Intensive Subsistence Farming – Case Study
Type Of Farming
Location
Physical & Human Inputs
Climate
Characteristics
Nutrient Cycle
What is it and where is it?
What
Intensive means the
maximum yield is
obtained from the land
Lots of labour, but a
small area
Where
S.E Asian Monsoon
Lands
China, Malaysia & India
“The Ins” Of Intensive Subsistence Farming
Physical
Hot temperatures
Heavy Monsoon Rain
Sunny To Ripen Rice
Fertile Alluvial Soil
Flooding Rivers
Flat Land
Sunny Autumns
Human
Nurseries
Water Buffalo Plough
Transplanting
Terraces
Seed
Simple Tech. & Chems.
Labour & Capital
Climate Graph
Jan – still warm
enough for crops
Oct – rice
harvested
350
X
30
Temp
°C
X
X
X
25
20
X
X
X
300
X
X
250
X
X
X
200
15
Rain
150 mm
10
100
5
50
0
0
J
F
M
A
Jun – Monsoon rains
& rice harvested
M
J
J
Months
A
S
O
N
D
Nov – second
crop planted
Characteristics
The farmer has to make sure that the earth
banks (bunds), which surround the fields are
capable of holding water. The walls trap the
rainwater. They also reduce sol erosion
by holding in the soil.
The rice seeds are grown first in nursery
beds. The seedlings are transplanted at a
few weeks into the padi fields when they are
about 15cm high. This is very time
consuming, but they need to be the correct
distance apart to gain maximum yield.
Characteristics
The water has be kept at the correct level to
ensure the upper parts of they plant are nor
submerged. Water is fed in from the feeder
canals and transferred from nearby fields by
making a gap in the bund. The padis are
constantly weeded.
Characteristics
When the stalks are dry they are threshed or hit
against a hard surface making the seeds drop out.
They are then taken to a factory for the outer
shell to be removed and packaged ready for sale.
Once the rice matures, the farmers drain the fields
and wait for the rice to ripen. Harvesting is done by
hand using a knife or sickle and the stalks laid out to
dry.
The farmer makes sure the earth banks surrounding
the fields can hold the water. They trap rainwater and
reduce soil erosion by holding the soil.
Rice is grown in nurseries and then transplanted into padi
fields at about 15cm high. This is time consuming, but
they need to be correctly spaced to gain maximum yield.
Water is monitored so rice is not
submerged, it is fed by canals &
transferred from nearby fields by
making a gap in the bund. The padis are
constantly weeded.
Once the rice matures farmers drain the
fields for it to ripen. Harvesting is done
using a sickle & the stalks laid out to dry.
The dry stalks are threshed or hit against a hard
surface, removing the seeds. They are taken to a
factory where the outer shell is removed and seeds
then sold.
Terraces on steep land
creates more land to farm
Water buffalo power basic
technology & provide
manure
As you found from a previous homework you are expected
to be able to label or annotate diagrams correctly. Use the
characteristics below to label your sketches of an
Intensive Subsistence Farming Area.
Soil Bunds ~ Flooded fields ~ Simple technology ~
Transplanting Rice ~ Labour Intensive ~ Terracing
~ Rice Crop ~ Water Buffalo
Soil Bunds
Flooded Fields
Water
Buffalo
Simple Technology
Labour Intensive
Terracing
Rice Crop
Transplanting Rice
Nutrient Cycle
Dead plants Human waste
add nutrients
Weathered rock
releases nutrients
Nitrogen added
by algae
Nutrient uptake
by rice crop
Little leaching due to
puddled surface
The Green Revolution
Remember the three questions?
What?
Why?
Where?
When?
What was the Green Revolution
The green revolution saw a major change in farming methods in many parts
of the developing world.
It began in Mexico
and was financed by the United States.
The Green Revolution began with the development of High Yielding Variety Cereals.
These new strains of crops produced more yields and where also more resistant to
disease.
These new strains of crops where also used in India at the start of the 1960’s
and virtually saved the country from famine.
The new starin of rice used in the fields produced ten times as much as rice
Which was previously used.