Agents and Economics of Agricultural Landscapes
Agents and Economics
Economic System
The economic system is based on several elements that are combined to obtain goods and services for consumers, provided by three sectors. These elements interact in the economic operators.
The Family
Families are involved in two ways: they are the main consumers and provide the necessary manpower to operate the economic system.
Enterprises
They are responsible for producing the goods and services.
The State
It acts as a producer and consumer of goods and services. Within the capitalist system, its intervention in the market depends on the economic policies implemented by the government. To maintain operations, it collects taxes from businesses and individuals.
Factors of Production
Natural Resources
These are materials used to manufacture products in industries, and sources of energy for this transformation and consumption.
Work
Work has evolved from animal and human force to using machines and computers.
Capital
Capital includes all elements involved in the production process. It can come from the state or individuals. In the capitalist system, the bulk of private capital is derived from private firms.
Market Economy
Market economy involves the organized production and marketing of goods and services based on supply (products present in a market with a specific price and period of time) and demand (quantity and quality of goods or services that consumers are willing to buy). Surpluses and shortages can be created.
Determination of Demand
- Price: An important factor linked to the income level of individuals and families.
- Level of Income: Higher incomes generally lead to higher consumption and vice versa.
- Preferences: Influenced by multiple factors (fashions, consumer habits) and boosted by advertising (TV, radio), which is very influential on consumers.
- Product Life Cycle: Most products have a limited life and are eventually replaced by others.
Space and Agricultural Activities
Agricultural landscape refers to the part of the land area devoted to growing plants, animal husbandry, and related activities.
Factors Influencing Agricultural Landscapes
Physical Factors
Climate
Climate directly affects plant growth (temperature, humidity) and determines the type of crop that can be grown.
Agricultural Soil
Soil is important because of its thickness, acidity, texture, and fertility. Not all soils are suitable for cultivation.
Relief and Topography
These influence climate and impose restrictions on certain species. Agriculture usually develops in valleys and plains, while mountains are used for livestock and forestry.
Human Factors
Technological Development
Technological advancements have allowed us to change environmental conditions. Highly technological societies can overcome limitations imposed by the physical environment, growing crops in greenhouses, using artificial soils, fertilizers, and other technologies.
Elements of the Agricultural Landscape
- Plots: These can have regular or irregular shapes, sizes, and are separated by grooves (open fields), hedges, or walls (closed fields).
- Type of Crop: Crops can be annual or herbaceous (grains), perennial shrublets (grapes, sunflower), or arboreal (fruit trees).
- Crop Systems: These include water usage (rainfed or irrigated), crop variety (monoculture or polyculture), land use (extensive or intensive), and the destination of production (subsistence or market).
- Habitat: Rural habitats can be dispersed (farmers living far apart) or concentrated (farmers living close together).
- Ownership: Land ownership can be collective or individual. Individual ownership tends to involve smaller plots, while collective ownership, mainly state-owned, is becoming less common.
Developed Agricultural Landscapes
Technified Traditional Landscapes
These are mainly located in Europe, where science and mechanization are applied to agriculture. We find agricultural infrastructure in two types of landscapes:
- Atlantic Landscapes: These extend across the fertile plains of Europe. Intensive farming is prominent in wetter areas.
- Mediterranean Agriculture: Fallow land is still common in this area, but yields can be high. Where irrigation is possible, diverse vegetable crops are grown, as seen in Spain, Italy, and Greece.
Modern Agricultural Landscapes
These are extensive agricultural landscapes that prioritize profitability. They have developed in two different settings:
- Plantation Agriculture: Found in certain tropical areas with a colonial past, plantations require vast spaces for large-scale production.
- Extensive Agriculture in New Countries: This occurs in previously unexploited agricultural lands settled by Europeans.
Challenges of the New Agriculture
The green revolution has led to significant advancements in agricultural production. Many countries in the European Union are promoting alternative and ecological agriculture.
Subsistence Agricultural Landscapes
In parts of Central and South America, Asia, and Africa, subsistence farming is crucial. It is governed by social order and utilizes polyculture. It requires abundant labor and has low productivity. Practices include shifting cultivation and intensive upland rice farming.
Shifting Cultivation
This primitive method, typical of the intertropical region, involves burning vegetation, tilling the land, and planting crops like corn and cassava. The land is cultivated for only 3 or 4 years before moving to a new area and repeating the process.
Rainfed Extensive Agriculture
Practiced in dry tropical regions, especially in Africa, this method involves leaving a portion of land fallow for livestock grazing. The manure is then used as fertilizer. This allows for higher population densities compared to shifting cultivation.
Intensive Rice Cultivation
Common in South and Southeast Asia, rice paddies occupy floodplains, deltas, coastal plains, and sometimes terraced mountainsides. This labor-intensive method produces large volumes of rice primarily for local consumption.
Vocabulary
- Physiocrats: Believed that a country’s wealth comes from the primary sector.
- Mercantilism: Similar to physiocrats, but focused on the secondary sector.
- Surplus: Excess production beyond what is needed.
- Subsidy: Financial assistance provided by the government for a specific period.
- Plot: A piece of cultivated land with defined boundaries.
- Monoculture: Cultivation of a single crop, associated with modern and technological agriculture.
- Polyculture: Cultivation of multiple crops in adjacent plots, typically with lower technology.
- SMI (Minimum Interprofessional Wage): Minimum wage.
- Productivity: The ratio of output to the resources used in production.
- Fallow: Leaving land uncultivated to restore fertility.
- Terrace: A leveled platform, natural or artificial, used for cultivation on slopes.
- Scientific Agriculture: Applying biological and chemical principles to agricultural techniques.
- Green Revolution: Significant increase in agricultural production due to the use of genetic selection and chemicals since the 1960s.
- Alternative and Technological Agriculture: Farming using natural practices like organic fertilizers and crop rotation, avoiding chemicals and soil depletion.
- Forestry: The science and practice of managing forests.
- Sustainable Development: Balancing economic development with environmental protection.
- Raw Materials: Natural resources used to produce goods.