Understanding Arable Farming and Agricultural Landscapes
What is arable farming?
Arable farming comprises the economic activities and techniques relating to the treatment of soil and cultivation of land for food production.
Explain the characteristics of arable farming
Characteristics of arable farming
Arable farming is influenced by physical and human factors.
Geographical factors. The climate, relief and soil type define the distribution of crops. Crops require certain temperature and humidity conditions. Plains tend to favour arable farming, and soil fertility varies.
An increase in population requires greater production and more arable land.
Agricultural policies. Governments and international organisations contribute to agricultural development
Farming techniques and the final destination of the crops. There are different types of agricultural spaces, depending on the farming techniques, machinery and chemicals used: subsistence agriculture (for local consumption) and commercial agriculture (for sale).
What causes agricultural poverty?
Agricultural poverty is caused by many things, including the loss of arable land, the high price and decreasing availability of water for irrigation, and market speculation on crop prices.
What are agricultural landscapes?
Arable and livestock farming have created agricultural landscapes, natural areas that have been modified by humans to obtain products from nature.
What type of settlements can you find in an agricultural landscape? develop them.
Types of settlement
A settlement is a certain area where people establish a community. A settlement transforms the landscape. Rural settlements can be:
concentrated rural settlements, in which the houses are grouped together. When this happens, inhabitants have access to numerous services to meet their needs.
scattered rural settlements, in which the houses are isolated. In Spain, this takes the form of isolated farmhouses and small villages.
What is a plot?
A plot is a section of agricultural land that varies in size (small or large holding), shape (regular or irregular) and its boundaries (enclosed or open). Based on these criteria, we can distinguish two types of landscape:
What type of plot can you find in agriculture?
Open fields, made up of regular plots without boundaries. These are common in Central Europe.
Enclosed fields or bocage, irregular plots separated by walls or hedges.
Explain the different cultivation system
crop diversity. In polyculture, the land is divided up into small plots and farmers grow a variety of crops. In monoculture, farmers grow a single crop (cereals, coffee, olive trees, etc.).
the irrigation system used. In rainfed (dryland) farming, the fields need rain. In irrigated farming, part of the water is brought to fields by artificial means (e.g. through canals).
land use. Intensive agriculture is characterised by maximum productivity, reduced space and large investment in fertilisers, special seeds, machinery, etc. Extensive agriculture uses large areas of land to produce large amounts of one product at low costs (coffee, cotton, sugar, etc).
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What is livestock farming?
Livestock farming consists of raising domesticated animals for food and other products. There are many forms of livestock farming, which are influenced by geographical factors, such as climate and relief, and the economic development of each country.
What is traditional livestock farming?
In traditional livestock farming, animal products are produced to feed the farmers and their families and not for commercial purposes
Explain the commercial livestock farming and what is the difference between extensive and intensive livestock farming?
Extensive. This is carried out in regions with large areas of open land, e.g. the western USA and Argentina’s Pampa region (cattle for meat and milk), and Argentina’s Patagonia region, Australia and South Africa (sheep for wool).
Despite the limited need for labour, as the flocks graze freely, this requires capital to buy livestock and set up a solid commercial structure.
Intensive. This is carried out on highly specialised farms and requires a large amount of capital for labour, facilities and feed for the animals. It is common in Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Atlantic Europe.
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Intensive livestock farming aims to maximise productivity in the shortest time possible.
The animals are housed in buildings and are grouped together in a confined space, under artificial light, temperature and humidity conditions. They are fed specialised animal feed. Cattle and other farm animals are the most common livestock in this type of farming.
Intensive livestock farming pollutes because pig waste and other animal dung cannot be utilised.
What is fishing?
Fishing is the method used to extract food resources from rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. 75% of catches are intended for human consumption. The rest is used to produce oils and fishmeal
Explain small-scale traditional fishing and Why it is so important to people in developing countries?
Small-scale traditional fishing
Small-scale traditional fishing (artisanal fishing), which is performed close to the shore, uses simple fishing gear (spears, harpoons, traps, nets and hooks) and takes place in less developed regions. Its scant production is basically intended for local consumption, while only a small portion is sold.
Fishing-related activities are very important for less economically developed countries, as they are a significant source of employment, nutrition and food security.
