Rural Geography
Throughout this unit you are going to look at three types of farming:
 Shifting cultivation (The Amazon basin)
 Intensive peasant farming (The Ganges valley)
 Commercial arable farming (Great plains)
You will learn the following about each topic:
What the farming involves?
Where the farming occurs?
That farm as a system
The impacts of the farming methods used
Changes that have occurred in that type of farming
 The implications of these changes
 Settlements typical of this type of farming
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Introduction
Farming has been occurring throughout the world for thousands of years. Different areas of the world
will be involved in different types of farming. This may be due to the different landscapes found
throughout the world but it is also influenced by the social and economic factors as well.
Diagram 1
Through out this unit it is important that you understand the key terminology to do with rural
geography. To help you with this there is a key word list, which you can refer to throughout the topic.
Terminology list
Extensive Farming - Farming with relatively low input levels, especially of fertilizers, sprays, and
pharmaceuticals. Larger areas per farm and per farmer may compensate for lower yields per hectare; so
acceptable income levels may still be achieved.
Intensive Farming - is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs of capital,
fertilizers, labour, or labor-saving technologies such as pesticides relative to land area.
Commercial - The production of crops for sale, crops intended for widespread distribution (e.g.
supermarkets), and any non-food crops such as cotton and tobacco. Commercial agriculture includes
livestock production and livestock grazing. Commercial agriculture does not include crops grown for
household consumption
Subsistence - is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed the family, pay
taxes or feudal dues. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the
family to eat during the year.
Sedentary – This is farming that occurs in the same location all the time.
Hectare - a unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres. Roughly around the size of a large football pitch.
Arable farming – Growing of cereals, vegetables and animal feeds.
Soil Aggregate – Soil is made up of unit known as aggregates these help form the structure of the soil
Aggregate stability – This refers to the ability of the soil to resist disruption from outside forces such
as water. Soils with a poor aggregate stability will be most likely to be eroded.
Cash crops - A crop which is grown for money.
DEFRA - Department for environment, food and rural affairs.
Inputs - The things that you put in to a farm. These can be human or physical inputs.
Outputs – The things that come out of a farm. This will be dependent upon the type of farming.
Processes - The activities that take place on a farm
Shifting cultivation
What is shifting cultivation?
Shifting cultivation is a sustainable agricultural system in
which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then
abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece
of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or
farming, until the soil loses fertility. Once the land
becomes inadequate for crop production, it is left to be
reclaimed by natural vegetation.
Shifting cultivation is a small scale faming method that is
normally practiced in family and tribal groups. It can only
support a small number of people.
Some facts
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It does not involve animals
It can have up to 45 crops
grown in a single field
It is form of extensive
subsistence farming
This kind of farming costs
very little
Also known as slash and burn
Where does shifting cultivation
occur?
In the past shifting cultivation could be
found through out the world, however
today it is limited to the humid tropics of
South America, Africa and South East
Asia.
Diagram one shows the location of shifting
cultivation throughout the world. This
type of farming is found in the areas that
predominantly undergo extensive
subsistence farming. The area that you
will be looking at is the Amazon.
Area of shifting cultivation
The cycle of shifting cultivation
1) Making a clearing - The tribe first selects a small patch of rainforest. To create a clearing on
the forest, the tribe selectively slashes the natural vegetation by simple tools and burns the
logs, so the nutrients are released as ash, which dissolves and is washed by rain into the soil as
natural fertilizers.
2) Growing Crops. A variety of food crops are grown on the land such as rice, maize, and cassava.
The crops grow very quickly, some are ready to harvest after four to six months. After 2 or 3
years, due to decline in soil fertility, the yield of successive crops declines and weeds grows
extensively
3) Abandoning the Clearing. The site is abandoned and cultivation moves to another site, where
another patch of the rainforest will be cleared for a new swidden. They will try not to return to
the former clearings for at least 50 years.
Impacts of farming
The Amazon rainforest is a vast area of land, which can be used for shifting cultivation, however as
cultivation is done by hand only small areas of land will be cultivated at any one time.
The methods used to farm the land do not cause damage so it is a sustainable form of agriculture.
Soil in the tropical rainforests is very nutrient poor. The topsoil is only one to two inches (2.5 to 5
centimetres) deep. The only reason plant life is so lush is because the plants store the nutrients in
themselves rather than getting them from the soil. When plants decay, other growing plants tap the
nutrients from the dead matter and reuse nutrients left over from that plant. The cycle of decay in the
rainforest is very rapid due to the warm moist conditions, which encourage bacterial decay.
Globally, shifting cultivation is estimated to clear between 20 and 60 million hectares (ha) of forest and
scrub each year, and then burn between 1 and 2 billion tonnes of dry matter, thus contributing to global
air pollution. It therefore might be argued that while on a micro-scale, shifting cultivation is sustainable;
overall it may not be environmentally friendly.
