what is traditional subsistence agriculture

Subsistence farming

• Overview. Subsistence farming is a mode of agriculture in which a plot of land produces only enough food to feed those who work it—little or nothing is produced for sale …
• History. …
• Techniques. …

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What are the 3 major types of subsistence agriculture?

Traditional subsistence agriculture is practiced in more than half of all small farms in Pacific SIDS. It has the advantage of being ecologically sound, with locally adapted and resilient species and cultivars. The disadvantage, however, is low productivity.

What are the types of traditional agriculture?

subsistence farming, form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer’s family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout the world …

What are the forms of subsistence agriculture?

As we know, there are many types of agriculture. Today we are going to talk about the subsistence farming. It is a type in which almost all crops are used to support the farmer and his family, leaving only a few surpluses to be able to sell and trade. In most of the lands where this type of agriculture is worked, several productions are produced per year.

What is the best definition of subsistence agriculture?

What is meant by traditional or subsistence agriculture?

Subsistence farming, or subsistence agriculture, is when a farmer grows food for themselves and their family on a small plot of land. Unlike other types of farming, subsistence farming is focused more on survival. There is very little or no emphasis on trading and selling goods or operating as a business.

What is traditional subsistence agriculture quizlet?

Traditional subsistence agriculture. Production of enough crops or livestock for a family’s survival and, in good years, a surplus to sell or put aside for hard times. Agroforestry or Alley cropping.

What is traditional agriculture system?

Traditional agriculture can be defined as a primitive style of food production and farming that involves the intensive use of indigenous knowledge, land use, traditional tools, natural resources, organic fertilizer and cultural beliefs of the farmers.

What are the characteristics of traditional subsistence agriculture?

Subsistence agriculture generally features: small capital/finance requirements, mixed cropping, limited use of agrochemicals (e.g. pesticides and fertilizer), unimproved varieties of crops and animals, little or no surplus yield for sale, use of crude/traditional tools (e.g. hoes, machetes, and cutlasses), mainly the …

What does it mean if you are farming intensively?

What Is Intensive Agriculture? Intensive agriculture is a method of farming that uses large amounts of labor and investment to increase the yield of the land.

What is farming for yourself called?

Subsistence farm Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to feed themselves and their families.

What is traditional agriculture in economics?

ADVERTISEMENTS: Generally it is felt that if the factors of production are highly productive, its agriculture can be called a modern agriculture and if the factors of production have low technical efficiency, it is called a traditional agriculture, Schultz docs not agree with this assertion.

Why is traditional agriculture important?

Traditional crops are hardier and more resilient to impacts such as drought and new pests, because their genetic make-up is more varied and better suited to local conditions.

What is the importance of traditional agriculture?

Traditional agricultural systems are extremely important for sustaining livelihoods, maintaining rural communities, preserving knowledge, and protecting fragile landscapes and agrobiodiversity.

What are the types of subsistence agriculture?

Subsistence agriculture is often divided into three different types, including intensive subsistence, which is the traditional method, shifting cultivation, which relies on clearing forest to create new farm plots every few years and pastoral nomadism, which relies on traveling with herds of animals.

What crops grow in subsistence agriculture?

The main crops are starchy foods, e.g., tapioca, cassava or manioc, yams, maize or corn, millet, upland rice, beans and bananas. Crops are sown at calculated intervals, often between the other plants, so that the harvest can be staggered to provide food all the year round.

What are the advantages of subsistence agriculture?

One of the benefits of Subsistence Agriculture is that it is cheap and cost effective. No requirement of huge investments as would otherwise have been needed by a commercial farmer is the prime reason for its cost effectiveness. The tools, kits and implements that are used are easy to obtain and mostly not expensive.

How is subsistence agriculture used?

Subsistence agriculture can be used as a poverty alleviation strategy , specifically as a safety net for food-price shocks and for food security. Poor countries are limited in fiscal and institutional resources that would allow them to contain rises in domestic prices as well as to manage social assistance programs, which is often because they are using policy tools that are intended for middle- and high-income countries. Low-income countries tend to have populations in which 80% of poor are in rural areas and more than 90% of rural households have access to land, yet a majority of these rural poor have insufficient access to food. Subsistence agriculture can be used in low-income countries as a part of policy responses to a food crisis in the short and medium term, and provide a safety net for the poor in these countries.

What is subsistence farming?

