1. Rural Geography

2. Rural Geography
You will study 2 different rural landscapes, showing 2
different types of agriculture.
Commercial Arable farming in the UK (Developed country example)
Intensive Subsistence farming in India (Developing country example)

3. Types of Farming The growing of crops – Arable Farming
The rearing of livestock – Pastoral Farming
Or a combination of both – Mixed Farming
Subsistence Farming – to feed the local people without having a surplus
Commercial Farming - to produce a small surplus for sale at local markets, or a large surplus often for distance markets

4. Farming Types
Subsistence Farmers may lack modern capital and modern technology but their efforts involve a high degree of skill and are labour intensive.
Commercial Farmers make use of all kind of technology (Mechanical, Chemical and Biological,) need much capital and are dependant on efficient transport links.

5. Farming Types
Most types of farming are sedentary, with both the farmland and permanent settlement is in fixed locations.

6. Intensive and Extensive Farming
Intensive arable farming is usually on a small scale. A limited area of land is farmed, involving high input of labour and skill but often with a low input of capital.
Extensive Farming – Much capital is invested, high inputs of all the agricultural technologies are needed to farm very large grain farms extensively.

7. Livestock
In Livestock farming the fattening of cattle on feedlots and battery poultry units are examples of intensive farming; whereas hill sheep farming or a cattle ranch exemplify extensive farming.

8. A growing number of farms in the UK are becoming organic farms
This means they have stopped using chemical technology – fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.

9. Farming System
All types of farming can be seen as systems, with inputs, processes and outputs. The location of different types of agriculture at all scales; local, regional, national and global are the result of the interaction between:
The physical environment, economic, political factors and cultural (human factors)

10. The Farming System Inputs Outputs Processes Physical Human
Economic/political

11. Inputs
Physical
Climate
Length of growing season (6oC)
Precipitation
Soil
Altitude/relief
Aspect (direction a place faces)
exposure

12. Human inputs
Farm buildings
Labour
Transport
Technology – pesticides, machines etc
Economic/political
Quotas/subsidies
Loans from banks
Market
Capital
Farm tenure

13. Processes
Decision making
Plough fields
Plant seeds
Harvesting
Build/maintain fences
Milk

14. Outputs
Crops
Meat
Dairy products
Fodder crops

15. Farmers use their experience and understanding of these factors to make a decision on how best to use their farmland. Where neighbouring farmers reach similar decisions a particular pattern of land use emerges in that area, (although there are always exceptions!) Different types of inputs vary according to level of development. Variations in inputs result in different types of farming throughout the world.