Agricultural Landscapes: Factors, Plots, Ownership, and Crops
Agricultural Landscapes: Definition and Key Factors
Defining Agricultural Landscapes
Agricultural landscapes are areas of countryside transformed by primary sector activities, including those adapted for hunting and inhabited areas transformed by humans for economic activities.
Key Factors of Agricultural Plots
Plots are pieces of land. For agricultural plots, it is important to consider:
Plot Characteristics
- Shape: Whether they are uniform (rectangular, round, etc.) or irregular.
- Uniform plots are common in recent farming areas (e.g., the center of the United States).
- Irregular plots are common in regions that have been farmed for a very long time or adapted to relief.
- Size: Whether they are medium-sized, very large estates, or small smallholdings.
- Boundaries: Whether they are open (open field), typical in Central Europe and separated by a narrow uncultivated strip of land, or closed (bocage), more common in Atlantic Europe and separated by walls or hedges of trees and shrubs.
Uniform shape is also found where the government has redistributed old plots.
Land Consolidation
Land consolidation involves grouping small plots of land into larger properties to make farming easier.
Property Ownership Models
Most plots are owned by individuals, but there are several forms of multiple ownership:
- State Ownership: This is the case in China, where plots tend to be large and uniform.
- Ownership by a Land Cooperative: Where several owners share their plots.
- Common Land: Typical in areas that use traditional agriculture and livestock farming practices. It can be seen in the mountainous areas of Spain.
Types of Crops
Agricultural landscapes can be identified by the color and appearance of their most common plants. We can distinguish between:
- Annual or Herbaceous Crops: Such as fields of cereals (wheat, rice, barley, etc.).
- Perennial or Woody Crops: With plants that live for several years (e.g., olive trees, grapevines, fruit trees, and trees used to supply wood).