SWITZERLAND
Agricultural practices practiced in Switzerland:
Almost all of the 11 agricultural practices are practiced in Switzerland. The country has many
ancient practices still in place because of the traditions.
Is the primary agricultural practice classified as intensive or extensive farming and why do
you say that?:
The primary agricultural practice in Switzerland is classified as extensive farming, because local
small scale family farms are generally more common than factory farms.[x]
Different rural settlement patterns and methods of surveying rural settlements.
The rural settlement patterns in the country are generally spread out, they’re part of the culture of
alpine nomadism. Surveying rural settlements includes things like metes and bounds, township
and range, and long lot.
What is the settlement pattern of your country (clustered, dispersed, linear) and why do
you say that?
Most of Switzerland's population lives in a clustered settlement pattern. About 75% of the
country’s population are clustered within urban areas.
Explain how economic forces influence agricultural practices.
Economic forces like buying and selling of agricultural products affect whether or not the
farming in Switzerland is extensive or intensive as the amount of crop needed to sell changes
depending on the demand of the product.
Is your country subsistence farming dominant or commercial agriculture dominant?
Low-scale subsistence farming is dominant, though it is hard to get exact statistics.Commercial
farming is practiced but not to the extent that it's the dominant practice. [x]
What technologies have influenced the way agriculture is practiced in your country?
Provide examples and how they affect agricultural output.
Switzerland applies many technologies in the field of agriculture. For example, soil management
in order to conserve soil has let more land be used for farming.
Draw a picture of the von Thunen model and explain each circle in the model (why it is
located where it is located etc).
The annual agricultural output of Switzerland:
Agricultural output makes up 1% of Switzerland's gross domestic product annually. Agriculture
is a very small part of Switzerland’s economy and overall exports. [x]
Does your country import more food than it exports? Why?
Switzerland produces a majority of the food it needs for itself. [x] Therefore, it does not need to
import much food, even though there’s barely any exports.
Major centers of domestication of plants and animals.
The district of Bernina is the most farmed district in the country [x] At 83% of the district being
farmland, it is the major center of domestication of both plants and animals.
What major agricultural products diffused from your country to other regions of the world
and where did they diffuse to? What products diffused to your country and from where?
A major example of agricultural products diffusing from Switzerland is cheese. Swiss cheese, for
example, is found all around Europe and in America. This cheese originated from Bern,
Switzerland as Emmental Cheese and has become very popular and replicated in various other
countries.
When did the Second Agricultural Revolution occur? What advances in agriculture
affected your country?
The second agricultural revolution occurred in the mid 17th to late 19th centuries in Britain.
Though during this period, Britain had much more efficient farming, these new practices
eventually spread to other parts of Europe, such as Switzerland.
What Green Revolution advances affected your country?
Nearly all of the green revolution advances affected the country’s agriculture and overall attitude
towards farming. Especially the revolution in pesticides and fertilizers, as GMOs are not
accepted in Switzerland.
Where are the advances positive or negative?
The advances are still debated to this day. There have been efforts to ban things such as
pesticides, though these bans have been mostly rejected. [x]
What are the environmental effects of agricultural land use in your country (including
pollution, land cover change, desertification, soil salinization, and conservation efforts)?
Though efforts have been made to reduce the effects of agricultural use on the environment,
there is still an impact with pollution and deforestation. Also, in concern with the effect of
GMOS on the environment, Switzerland has banned them.
What agricultural practices in your country alter the landscape? (e.g slash and burn,
terraces, deforestation, etc).
Switzerland’s government works to not alter the land, but many agricultural practices like
deforestation are almost entirely unavoidable for creating farmland in this day and age.
What agricultural innovations such as biotechnology, genetically modified organisms, and
aquaculture are used in your country? Are there any concerns about sustainability, soil
and water usage, or extensive fertilizer and pesticide use.
Though GMOs were used in Switzerland at some point, the government has had a moratorium on
them since 2005, this temporary ban seems to be continuing indefinitely. [x]
What is the percent of the population that is undernourished in your country? What is
being done about it?
The undernourishment percentage is 2.5%. This percentage has not changed much in the last
decade, up or down. For the most part, they are on target for feeding their population enough
nutrients and a significant amount of energy hasn’t been put towards lowering this number. [x]
What is the role of females in the agricultural process in your county?
There are no clear statistics of women in agricultural processes, nor is it discussed very heavily.
Women in agriculture face unique issues in the country as women’s rights in Switzerland are
severely behind compared to other countries of similar economic status. [x]
HUNGARY
Agricultural practices practiced in Hungary:
All of the 11 agricultural practices except for obscure agricultural practices like nomadic farming
and pastoral farming. Subsistence farming is one of the most prevalent practices in the country.
[x]
Is the primary agricultural practice classified as intensive or extensive farming and why do
you say that?:
Extensive farming is not yet accepted in Hungary as widely as it is in other countries, so
intensive farming is generally the most common. Though statistics on such vary.
Different rural settlement patterns and methods of surveying rural settlements.
Since a majority of the population is concentrated in Budapest, and therefore in urban areas those
who live in rural areas are not very concentrated. [x]
What is the settlement pattern of your country (clustered, dispersed, linear) and why do
you say that?
Though much of the population is clustered in Budapest, the rest are settled in a dispersed
pattern. This is because the urban areas are very highly occupied while the rural areas are not.
Is your country subsistence farming dominant or commercial agriculture dominant?
Hungary is commercial farming dominant, as much of the commerce in the country is based
around agriculture. The farming systems are pretty intensive commerrically to make up for this.
What technologies have influenced the way agriculture is practiced in your country?
