COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND ADVANTAGES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The commercial agriculture or agriculture market, is the kind of agriculture that has as main purpose marketing. This means that the products derived from the harvesting process will be put up for sale in order to obtain an economic benefit.

This type of agriculture is developed in order to distribute the product in a general way through different supermarket chains or markets, as well as its export to other countries. In addition, the products are also sent to smaller outlets, such as local stalls.

Source: pixnio.com

The production of food for this purpose is essential to make a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country where the product is harvested.

characteristics

Location

Commercial agriculture is produced in most of the world because of the benefits it can bring to the nation. For this reason, this type of agriculture is generated both in developing countries and in those that already have an established social, political and economic model.

In the case of Central America, this type of production has important fruit plantations; In the case of the United States, the plantations are carried out by large wheat farms for businesses that are dedicated to agriculture and for facilities located in the west of the country.

This type of agriculture is usually supported by the governments of the most developed countries. This makes it possible to increase both national production and exports. This allows for a contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of the country in which said activity is generated.

Technology as a tool

One of the characteristics of commercial agriculture is the use of technology as a tool to facilitate production. Due to the magnitude of the crops and the work involved, this type of agriculture is helped by the constant changes in technology.

Modern farming techniques and machinery play an important role in the development of this type of agriculture.

Being intended for both national and international commercial activity, this type of production is usually of great magnitude. Specialization and adaptation to new technologies allow lower production costs to obtain greater profits when marketing the product.

Types

Specialized agriculture

Specialized agriculture is one in which a space of land is allocated to the cultivation of a single type of product.

The seed is planted every year and can be supplanted by another type of product if the market demand requires it; that is, in the event that a representative number of buyers stop ordering the product.

This type of plantation is characteristic of countries belonging to Europe and the United States. In the case of the latter country, the areas that are dedicated to this type of crops allocate their spaces to products such as corn, cotton, tobacco, among others.

To carry out this type of activity requires a significant amount of modern cultivation machinery and techniques.

Mediterranean agriculture

Mediterranean agriculture is that produced in countries that have coasts linked to the Mediterranean Sea and in California, the United States. It is characterized by generating items that are difficult to find in many parts of the world, In the rainfed areas (where man does not contribute to the irrigation of the fields) traditional crops of the Mediterranean Basin are produced. These crops are classified as the Mediterranean trilogy, made up of wheat, vine and olive tree.

On the other hand, in irrigated orchards where this type of agriculture is produced, fruits and vegetables can be obtained. In other types of crops, tropical crops such as pineapple, mango and avocado can be generated.

Plantation agriculture

This type of agriculture is considered the most efficient among the types of commercial agriculture. It is characterized by the production of foods of tropical origin that are demanded by countries with high purchasing power.

Its development is driven or supported by companies that have significant power and large estates. Among the products that it is capable of generating are coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, and tobacco, among others.

As in specialized agriculture, in this type of crops a single type of product is usually grown. In addition, it requires a large amount of labor due to the difficulty of working with these crops.

Despite this, the costs involved in labor are not a major problem. Workers do not charge large sums of money in regions where this type of agriculture is produced.

The greater monetary investment of plantation agriculture is reflected in the preparation of the lands that will be used for cultivation, as well as the transport and export of the products.

Advantage

Greater economic benefits

One of the greatest advantages of commercial agriculture is the profit it is capable of providing compared to the type of agriculture that only serves the subsistence of the person who works the crops.

The commercial activity derived from this type of product allows production to be more specialized in certain cases. In addition, it allows for larger tracts of land to be worked in order to satisfy both national and international demand.

This activity also contributes to the Gross Domestic Product of the country where it is carried out, because it increases the nation's production and promotes its economic independence.

On the other hand, the economic nature of this activity also promotes state policies that contribute to the financing of commercial agricultural production.

Better waste control

Part of the success of private and public companies is also centered on the capacity they have to manage the waste derived from their production.

Commercial agriculture allows producers to develop better recycling mechanisms, maximizing the economic benefits they receive from their work.

In addition, successful businesses of this type efficiently manage the health of the soils that will be used for crops. This practice collaborates with food and nutritional security, both of the population of your country and of the countries to which the food will be exported.

References

1. Market agriculture, Wikipedia in Spanish, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
2. What is commercial agriculture ?, Portal Quora, (2018). Taken from quora.com
3. Commercial Farming and agriculture technology: a match made in heaven, Portal Bentoli, (nd). Taken from bentoli.com
4. What are advantages of commercial agriculture ?, Portal Quora, (2017). Taken from quora.com
5. Commercial agriculture, Portal Abbreviations, (nd). Taken from abbreviations.com
6. Commercial agriculture, Portal Geograpy, (nd). Taken from geography.name/