Unit 12: Agriculture

Over 1,000 million farmers work the land: men and women, young and old. Farming requires a wide variety of skills: farmers must understand soil types, know when to plant and harvest and what types of crops to rotate, when to apply organic or man-made fertilisers and pesticides, and be able to harvest and market their produce.

Around 50 million farmers live in developed countries where farms are very large and highly mechanized. Most food in these countries is produced by large-scale, commercial operations which often integrate food production with processing, marketing and distribution in a complete system. Large-scale farmers usually specialize in one or two crops and nearly all of their produce is sold. They depend on external, often costly products or services such as chemical fertiliser, high-yielding seeds and mechanization.

Farms in the developing world are mostly small and family-owned, and many of them have been cultivated for generations. These small farmers usually have only enough land to meet the needs of their families, or immediate community. Few small farmers have any control over the marketing and distribution of their produce, or even its price. For the small-scale farmer, selling produce is usually a secondary consideration, although the family may depend on this to buy household essentials. Some small-scale farmers have, however, begun to produce single crops for income.

The business of farming is changing. In the last 50 years there has been a great deal of large-scale commercial monocrop farming, using pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers. This type of farming has become known as agribusiness. Nowadays, however, more and more people are becoming aware of issues related to health and nutrition, as well as the need to protect the environment. This has led to a growing demand for ecologically friendly farming systems. Government policies encourage rational farming programmes, in which the sustainable use of the plant and animal population and the maintenance of habitats on which they depend form an integral part of running a farm. In other words, ecology and economics are now both regarded as being aspects of modern farming.

The business of farming is changing. In the last 50 years there has been a great deal of large-scale commercial monocrop farming, using pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers. This type of farming has become known as agribusiness. Nowadays, however, more and more people are becoming aware of issues related to health and nutrition, as well as the need to protect the environment.

This has led to a growing demand for ecologically friendly farming systems. Government policies encourage rational farming programmes, in which the sustainable use of the plant and animal population and the maintenance of habitats on which they depend form an integral part of running a farm. In other words, ecology and economics are now both regarded as being aspects of modern farming.