In economically more developed countries, traditional fishing is used to catch highly valued species, such as lo
Explain the three types of commercial fishing
In commercial fishing, catches are used to supply the markets. As a result, a large amount of capital is invested in maintaining a large fishing fleet equipped with cutting-edge technology and in improving docking facilities.
There are several types of commercial fishing:
Coastal fishing is done by small boats fishing near the coast. They use nets and strong fishing lines and bring their catch to the fish market. These catches get smaller every year as the supply of fish in the sea decreases.
Deep-sea fishing is carried out by fleets of large, well-equipped boats (radar and sonar equipment to detect shoals of fish and refrigeration equipment to preserve the catches on board). They often remain at sea for weeks or even months.
Large-scale fishing takes place in distant waters with the help of a large supply ship. Smaller boats go out to fish and return to the supply ship to unload the catch, which is later prepared for sale.
What is aquaculture?
This consists of farming marine animals and plants (seaweed, molluscs, crustaceans and some fish species) in both fresh water and salt water. In marine waters, the installations are located in enclosed areas on the coast
What is silviculture?
Silviculture, defined as the cultivation of forests for exploitation in a sustainable way, also has a significant landscape value and is a key element in the ecological balance.
What are some of the main uses of wood?
Wood is used to build new houses and to renovate old ones. Although wooden buildings tend to be only one or two stories (floors), innovative ways of using wood allows for up to 30-story buildings to be constructed.
Wood has many uses. It can be used as an energy source, for construction (timber), to make furniture and tools and for cellulose (wood pulp) to make paper, etc.
How are forest products used differently in underdeveloped countries and developed countries?
In less economically developed countries, the forest provides a large, poor population with the food they need.
Wild products, such as roots, nuts and plants, are a complement to subsistence agriculture and provide essential nutrients that cannot be obtained elsewhere. They are also used to make medicines.
In developing countries, the collection of edible forest products provides essential nutrients for many people.
In more economically developed countries, the use of forest products as food is linked to fine cuisine. Many wild products are highly valued, such as raspberries, chestnuts, pine nuts, redcurrants, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, mushrooms and truffles.
What is mine? and what are the main differences between underground and open-cast mine?
Mining includes all activities to extract minerals, most of which are found underground
-One looks at the sky and the other doesn’t
-One is more expensive than the other
-One is more with underdeveloped
-One is more dangerous than the other
What are the four main non-renewable energy sources? Develop them
Coal. This is a rock and a fossil fuel. Just over two centuries ago, it was the driving force of the Industrial Revolution because it could be moved relatively easily to wherever there was a significant energy demand. Nowadays, it is used as fuel for thermal energy production. The fact that coal is a pollutant and expensive to mine has led to a significant decline in its use.
Oil. This is another fossil fuel with a high calorific value. It is relatively easy to extract and has become a highly valued energy resource. In addition to generating electricity, it is a raw material used in the chemical industry (plastics, paints, etc.).
It is currently the most widely used energy source and, since it is non-renewable, there are worries about whether the remaining reserves will be sufficient to continue to meet global needs.
Natural gas. This has a similar origin to oil. It is used as fuel (for heating and electricity production) and as a raw material in the chemical industry. Natural gas consumption is rising because it is less polluting than oil or coal.
Nuclear energy. Enriched uranium is the fuel used in nuclear reactors, which generate an enormous amount of electricity.
What are the five main renewable energy sources? Develop them
Hydropower
Hydropower plants use the force of water stored in reservoirs to generate electricity.
The energy production itself is non-polluting, but the construction of reservoirs leads to serious environmental impacts and sometimes the displacement of the population and human activities.
Solar or photovoltaic energy
The Sun emits a large amount of radiation that is inexhaustible, non-polluting and can be harnessed easily to produce electricity and heat. However, the intensity of the Sun’s rays varies throughout the world. The time of day and the seasons also affect the amount of radiation reaching the Earth.
Photovoltaic solar panels are made from a special material that generates electricity from sunlight. They can be installed on the roofs of houses or in fields (solar farms).
Wind energy
This is obtained by harnessing the force of the wind. It is a non-polluting energy, but wind turbines significantly alter the landscape and cause noise pollution.
Wind farms are built in windy areas but the production of energy is irregular since the force and frequency of the wind are variable.
Geothermal energy
This type of energy uses the heat from inside the Earth to produce electricity, especially in areas with intense volcanic activity.
Tidal energy
This uses the movement of seawater caused by tides, waves and currents. This type of energy production is not very common