Agriculture in Vietnam. Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no surplus.

What are some examples of livestock?

Examples are the nomadic Bhotiyas and Gujjars of the Himalayas. They carry their belongings, such as tents, etc., on the backs of donkeys, horses, and camels. In mountainous regions, like Tibet and the Andes, yak and llama are reared. Reindeer are the livestock in arctic and sub-arctic areas.

What is the name of the farming method that involves bringing animals from one place to another?

Nomadic herding. In this type of farming people migrate along with their animals from one place to another in search of fodder for their animals. Generally they rear cattle, sheep, goats, camels and/or yaks for milk, skin, meat and wool.

How do farmers use slash and burn?

While this ” slash-and-burn ” technique may describe the method for opening new land, commonly the farmers in question have in existence at the same time smaller fields, sometimes merely gardens, near the homestead there they practice intensive ”non-shifting” techniques until shortage of fields where they can employ “slash and burn” to clear land and (by the burning) provide fertilizer (ash). Such gardens near the homestead often regularly receive household refuse, and the manure of any household, chickens or goats are initially thrown into compost piles just to get them out of the way. However, such farmers often recognize the value of such compost and apply it regularly to their smaller fields. They also may irrigate part of such fields if they are near a source of water.

Where does subsistence farming continue?

Subsistence farming continues today in large parts of rural Africa, and parts of Asia and Latin America. In 2015, about 2 billion people (slightly more than 25% of the world’s population) in 500 million households living in rural areas of developing nations survive as ” smallholder ” farmers, working less than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land.

What was the dominant mode of production in the world until recently, when market-based capitalism became widespread?

Subsistence agriculture was the dominant mode of production in the world until recently, when market-based capitalism became widespread.

Where is subsistence farming practiced?

Today, subsistence farming is practiced mostly in developing countries and rural areas . Although it is a practice that has a limited scope, farmers handle highly specialized concepts, allowing them to generate enough food for their subsistence without depending on any type of industry or more elaborate practices.

What type of agriculture is used to support the farmer?

As we know, there are many types of agriculture. Today we are going to talk about the subsistence farming. It is a type in which almost all crops are used to support the farmer and his family, leaving only a few surpluses to be able to sell and trade. In most of the lands where this type of agriculture is worked, several productions are produced per year. It is a type of historical agriculture that has been practiced by many pre-industrial peoples.

Why do farmers use terraces?

In more intensive situations, farmers use terraces along steep slopes in order to cultivate. For example, we have rice fields.

Why did pre-industrial people practice agriculture?

We are talking about pre-industrial peoples that practice this agriculture to support both farmers and their families. These towns that came to transfer to other places when I do it by assembling soil resources in each place. It could be said that they were nomadic populations. Nevertheless, As urban towns grew, these farmers specialized more. This is how commercial agriculture developed. The main objective of this agriculture is to generate a production with a considerable surplus of some crops that can be exchanged for manufactured products or sold for money.

Is agriculture sustainable in the long term?

A decade later, the farmer can return to the first piece of land that you will surely have the same or higher degree of fertility than before. We know that this type of agriculture is sustainable in the long term but only for low population densities. If it is necessary to take into account that the population load is higher, a much more frequent destruction of the forest is required, which prevents the fertility of the soil from being recovered. Furthermore, it also encourages undergrowth at the expense of large trees. As a result of a bad practice of this type of agriculture will be deforestation and soil erosion.

What is subsistence farming?

Subsistence farming provides food primarily for the direct consumption by the farmer and their family. This type of farming is mostly found in less developed countries and a majority of the population participates in this workforce.

What are the different types of subsistence farming?

There are three types of subsistence farming known as pastoral nomadism, shifting cultivation, and intensive or traditional subsistence agriculture. Pastoral nomadism herds and domesticates animals. This type of farming depends primarily on animals for survival and tend to adapt to dry climates. Nomads follow cyclical migration patterns and practice transhumance. Shifting cultivation clears the land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning the debris with a long knife, which takes many years for the soil to recover. People who practice this form of agriculture, generally live in small villages and grow their food on the surrounding land. Intensive subsistence agriculture feeds the most people using either wet rice dominant (double cropping) or non-wet rice dominant regions (crop rotation).

