THE 3 MAIN TYPES OF FARM - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The most important types of agricultural holdings are extensive agriculture, intensive agriculture, and plantation agriculture. They can be distinguished based on several factors: who works the land (the owner or their employees), how large the exploited plots are, the maximum use of all natural resources through technology or not…

The agricultural exploitation is one of the most important economic activities for the human being. It consists of the use of the soil to grow plants that later serve as food.

The emergence of agriculture marked the end of the Paleolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic; and with it, the first advanced societies arose.

Main types of agricultural holdings

Depending on the needs of the population, the techniques, types of cultivation and ways of doing agriculture vary from one culture to another. In this article we will talk about some of the most important farms.

1- Extensive agriculture

Extensive agriculture is characterized by not being concerned with maximizing soil productivity.

On the contrary, farmers take advantage of the natural resources of the place, without the need to use modern technology such as chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Despite being the type of agriculture that has been practiced in a traditional way, today it is used essentially by small tribes and populations living on very fertile lands. Above all, we can find it in Central and South America, and in Southeast Asia.

A particular version of this type of agriculture is the so-called "slash and burn agriculture." It consists of cutting down areas of forest and burning the remains to make the soil more fertile; in this way, the populations of these areas always have access to land that they can exploit.

However, the use of this technique has the problem that the felled parts of the forest do not grow back. In Africa, this practice has led to the spread of the savannah and desert.

Extensive agriculture is usually complemented by other systems for obtaining food, such as hunting or fishing.

2- Intensive agriculture

This type of agriculture is practiced mainly in certain parts of Asia, especially those affected by the monsoon seasons. Due to this fact, some scholars call it "oriental agriculture."

Their most important characteristics are the large amount of land they use, the need for a significant number of workers to achieve good results, the large use of manures and fertilizers, and the lack of advanced machinery in their techniques.

The best known types of food that are grown with intensive agriculture are rice, potatoes and certain types of cereals.

Because only one specific type of food is grown on each plot of land, this type of agriculture can sometimes produce excess production that leads farmers to lose profits in the market.

3- Plantation agriculture

The last type of agriculture normally used is plantation agriculture. It consists of the extensive use of land for the cultivation of a single species of plant; and it can be found in many parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Some of the most common plantations of this type of agriculture are cotton, coffee, cocoa and bananas.

Instead of choosing the type of crop based on the food needs of the population, plantations are designed to achieve maximum economic benefit, usually for the landowner.

References

1. "Agricultural exploitation" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org.
2. "Agriculture" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
3. "Types of agricultural exploitation" in: Wiki Geography. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Wiki Geography: wikigeografia.net.
4. "Classification of agriculture types" in: Agriculture Science. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Agriculture Science: scienceofagriculture.wordpress.com.
5. "Types of agriculture" in: Study. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Study: study.com.