides
-Prevents pest infestations
-Farmers must take time to inspect their fields carefully and notice their crop needs
-Downside = farmers must be trained in IPM methods and must spend more time inspecting their crops
-Successfully used in many parts of the developing world, where labor costs are low and farmers lack financial resources
-Keeps as much organic matter and as many nutrients in the soil and on the farm as possible
-Avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
-Maintains the soil by increasing soil mass, biological activity, and beneficial chemical properties
-Reduces the adverse environmental effects of agriculture
- No-till agriculture - when farmers do not turn the soil between seasons in order to avoid the soil degradation that comes with conventional agricultural techniques (plowing and tilling)
-Reduces CO2 emissions because the intact soil undergoes less oxidation
-Downside = farmers may have to apply herbicides to the fields so that weeds do not compete with the crops
- Integrated pest management (IPM) - uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs
and limited use of pesticides
-Prevents pest infestations
-Farmers must take time to inspect their fields carefully and notice their crop needs
-Downside = farmers must be trained in IPM methods and must spend more time inspecting their crops
-Successfully used in many parts of the developing world, where labor costs are low and farmers lack financial resources
- Organic agriculture - the production of crops without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers
-Keeps as much organic matter and as many nutrients in the soil and on the farm as possible
-Avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
-Maintains the soil by increasing soil mass, biological activity, and beneficial chemical properties
-Reduces the adverse environmental effects of agriculture