Types of Agriculture LEARNING OBJECTIVES TO DEFINE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF AGRICULTURE TO EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENT FACTORS AFFECTING THESE TYPES OF AGRICULTURE

Pastoral Farming is farming related to livestock. The livestock usually graze on naturally-grown grass and other vegetation. Some pastoral farmers grow crops, but instead of selling the harvest, they feed it to livestock (cattle, pigs, sheep etc.) so that they stay healthy for optimum production of meat, wool, milk and eggs.

Arable Farming The growing of crops

Commercial Farming The production of crops for sale, crops intended for widespread distribution to wholesalers or retail outlets (e.g. supermarkets), and any non-food crops such as cotton and tobacco. Commercial agriculture includes livestock production and livestock grazing. Commercial agriculture does not include crops grown for household consumption (e.g. backyard garden or from a vegetable garden or a few fruit trees.)

Subsistence Farming is self-sufficient farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed their family. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year, rather than market prices.

Organic relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms

Intensive Agriculture is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs of capital, labour, or heavy usage of technologies such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area.

Extensive Agriculture is an agricultural production system that uses small inputs of labour, fertilizers, and capital, relative to the land area being farmed. It most commonly refers to sheep and cattle farming in areas with low agricultural productivity