FARMING IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
Introduction to farming vocabulary
1 To sell
4 To store
2 To harvest
3 To plant
5 Crops
6 To plough
monoculture
to pick
tea
basket
FARMING IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
Types of farming in developing
countries
There are three main kinds of farming in
developing countries:
• Subsistence agriculture
• Intensive subsistence farming
• Tropical plantations
Subsistence agriculture
• Subsistence cycle
– natural hazards
– growing population
– famine
• Low output and investment
• Low technology
• Whole family producing for
itself
• Africa, Asia, America
• Several crops ( legumes,
tubers....)
Intensive subsistence farming
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Populated areas
Intensive farming
Great output
Low technology and
investment
Whole family or community
producing for itself
Lots of workers
SE Asia (China, India)
Monoculture (rice)
Great improvements after
Green revolution
Tropical plantations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Commercial agriculture
Exportation (multinationals)
Great output
Great investment
Low machinery
Lots of workers (salary
earners)
• America, Africa, Asia
• Monoculture (coffee, tea,
cocoa)
• Heritage from colonial times
FARMING IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
Features and problems
Features
• Agriculture (arable and pastoral) is the main
economic activity in LEDCs (about 70% of workers).
• Subsistence agriculture (extensive and intensive).
Low output
• Commercial agriculture in tropical plantations is for
exportation.
• Monoculture and several crops
• Low technology and investment (except in
plantations)
Problems
• Poverty trap in subsistence agriculture
LOW OUTPUT
LOW LEVEL
TECHNOLOGY
NO SURPLUS
NO CAPITAL
LOW
INVESTMENT
Problems
• Famine in Africa
• Pressure on the land due to growth of
population. Low output and exhausted soils
• Green revolution (GR) and GM crops have
improved outputs, mainly in rice crops; but
population growth in SE Asia is higher than
output growth. Many farmers can’t afford the
investments required (machinery, fertilisers...)
and they migrate to the cities.
Problems
• In tropical areas the most fertile lands are
used for plantations (exportation) and provide
employment in LEDCs. But the salary is low
and workers haven’t enough money to live.
On the other hand, other farmers have to
cultivate less fertile land. As a result of that,
there is not enough food and famine occurs in
many places (mainly in Africa)