Settlement Patterns in Agriculture
1. Shifting Cultivation; Case Study; Amazon Rainforest
 Tribal groups eg: Boro tribe of Amazon
 3-6 Families live in traditional long communal houses called
maloca
 Chagras (gardens) cultivated in clearings around maloca (shacks/
long house dwellings)
 Malocas are widely dispersed throughout the forest
 Temporary settlements which are rebuilt when a new clearing is
cultivated.
2. Extensive Commercial Farming; The Great Plains
 In 1880s settlers were granted 65ha (hectares) of land (but
farmers were encouraged to acquire as much land as possible. By
1920s amalgamation of farms lead to average farm sizes of 200
ha. By 1980 400ha size farms were the norm.
 Dispersed pattern of
individual farms and
villages
 Linear pattern built
along roads and
railways to allow easy
Shelter
delivery or grain (and
belts
other perishable products)
 Very regular and
geometric pattern
around rectangular
Main road/ highways
blocks of cultivated land.
Original 64ha plot
3. Intensive Peasant Framing (Rice Cultivation); Kedah State,
Malaysia
 Village landscapes as i) population densities are high. Ii) land is
a precious commodity and iii) communal co-operation is
necessary in this type of farming.
 Villages (kampongs) may be linear, build along embankments
between paddy fields
 Villages may be nucleated, with houses surrounding a temple,
school or shops
 Houses are often built on stilts above rivers or irrigation canals