Changes
Shifting cultivation has come under pressure as the demands being placed on the rainforests have
increased. These demands have meant that the rainforests are being cleared as the numbers of
economic activities have increased. This has lead to a reduction in the total area of tropical rainforests.
Vast areas have been cleared for:
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Extracting minerals like iron ore and bauxite
Building roads such as the trans-Amazonian highway
Extracting timber for tropical hardwoods like mahogany
Developing settlements such as Carajas
Building dams to create large lakes to produce hydro-electric power (H.E.P.)
Two types of farming - cattle ranching on a vast scale and subsistence farming by incoming
colonists working small units which are sponsored by the government
Implications of change
Impact on the landscape
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Large areas of cleared land are now open to the heavy rains.
Deforestation breaks the humus cycle. Nutrients are rapidly leached out of the soil, leaving it
infertile.
Soil erosion leads to silting up of rivers, resulting in flooding.
The loss of wildlife habitats reduces biodiversity.
Impact on the people
There has been a huge reduction in the number of native Amerindians in Amazonia, both by killings and
by the introduction of 'Western' diseases. Tribal lands have been taken over and this has forced tribes,
like the Kayapo, deeper into the more inaccessible forest. The alternatives for the Amerindians are to
live on reservations or move to shantytowns in large urban areas.
The overall population density has, however, increased as people have moved into the rainforest for
farming and other related jobs.
Impact on the way of life
With enough land and a low enough population density, shifting cultivation is a sustainable type of
farming, however, the reduction in land available and the increased population density in Amazonia have
had a huge impact on the traditional shifting cultivation way of life.
This leads to an unsustainable cycle, which can be seen in the box below
Changes in rainforest
use
With less land available,
the shifting cultivators
return to the same area of
land more frequently
Fallow times
are shorter
There is a
reduction in
crop yields
Trees do not get the time
needed to regenerate
properly and the soil does
not recover its fertility
Traditional way of life can
become unsustainable.
This cycle leaves shifting cultivators with the choice to:
either fertilise the soil to improve yields
or find new areas to open up
or abandon this lifestyle
Task box 2
Answer the following questions in sentences.
Refer to
task 1
1) Explain what shifting cultivation is
‘Shifting cultivation is an environmentally sustainable form of agriculture’
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Give reasons for your answer.
How has shifting cultivation changed?
What are the impacts of these changes?
Is this faming intensive or extensive? Explain your answer.
Look at resource sheet A explain which climate graph belongs to the Amazon.
Get Extension sheet
on settlement
Intensive peasant farming
What is intensive peasant farming?
This is a sedentary form of farming so people
remain in the same place and will continually farm
the same pieces of land. This type of farming
would traditionally have been a form of
subsistence farming. It is a very labour intensive
form of farming. The example that we will be
studying is wet rice farming in the Ganges valley.
Process of wet rice farming
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Earth banks are built. These need to be in
good condition so that they can retain water.
Seeds are sown in nursery beds to start with
and later transplanted in to the paddy fields.
The paddy fields are prepared by flooding to
a depth of several centimetres and then the
land is hoed by hand or by water buffalo.
After a few weeks the seedlings are
transplanted in to the paddy fields. This is a
time consuming process, as seedlings need to
be planted at the correct distance apart so
that they can ensure the maximum yield.
The water level must always be at the correct
level so that the upper level of the plants is
not submerged.
Once the rice matures the fields are allowed
to dry out so that the rice can ripen.
Harvesting is done by hand using a knife or
sickle.
Some facts
1. Rice plots are relatively of small sizes, some
of which can be smaller than 0.25ha
2. Amount of rice grown is just enough for the
farmer and whatever is left is kept as seed
grains or sometimes sold in order to
purchase daily necessities.
Where does intensive peasant farming
occur?
This is a form of intensive subsistence farming and
the locations of it can be seen in diagram 1. The area
that we will be looking at is the Ganges valley in India.
The Ganges valley
The river Ganga, or Ganges, is part of a vast river
system that drains the southern Himalayas and
flows through the plains of North India into the
Bay of Bengal. Its alluvial deposits have created a
fertile valley, rich in agriculture and teeming
cities.
Paddy- fields
Impacts of farming
Soil fertility
Rice has been grown on the same land in the
Ganges valley with little impact on soil fertility.
This is because of the method of cultivation. The
water supplied to the fields provides nutrients,
as does any silt from river flooding. The rice
stubble is ploughed back in to the field adding
organic material to the soil, and nitrogen fixing
algae rich both the water and the soil. The fields
are embanked therefore limiting any soil erosion.
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land
used for growing rice and other semiaquatic
crops. Paddy fields can be built adjacent to
otherwise natural areas such as rivers or
marshes. They can be constructed, often on
steep hillsides with much labor and materials.
