As the name suggests, this system is primarily aimed at self-sufficiency, not commercial gain. The farmer grows crops and raises animals mainly for family consumption, not for sale in the market. This is a traditional, low-input system where both plant and animal components are essential for survival—but not professionally managed like in mixed farming. 🧭…
Mixed farming refers to a system where both crop cultivation and livestock rearing are practised on the same farm in a complementary manner. The key idea here is integration: Crops support the animals (fodder), and animals support the crops (manure, income, labour in traditional settings). This is a commercial and capital-intensive type of agriculture, unlike…
This is a form of commercial agriculture where the main crop is grain—particularly wheat, and to a lesser extent corn, barley, oats, and rye. It is not grown for self-consumption but for sale in national and international markets. 📌 Key idea: This is “grain farming at industrial scale”—highly mechanised, covering vast tracts of land, and…
Mediterranean agriculture is a type of commercial agriculture that is: Practised in areas with the Mediterranean climate—hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters—and focuses on high-value crops like fruits, vegetables, and grapes. Unlike subsistence systems where the goal is to feed a family, here the aim is to serve international markets, often catering to wealthy…
This is not about growing food for one’s own family or community. Rather, it is: A large-scale, profit-oriented system of agriculture focused on the cultivation of a single crop for commercial sale, often in international markets. This system emerged historically during European colonisation, especially in tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 📌 Analogy:Think…
This type is still intensive subsistence farming, just like the paddy-dominated version. That means: However, the key difference is this: Here, paddy is not the main crop—because the environment doesn’t support it. Why? Due to constraints of relief (landform), climate, and soil. Paddy needs: But in uplands, dry regions, or temperate zones, these conditions are…
This system is a subsistence-oriented, labour-intensive farming method that is particularly centered around paddy (rice) cultivation. The word “intensive” tells us a lot: It means the land is used to its maximum potential, with farmers extracting multiple crops per year, often from very small plots of land. 👨👩👦 Small Landholdings and High Population Density This…
This form of agriculture is subsistence-based, like the previous systems we’ve studied, but it introduces a key difference: Unlike shifting cultivation—where farmers move from one land patch to another—rudimentary sedentary tillage involves permanent settlement and continuous use of the same plot of land. The word “sedentary” means “settled.”The farmer lives in one place and uses…
Shifting cultivation is a type of primitive subsistence agriculture, practiced mostly by tribal communities in tropical regions. What makes it unique is that the land itself is not permanent.Instead of farming the same plot every year, farmers shift from one patch of forest land to another. The key idea: Use a patch of land →…
At its core, livestock ranching refers to the commercial grazing of animals over vast areas of land.Unlike nomadic herding—which is subsistence-based and migratory—livestock ranching is: 📌 Analogy:Think of livestock ranching like running a well-managed animal factory on open land. The animals are not just raised, they are systematically bred, monitored, and prepared for market. 🏞️…
