Farming & Agriculture
Nature of Agriculture
Agriculture depends on the interaction of four natural systems: climate, soil, bioloigy, and topography.
Climate There are two variables of climate that contribute to the success or failure of farming: solar energy (heat) and moisture. Different plant species require different amounts of heat energy in order to grow. For example, oranges require a lot of heat energy to grow. They will not grow in Canada but will thrive in more southerly regions like California and Florida. If a farmer knows how much heat there is in their area the can figure out what they can grow and how long it will take. The amount of heat is measured by growing degree-days (GDDs). GDDs are calculated by determining the number of degrees the average temperature exceeds 6°C on a given day. For example, if the average temperature in Burlington on May 14th was 14°C, that day would contribute 8 growing degree days (14-6=8). Daily GDDs over the course of a year are added together in order to figure out the amount of heat available in a given area. If a farmer knows how many GDDs they have in their region, they know if they have enough heat to grow a particular type of crop. Farmers can also use their knowledge of GDDs to determine the best time to use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Farmers also consider the growing season (the number of days during which crops can ripen) and the frost-free period (the number of days between the last frost in spring and the first frost in autumn) as other measures of heat. Seedlings are fragile and farmers will not plant seeds at time when the sprouting seedlings may be at risk of freezing. Moisture is the second climate variable. It is important for farmers to know how much precipitation they can expect in their region. They also need to know how much evapotranspiration takes place in their area. More evapotranspiration occurs in warm areas then cool areas. Therefore, warmer areas will need more precipitation (or irrigation) for good plant growth. Soil
Soils have been used to produce food since man first began to inhabit the earth. Initially the farming was conducted with simple hand tools and crop yields were low. In the last 100 years there have been major changes in agriculture. In the more highly developed parts of the world, such as the USA and Western Europe, farming is now highly mechanized and improved methods of cultivating the soil, mechanization and use of fertilizers have led to high levels of crop production. In other parts of the world, by contrast agriculture has progressed rather little due to a variety of reasons, including poverty and unsuitable climates, and yields are still very low and unreliable from year to year.
There are several important factors that determine whether and how a particular soil is suited to agricultural production. The prevailing climate is important because crops need air, light and rainfall. The general topography is important - it is difficult to manage and grow crops on steeply sloping land and soils on steep slopes are also prone to erosion. The soils themselves should be permeable, have good waterholding capacity, a good structure and be well supplied with nutrients. Initially agriculture developed on the best suited land but gradually farming has extended onto less suited land where conditions may include low rainfall, low nutrient content and sloping land. In the case of natural vegetation such as wild flowers and woodlands, many of the nutrients are recycled, with dead plant remains being passed directly back into the soil in-situ where they are broken down and made available again to other growing plants. This is not the case with crops; here most of the plant is removed from the field when it is harvested. Relatively few crop remains fall to the ground, decompose and return nutrients to the soil. Without some man-made additions, e.g. fertilizers, to replenish the nutrients crops would not grow well. Some farming techniques try to release as many nutrients in the soil as possible. In previous years it was a common sight to see burning stubble in fields, with the ash releasing nutrients to the soil. Other techniques such as 'direct drilling' and carefully managed rotations seek to retain the soil's health and vitality. Source: http://www.soil-net.com/dev/page.cfm?pageid=secondary_functions_foodprod&loginas=anon_secondary Biology
Earthworms help to aerate the soil as they burrow through it and bees are essential for plant pollination. However, some organisms can be harmful. Weeds and insect pests can reduce the productivity of a farm.
Topography
The most suitable land for farming is level and well-drained. Fertile valleys and deltas are highly productive due to the amount of sediment that accumulates in these regions. Mountain regions and hilly areas are problematic because the soil layer tends to be thinner or non-existent here (due to higher rates of erosion). Flat, sandy wetlands are also less than ideal because they have too much water.
Canada's Top 5 Agri-Food Exports
Local Food Movement
Organic Agriculture
Industrialization of Agriculture
Food output has been increasing due to:
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Chapters
24 The Business of Farming (p. 293-308)
The Changing Farm
Mechanization is changing what farming looks like in Canada. Its changing the size of farms, how many farms there are, and how we farm.