The fields require large quantities of water for
irrigation. Flooding provides water essential to
the growth of the crop. Water also provides a
favorable environment for the rice strains
being grown as well as discouraging the growth
of many species of weeds. The water buffalo is
the only draft animal adapted for life in
Wetlands so they are extensively used in paddy
fields.
Methane
At between 50 and 100 million tonnes of
methane a year, rice agriculture is a big source
of atmospheric methane, possibly the biggest
of man-made methane sources. The warm,
waterlogged soil of rice paddies provides ideal
conditions for the production of methane. This
contributes to enhanced global warming.
Problems
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Flooding – provides water and fertile silt to grow the rice but sometimes disaster strikes when
the floods are so severe that they destroy the rice crop.
Drought – in some years the monsoon rains 'fail' and the rice crop is ruined.
Shortage of land and a growing population – many farms are too small to support the family. The
ever-increasing population makes the situation worse. Food shortages are a real problem.
Little use of machinery or modern methods.
Farm holdings are broken up into tiny plots and spread over a wide area. This makes efficient
farming difficult.
The majority of the best farmland is held by a few wealthy landowners.
Changes
The green revolution
This saw the collective introduction of high yield varieties of crops, the use of fertilisers and irrigation.
This provided the increase in production needed to make India self-sufficient in food grains. he program
was started with the help of the United States-based Rockefeller Foundation and was based on highyielding varieties of wheat, rice, and other grains that had been developed in Mexico and in the
Philippines.
The introduction of irrigation means that two crops can be grown in a year now.
It was so successful in terms of production increases that it defied the gloomy Malthusian predictions
of the 1960s, which said hundreds of millions would starve as population outstripped farm output.
Impacts of changes
New breeds of crops have been developed to increase yields two to four times, to shorten the time
required for growth such that more than one crop a year can be produced, and to produce a plant which
can withstand extremes of climate or disease. The use of Mexican wheat has doubled yields in the
Punjab, and HYV rice has done the same so that imports are no longer necessary.
There have been drawbacks, however. The grain may not be as palatable or as attractive in appearance
as the grain it replaces, and it may use up more energy to process. Seeds have to be bought, as the
hybrids are not self-fertile, and some varieties are less resistant to drought and disease. Heavy
applications of expensive fertilizers and insecticides are required and these are often made from nonrenewable resources.
Herbicides are required because the fertilizer stimulates weed growth as well as crop growth. The high
yields and reliance on artificial fertilizers can lead to impoverished soils. Traditional rice exporters, like
India have seen the collapse of their markets. Increased yields mean that landowners can use their
holdings more profitably and this often means that tenants are dispossessed this has led to a rise
unemployment and migration to already over crowded cities.
Copious, but strictly regulated, irrigation is required.
Task 3
Answer the following questions in sentences.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Refer to
task 1
Why is peasant farming considered to be a form of intensive farming?
Describe how wet rice farming works.
How does wet rice farming impact on the environment?
What was the green revolution?
Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of the green revolution.
Look at resource sheet A explain which climate graph is typical of areas of intensive
peasant farming.
Get extension sheet on
settlement
1)
Exam questions
2007
a) Describe the main characteristics of shifting cultivation.
(6)
b) “In central America, population density and loss of rainforest cover are closely related. During the last two decades,
human activities have caused the deforestation of more than 120,000 square kilometres each year”
Referring to a named area where shifting cultivation is carried out, explain the impact which deforestation and
increased population density have had on the environment and way of life of the shifting cultivators.
(8)
2005
Study reference diagram Q7 which illustrates the “traditional” features of an intensively farmed area in south-east
Asia.
a) Describe and account for the main features of the farming landscape shown on the sketch. (8)
b) Outline the changes in farming practices which may have taken place in recent years. (6)
Reference diagram Q7 (an intensive peasant farming landscape in SE Asia)
Resource sheet A
Climate graph 1
Climate graph 2
Farming as a system
If you look at diagram 1 it shows that throughout the world there is a wide range of farming going on.
Farming can be extensive or intensive, it can involve animals or crops and it can be shifting or sedentary.
Despite all of these variations of farming, they all have one thing in common; they are a system made up
of inputs, outputs and processes.
Farming is greatly influenced by the landscape in which it is based and the physical environment (the
atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere) plays an important role in determining what type of farming can
be done in an area. Therefore it is important to understand the physical inputs in an area.
The type of farming that is done will affect the human inputs, processes and outputs in farming so that
these may vary between different types of farming.
Below is a table that outlines the factors that would make up a farming system.
Inputs
Physical
Climate
Soil
Processes
Human
Availability of
labour
Relief
Accessibility
to Market
Aspect
Cost of land
Outputs
Arable
Pastoral
Ploughing
Grazing
Crops
Harvesting
Shearing
Animals
Weeding
Milking
Animal products
Tradition
Demand for
products
Task 1
Throughout this unit you are going to look at a number of farming types. As you begin
each section use the information to create a table of the farming system you are
studying