Subsistence farming – producing things on farms for family only
Commercial farming – producing things on farms to sell
Explain why many ppl in LEDCs are subsistence farmers. (3)
- Lack of land, skills, tech, pesticides
- Need to feed their families
- Can’t produce enough output for sell
Arable – growing crops
Pastoral – rearing animals
Mixed – combination of growing crops & rearing animals
Suggest the likely advantages to a farmer of mixed farming. (3)
- Variety of items to sell
- Easier to adapt to market changes
- Manure from animals used to fertilise crops
- Crop waste can used to feed animals
- Farmer has work throughout year
Describe 2 characteristics of intensive farming. (2)
- Small amount of land
- High yields
- High amount of inputs eg workers, fertilisers, machinery
Suggest reasons why many famers carry out intensive farming. (4)
- Make more profit
- Produce higher yield
- Small areas of land
- Can afford to buy fertilisers/machines/equipment
- Have access to many workers
Describe 2 characteristics of extensive farming. (2)
- Large amount of land
- Low yields (coz land not productive eg infertile soil
Define processes in an agricultural system. (1)
- Turing inputs on a farm into outputs
Define irrigated. (1)
When crops are watered artificially
Explain how natural environment (climate, relief & soil) influence agricultural land use. (3)
Climate (temp, rainfall, hrs of sunshine)
- Temp determines crops grown
- Warm – grow crops, cold – grazing sheep, mild climate – cattle ranching
- Sufficient rainfall
- Large amount of rainfall needed to grow rice
- Too much rainfall may flood crops
- Hours of sunshine – vines need sunshine for ripening
Relief
- Flat land – grow crops coz easier to mechanise, soils more fertile
- Steep slope – grazing sheep coz thin soils on steep slopes – poor crop yields
Aspect
- South facing slopes in northern hemisphere receive more sunshine & are useful for growing vines
Quality of soil
Good soil – grow crops, poor soil – grazing sheep
Explain how political factors may influence agricultural land use. (5)
Gov can…
- Give incentives to grow some crops – by offer subsides
- Restrict amount produced of certain products – by using quotas
- Encourage use of new technology – by offering loans / subsiding
- Takes land from farming for settlement/industry/airports
Suggest reasons why farmers in countries are commercial farmers while others are subsistence farmers. (5)
- Amount of land owned
- Amount which can be produced
- Accessibility to export market
- Wealth of farmers
- Availability of labour supplies
- Level of education of farmers
Explain how commercial farmers have been able to increase their output (4)
- Mechanisation eg tractors
- Use of fertilisers, pesticides
- More irrigation
- Uses of greenhouses, hydroponic, aeroponics
- High yielding seeds eg GM crops
- Crop rotation
Describe different processes which take place in farming system. (3)
- Feeding of animals
- Digging/ploughing land
- Planting seeds
- Harvesting crops
- Spreading manure/fertilising the land
Explain how farming can cause soil erosion. (4)
- Overgrazing – make soil bare, washed away by rain
- Overcultivation – removes nutrients from soil
- Irrigation – makes soil salty
- Deforestation – roots no longer hold soil together
- Tractors/cattle – compacting soil
Explain how farmers can prevent soil erosion and maintain soil quality. (5)
- Use fertilisers
- Contour ploughing – soil not washed down slope when it rains
- Control deforestation
- Plant trees as windbreakers – reduce wind erosion
- Avoid overgrazing & overcultivation
- Crop rotation – allow soil to recover
Food shortage
Define malnutrition. (1)
- A condition that results from eating a diet in which nutrients are not enough such that it causes health problems
Explain why countries experience food shortages. (3)
- Overpopulation, poverty – can’t afford fertilisers/pesticides, war
- Natural disasters eg flooding, tropical storms, drought
- Infertile soils
- Lack of transportation to rural areas
Explain why war may cause food shortages. (3)
- Farmers have to fight in army – reduced labour force
- Crops destroyed, animals killed
- Gov investment in farming – spend money on army
- Shops & transport links destroyed – unable to transport food
- Increased food prices
Explain how economic & political factors may cause food shortages in a country. (4)
- Lack of investment in agriculture
- Food, aid is poorly distributed
- Many farmers produce crops for export rather than food for ppl who live there
- Ppl can’t afford food coz unemployment
- High cost of inputs for farming eg machines
- War
Describe impacts of food shortages. (4)
- Death from starvation
- Malnutrition – health problems eg marasmus, scurvy, kwashiorkor, rickets
- Ppl weak, easily get diseases
- Increased food prices, crime rate
Explain how different strategies can be used in short-term & long-term to provide solutions to problem of food shortage in LEDCs. (5)
- Emergency famine relief / food aid
- Improve transport network
- Use more land for food crops for local ppl rather than export of crops
- Gov subsides on seeds / machinery
- Anti-natalist policy
- (above)
Case study
Describe & explain the land use of a farm or agricultural system in a named area you have studied. (7)
Type of farm or agricultural system – Mixed commercial farm
Name of area – Adney Farm, Shropshire, UK
| Natural input
|
|
| Human input
|
|
| Output
|
|
| Reasons for different land use on the farm
|
Arable
– rotate with wheat – keep soil fertilized Pastoral Land rented from National Trust – rule: left as grassland |