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1. Set Induction-        Human prehistory

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1. Set Induction-        Human prehistory

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Human Prehistory 101 (Part 3 of 3): Agriculture Rocks Our World

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Introduction to Subsistence Farming

Have you ever wondered where many of the foods we eat today come from? People in developed countries today have access to an extraordinary variety of crops. These crops have been modified over thousands of years, which originated in different locations around the world as subsistence crops. Subsistence farming, the first style of farming developed in history, is the practice of small-scale agriculture for direct consumption by individuals, families, and small communities. Subsistence farming is still practiced in rural areas of the developing world, but most food today comes from cash crops grown for industry and profit.

Subsistence Farming and the Origins of Sedentary Life

Subsistence farming dates back at least 12,000 years, when humans began domesticating plants for growth. Following the Ice Age, favorable climatic conditions most likely helped to fuel early plant domestication. Before that time, all humans were hunter-gatherers, or foragers, for approximately 95% of our existence. Hunter-gatherers had to rely on a nomadic existence, or moving from place to place in search of food. The ability to produce a surplus of food in one location through subsistence farming, therefore, is considered the defining transition of humans leading to civilizations, or complex societies.

Famed anthropologist V. Gordon Childe coined this transition the Neolithic Revolution. Childe argued the Neolithic Revolution of subsistence farming allowed people to settle in villages, starting the process of labor specialization, social hierarchies, and everything we associate with life in the developed world.

Subsistence Farming Cultures Around the World

While many subsistence-farming villages grew into expansive civilizations built on commercial agriculture, most of the world remained in small kin-based villages who built their livelihood from subsistence farming.

Grains domesticated in the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia in modern-day Iraq, provided the basis of subsistence farming in the western world. In the Americas, subsistence farmers domesticated an extraordinary array of plants, including corn, beans, squash, and potatoes. In seasonal climates, like Western Europe, crop rotations were used to grow different plants according to optimal seasons, as well as to vary the stress put on the soil by farming. Nevertheless, soil eventually becomes fallow and subsistence farmers have to constantly expand into new areas, known as shifting agriculture.

It is believed large-scale clearing of land by early subsistence farmers contributed to deforestation in places like Europe, and climate records show impacts possibly made by early farmers. In other cases of subsistence farming, permanent fields were built, which relied on irrigation agriculture, or diversion of water to sustain intensive crop production. Rice paddies in Southeast Asia, for instance, can yield year-round crops via irrigation.

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subsistence farming: definition & examples - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Subsistence Farming: Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Have you ever wondered where many of the foods we eat today come from? People in developed countries today have access to an extraordinary variety of crops. These crops have been modified over thousands of years, which originated in different locations around the world as subsistence crops.

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3.Types of Agricultural practises in the world.

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3.Types of Agricultural practises in the world.

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Types of Agriculture

Imagine a family farm on a small plot of land and a huge commercial farm that spans acres and acres of land. What do you think makes these two types of farms different? Although both of these farms are designed to produce food, they vary in the methods of production, the amount of food they produce and who consumes the food produced.

Although for most of human history our species has survived by hunting and gathering food, around 10,000 years ago, our ancestors started producing their own food. Agriculture is the term used to describe the act of growing crops and raising livestock for human consumption and use.

Since the development of agriculture, many different types of production have been implemented. Currently, agriculture is divided into two different types, including industrialized agriculture and subsistence agriculture. Let's explore and learn more about these two types of agriculture.

Industrialized Agriculture

Industrialized agriculture is the type of agriculture where large quantities of crops and livestock are produced through industrialized techniques for the purpose of sale. The goal of industrialized agriculture is to increase crop yield, which is the amount of food that is produced for each unit of land. Crops and livestock made through this type of agriculture are produced to feed the masses and the products are sold worldwide.

Industrialized agriculture is able to produce large quantities of food due to the farming methods used. Instead of using animal and manpower to work the fields, industrialized agriculture utilizes large machines, which are more powerful and can work faster and harder. The shift towards machines has increased the use of fossil fuels on industrial farms, and, therefore, the price of food can fluctuate as the price of oil changes. Industrialized agriculture also increases crop yield by investing in large irrigation systems and by using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

The chemical fertilizers that are used in industrialized agriculture often add inorganic nutrients to the soil to increase yield and plant size. The use of pesticides is also common in industrialized agriculture, and most pesticides help increase yield by killing pests that are harming or consuming the crops. Another farming technique that is used in industrialized agriculture is the method of growing monocultures, which is when a single crop is planted on a large scale. Although planting monocultures can increase overall yield, this method of farming is also more susceptible to disease and causes a reduction in the dietary variation of consumers.

Subsistence Agriculture

Although industrialized agriculture is necessary to feed the growing human population, there is another type of agriculture that is regularly practiced today. Subsistence agriculture is when a farmer lives on a small amount of land and produces enough food to feed his or her household and have a small cash crop. The goal of subsistence agriculture is to produce enough food to ensure the survival of the individual family. If there is excess food produced, it is sold locally to other families or individuals.

Subsistence agriculture varies a great deal from industrialized agriculture in terms of the farming methods used. This type of agriculture is very labor-intensive because all of the work is done by humans and animals and only hand tools and simple machines are used to work the land.

Subsistence agriculture does not rely on chemical fertilizers or pesticides and instead utilizes more natural techniques. Most farmers have animals, including chickens, goats and cows, and the manure from these animals is used to fertilize the plants. The crops produced are then consumed or sold, and the inedible parts of the plants are used to feed the livestock. This creates a closed circuit within the farm where nothing goes to waste.

Instead of using chemical pesticides, subsistence farmers rely on natural predators of pests to control the pest population. Another major difference between industrialized and subsistence agriculture is what is being planted. Unlike industrialized agriculture that utilizes monocultures, subsistence agriculture relies on polycultures, which is when different types of crops are planted in one area. Planting polycultures is a method used to get the most crop yield out of a small area of land.

Kinds of Subsistence Agriculture

Although industrialized agriculture has replaced a large amount of subsistence agriculture, there are still many places in the world where subsistence agriculture is practiced. It is estimated that over one-third of people that live in Latin America, Asia and Africa rely on subsistence agriculture for their food supply. Currently, there are several kinds of subsistence agriculture that are still occurring. The most common type is intensive subsistence agriculture, which is often referred to as traditional subsistence agriculture. This type of agriculture is practiced in India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico and Peru.

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types of agriculture: industrialized and subsistence agriculture - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Types of Agriculture: Industrialized and Subsistence Agriculture - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Imagine a family farm on a small plot of land and a huge commercial farm that spans acres and acres of land. What do you think makes these two types of farms different? Although both of these farms are designed to produce food, they vary in the methods of production, the amount of food they produce and who consumes the food produced.

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Class10 | NCERT | Commercial Farming | 10th Std | Geography | CBSE | Home Revise

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The Story of Agriculture and the Green Economy

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www.farmingfirst.org The future of our world depends on addressing global challenges now. We need to create sustainable livelihoods, feed a growing population and safeguard the environment. We need to make the global economy green.

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Types Of Farming | CBSE Class 10 | Geography

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Free gamified quizzes on every subject that students play in class and at home. Pick an existing quiz or create your own for review, formative assessment, and more.