See page 298 of your textbook for more information. Types of Farming
Intensive Farming
System of cultivation using large amounts of labour and capital relative to land area. Large amounts of labour and capital are necessary for the application of fertilizer, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to growing crops, and capital is particularly important to the acquisition and maintenance of high-efficiency machinery for planting, cultivating, and harvesting, as well as irrigation equipment where required. Optimal use of these materials and machines produces significantly greater crop yields per unit of land than extensive agriculture, which uses little capital or labour. As a result, a farm using intensive agriculture will require less land than an extensive agriculture farm to produce a similar profit. In practice, however, the increased economies and efficiencies of intensive agriculture often encourage farm operators to work very large tracts in order to keep their capital investments in machinery productively engaged--i.e., busy. On the level of theory, the increased productivity of intensive agriculture enables the farmer to use a relatively smaller land area that is located close to market, where land values are high relative to labour and capital, and this is true in many parts of the world. If costs of labour and capital outlays for machinery and chemicals, and costs of storage (where desired or needed) and transportation to market are too high then farmers may find it more profitable to turn to extensive agriculture. However, in practice many relatively small-scale farmers employ some combination of intensive and extensive agriculture, and many of these operate relatively close to markets. Many large-scale farm operators, especially in such relatively vast and agriculturally advanced nations as Canada and the United States, practice intensive agriculture in areas where land values are relatively low, and at great distances from markets, and farm enormous tracts of land with high yields. However, in such societies overproduction (beyond market demands) often results in diminished profit as a result of depressed prices. Extensive Farming System of crop cultivation using small amounts of labour and capital in relation to area of land being farmed. The crop yield in extensive agriculture depends primarily on the natural fertility of the soil, terrain, climate, and the availability of water. Extensive agriculture is distinguished from intensive agriculture in that the latter, employing large amounts of labour and capital, enables one to apply fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides and to plant, cultivate, and often harvest mechanically. Because extensive agriculture produces a lower yield per unit of land, its use commercially requires large quantities of land in order to be profitable. This demand for land means that extensive agriculture must be carried on where land values are low in relation to labour and capital, which in turn means that extensive agriculture is practiced where population densities are low and thus usually at some distance from primary markets. Source: http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk/intensive&extensive.htm Issues for Canadian Farmers
Agricultural Subsidies
Government grants, or subsidies, designed to help farmers whose crops have been destroyed by drought and whose products were fetching a low price at market.
See p. 307-308 of your textbook. |
Definitions
Agribusiness: agricultural business. Operations include growing, storing, processing, and distributing food, and may be owned by a large corporation, a family, or an individual.
BSE (mad cow disease): bovine spongiform enecephalopathy forms holes in the brains of infected animals, crippling and eventually killing the animal. BSE is believed to be caused by contaminated feed made from a diseased animal.
Carrying Capacity: number of people that could be supported at current living standards by Canada's productive land.
Cash Crop: crop that is grown by a farmer to be sold.
Extensive Farming: type of farming in which small amounts of labour, machinery, and fertilizers are used on small farms. Yields per hectare are small.
Fair Earthshare: measurement of productive land in the world divided by number of people in the world. This is how much of the productive land each person would be entitled to, if all the world's productive land were shared equally.
Fertilizer: a substance, such as manure or a chemical, put on agricultural land to produce a greater crop yield.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): organisms whose genetic structure has been changed to create a characteristic that is seen as desirable, e.g., resistance to a disease.
Growing Degree Days (GDD): a measure of heat in one day. Daily GDDs over a period of a year are added together to determine the amount of heat available in a specific location. GDDs are used to determine locations in which plants can be successfully grown. They are also used to estimate the stage of development of plants and insects because the development of organisms is closely related to the accumulation of heat.
Intensive Farming: large amount of labour, machinery, and fertilizers used on small farms. High yields per hectare are obtained. The growing of fruit is an example of intensive farming.
Land Capability: ability of land to be used for a certain purpose. For example, land capability for agriculture is based on soil quality, drainage, slope, and climate.
Mechanization: process whereby machinery takes over the work of humans or animals.
Organic Farming: agriculture without the use of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, or genetically modified organisms. Organic farming ensures sustainable agriculture and does not damage the environment.
Pesticide: chemicals designed to kill harmful plants (herbicide) and harmful insects (insecticide).
BSE (mad cow disease): bovine spongiform enecephalopathy forms holes in the brains of infected animals, crippling and eventually killing the animal. BSE is believed to be caused by contaminated feed made from a diseased animal.
Carrying Capacity: number of people that could be supported at current living standards by Canada's productive land.
Cash Crop: crop that is grown by a farmer to be sold.
Extensive Farming: type of farming in which small amounts of labour, machinery, and fertilizers are used on small farms. Yields per hectare are small.
Fair Earthshare: measurement of productive land in the world divided by number of people in the world. This is how much of the productive land each person would be entitled to, if all the world's productive land were shared equally.
Fertilizer: a substance, such as manure or a chemical, put on agricultural land to produce a greater crop yield.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): organisms whose genetic structure has been changed to create a characteristic that is seen as desirable, e.g., resistance to a disease.
Growing Degree Days (GDD): a measure of heat in one day. Daily GDDs over a period of a year are added together to determine the amount of heat available in a specific location. GDDs are used to determine locations in which plants can be successfully grown. They are also used to estimate the stage of development of plants and insects because the development of organisms is closely related to the accumulation of heat.
Intensive Farming: large amount of labour, machinery, and fertilizers used on small farms. High yields per hectare are obtained. The growing of fruit is an example of intensive farming.
Land Capability: ability of land to be used for a certain purpose. For example, land capability for agriculture is based on soil quality, drainage, slope, and climate.
Mechanization: process whereby machinery takes over the work of humans or animals.
Organic Farming: agriculture without the use of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, or genetically modified organisms. Organic farming ensures sustainable agriculture and does not damage the environment.
Pesticide: chemicals designed to kill harmful plants (herbicide) and harmful insects (insecticide).