what is subsistence agriculture

Definition:
Subsistence agriculture is defined as the type of agricultural practice which is concern with the production of food by a farmer for his family consumption only. In other words, subsistence agriculture is termed as the type farming practice where a farmer goes into farming just to feed his immediate family or household.

characteristics of subsistence agriculture

The characteristics of pure subsistence agriculture are outlined as follows
Subsistence agriculture is mostly practiced by peasant farmers
Subsistence agriculture involves small portion of land— land tenure system
Subsistence agriculture involves the use of crude or simple farm tools
There is no specialization in subsistence agriculture
In subsistence agriculture, unskilled labours are mainly employed for lack of finance
In subsistence agriculture, return of investment in always very low or poor.

characteristics problems of subsistence agriculture

The problems that are usually associated with subsistence agriculture are listed bellow though not limited to these alone as it concern subsistence agriculture. So here are the problems facing subsistence agriculture listed accordingly

features of subsistence agriculture

No surplus for sale: this often keeps the farmer permanently poor as he will not be able to generate enough capital to expand the size of the farm also known as land tenure system

What is subsistence agriculture?

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.

Where is subsistence agriculture practiced?

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.

What is shifting cultivation?

Farmers that utilize shifting cultivation clear plots of the forest for planting and use the land for several years. When the land becomes less fertile, the farmers clear a new plot in the forest and begin growing in the new location.

What are the most common crops grown in the same field?

For this type of agriculture, the most common crops are rice and vegetables, which are grown in the same fields using the polyculture method. The second most common kind of subsistence agriculture is shifting cultivation, and this occurs in Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Nigeria, Senegal and Indonesia.

What is the difference between industrialized and subsistence farming?

Another major difference between industrialized and subsistence agriculture is what is being planted.

What animals are used to fertilize plants?

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.

Why is subsistence agriculture labor intensive?

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.

What is traditional agriculture?

Traditional agriculture can be defined as a primitive style of food production and farming that involves the intensive use of indigenous knowledge, land use, traditional tools, natural resources, organic fertilizer and cultural beliefs of the farmers. It is still the dominant agricultural food or production practice used by half …

What is the oldest farming method?

Agroforestry. Agroforestry is one of the oldest farming methods. Agroforestry involves the deliberate planting and maintaining of trees on the same plot of land as agricultural crops. This leads to the development of a unique microclimate, while also protecting the crops below.

How does traditional knowledge help the environment?

This traditional knowledge helps in ecological systems and local biodiversity. New methods are constantly being developed using these traditional methods, with many advantages that can be seen not only for the farmers but also the environment and for food security. Quality of food and soil improves.

What is the oldest method of irrigation?

Water harvesting. Water harvesting is one of the oldest methods around for irrigation, but also for capturing water for personal use. Usually rainwater is collected from a roof and used on agricultural crops or stored for later personal or further agricultural use.

What are the advantages of polyculture?

The main advantage of poly culture is its ability to control weeds, pests and diseases without the use of chemicals. The opposite of monoculture is poly culture. It helps in reducing soil erosion and increases stable yields. It improves the quality of soil.

What is polyculture?

Poly culture is a system to grow many plants of different species in the same area. It increases plant biodiversity and promotes a diverse diet among local communities. The various types of poly culture are cover cropping, permaculture and integrated aquaculture.

How does intercropping affect crops?

However in intercropping, the whole range of crops are all planted together at the same time. Intercropping creates biodiversity, which in turn improves pest management.

What is traditional farming?

Traditional agriculture is a type of farming that uses techniques developed over decades or centuries to ensure good, sustainable yield over time in a specific area or region. Traditional farms are based around mixed crops that complement one another.

What are traditional farming techniques?

Traditional agricultural techniques are most often practiced on small family farms and in developing countries. Crops are mixed, often using multiple varieties of the same crop, and are sometimes planted in associated groups . For example, vine-based beans might be planted with corn. Crop timing is based on traditional experience, and tilling and other farm techniques are based on proven traditions. Modern techniques are often blended with traditional techniques. Because this sort of agriculture is based on artisanal knowledge, it does not scale up well and does not provide the enormous crop yields of industrial agriculture. However, it is often more sustainable and less polluting than similar industrial techniques.

What is crop timing?

Crop timing is based on traditional experience, and tilling and other farm techniques are based on proven traditions. Modern techniques are often blended with traditional techniques.

Overview

History

Contemporary practices

Types of subsistence farming

Poverty alleviation

See also

Further reading