Provide examples and how they affect agricultural output.
Technologies such as GPS and sensors have greatly influenced the way agriculture is practiced,
making it easier for farmers to be able to tend to the needs of their crops. In turn this allows for
more successful yields from farming.
The annual agricultural output of Hungary:
Hungary’s agricultural part of its economy is more than Switzerland's, but still not very much. It
makes up around 3.6% of the gross domestic product of the country. [x]
Does your country import more food than it exports? Why?
Foodwise, Hungary imports more food than it exports. Even though the farming is pretty
intensive, it is not the country’s main focus economically.
What major agricultural products diffused from your country to other regions of the world
and where did they diffuse to? What products diffused to your country and from where?
It is hard to tell what agricultural products are only from Hungary. Though, products like wheat
and other grains are diffused throughout the EU because of trade.
When did the Second Agricultural Revolution occur? What advances in agriculture
affected your country?
The second agricultural revolution happened within the mid 17th to late 19th centuries in Britain.
Although Britain had much more effective agricultural practices, these inevitably spread to other
parts of Europe, such as Hungary.
What Green Revolution advances affected your country?
Not only did the Green Revolution decrease amounts of world hunger, it also decreased the
amount of undernourishment on a country by country basis. Hungary is an example of this effect.
Where are the advances positive or negative?
The advances were mostly positive, like reducing starvation. Though some negative health side
effects could be possible.
What are the environmental effects of agricultural land use in your country (including
pollution, land cover change, desertification, soil salinization, and conservation efforts)?
Pollution is a major concern regarding environmental effects of agricultural land use in Hungary.
Hungary is one of the most polluted countries in the EU, [x] and some of this is considered to be
from deforestation.
What agricultural practices in your country alter the landscape? (e.g slash and burn,
terraces, deforestation, etc).
While they don’t use methods like slash and burn in Hungary, they do deforestation in order to
clear land for farming. This is a large concern for the government. [x]
What agricultural innovations such as biotechnology, genetically modified organisms, and
aquaculture are used in your country? Are there any concerns about sustainability, soil
and water usage, or extensive fertilizer and pesticide use.
GMO seeds and some biotechnology are banned in Hungary, though innovations such as
aquaculture are not and are mostly yet to be implemented in the country.
What is the percent of the population that is undernourished in your country? What is
being done about it?
The amount undernourished in Hungary is the same as Switzerland, 2.5% based on some
statistics However, they are considered “off-course” for nourishment by many organizations. [x]
What is the role of females in the agricultural process in your county?
There is an increase in female agricultural workers in Hungary, this doesn’t distract from the
overall inequity of male to female farmers though. [x]
NEPAL
Agricultural practices practiced in Nepal:
Almost all of the 11 agricultural practices are practiced in Nepal. The country has many ancient
practices still in place because of the traditions. Many newer modern practices are not practiced
however.
Is the primary agricultural practice classified as intensive or extensive farming and why do
you say that?:
The primary agricultural practices in Nepal are considered extensive farming. Intensive farming
has yet to be fully accepted or implemented in the country.
Different rural settlement patterns and methods of surveying rural settlements.
There is a lack of actual data on how people are spread out about the country, most likely groups
of people are pretty heavily scattered throughout the country. [x]
What is the settlement pattern of your country (clustered, dispersed, linear) and why do
you say that?
Most likely dispersed, as there are many small rural settlements.
Is your country subsistence farming dominant or commercial agriculture dominant?
Subsistence farming has been the norm in Nepal for as long as the country has existed, it still
being the dominant form of farming. Commercial agriculture is being slowly introduced
however.
What technologies have influenced the way agriculture is practiced in your country?
Provide examples and how they affect agricultural output.
Advances, however slow, have greatly impacted the yield of food. Also the efficiency at which
the food is harvested.
The annual agricultural output of Nepal:
The agricultural output of Nepal is far greater than other countries mentioned, at 33% of its GDP
it is a fairly high part of profit in the country. [x]
Does your country import more food than it exports? Why?
Nepal does not appear to export more food than the food it imports. This may be because the
country is fairly small and has a large amount of farming, allowing it to feed its population
without imports.
What major agricultural products diffused from your country to other regions of the world
and where did they diffuse to? What products diffused to your country and from where?
Agricultural textile products have diffused from Nepal to other parts of the world. Many other
products like fruits and vegetables diffused to Nepal from other countries.
What Green Revolution advances affected your country?
Green Revolutions were slow to come into effect
What are the environmental effects of agricultural land use in your country (including
pollution, land cover change, desertification, soil salinization, and conservation efforts)?
Deforestations, especially from slash and burn and terracing is a major threat to the ecosystem of
Nepal and the stability of the forests.
What agricultural practices in your country alter the landscape? (e.g slash and burn,
terraces, deforestation, etc).
Slash and burn agriculture is practiced much more in Nepal than other countries. Many families
farming in the country have to resort to this method, not having access to more modern
technology for farming. [x]
What agricultural innovations such as biotechnology, genetically modified organisms, and
aquaculture are used in your country? Are there any concerns about sustainability, soil
and water usage, or extensive fertilizer and pesticide use.
Though GMO crops grown in Nepal are not allowed, they recently unbanned the import of these
crops. There is obviously concern about these as the buying and selling of them is very regulated.
What is the percent of the population that is undernourished in your country? What is
being done about it?
There’s a fairly large amount of undernourishment in my country. The current statistic is 4.8%,
they are definitely behind in nourishment according to many health organizations. [x]
What is the role of females in the agricultural process in your county?
Women play a very important role in the agricultural process of Nepal. Over 80% of women are
employed in agriculture, making up much of the process. [x]