The types of agricultural holdings more important are extensive agriculture, intensive agriculture, and plantation agriculture. They can be distinguished according to several factors: who works the land (the owner or its employees), how large the plots are exploited, the maximum use of all natural resources through technology or not...
The agricultural exploitation is one of the most important economic activities for the human being. It consists of the use of the soil to grow plants that later serve as food.
The appearance of agriculture marked the end of the Paleolithic and the beginning of the Neolithic; and with it, the first advanced societies emerged.
Main types of agricultural holdings
Depending on the needs of the population, the techniques, types of cultivation and ways of doing agriculture vary from one culture to another. In this article we will talk about some of the most important agricultural holdings.
1- Extensive agriculture
Extensive agriculture is characterized by not being concerned with maximizing soil productivity.
On the contrary, farmers take advantage of the natural resources of the place, without using modern technology such as fertilizers or chemical pesticides.
In spite of being the type of agriculture that has been practiced in a traditional way, nowadays it is used essentially by small tribes and populations that live in very fertile lands. Above all, we can find it in Central and South America, and in Southeast Asia.
A particular version of this type of agriculture is the so-called"cut and burn agriculture". It consists in cutting down forest areas and burning the remains to make the soil more fertile; In this way, the populations of these areas always have access to land that they can exploit.
However, the use of this technique has the problem that the cut forest parts do not grow back. In Africa, this practice has led to the expansion of the savanna and the desert.
Extensive agriculture is often complemented by other systems of food production, such as hunting or fishing.
2- Intensive agriculture
This type of agriculture is practiced mostly in certain parts of Asia, especially those affected by monsoon seasons. Due to this fact, some scholars call it"oriental agriculture".
Its most important characteristics are the large amount of land they use, the need for a large number of workers to achieve good results, the great use of fertilizers and fertilizers, and the lack of advanced machinery in their techniques.
The most well-known food types that are grown with intensive agriculture are rice, potatoes and certain types of cereals.
Because only one specific type of food is grown on each parcel of land, this type of agriculture can sometimes produce an excess of production that leads farmers to lose profits in the market.
3- Plantation agriculture
The last type of agriculture normally used is plantation agriculture. It consists in the broad use of land for the cultivation of a single plant species; and can be found in many parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Some of the most common plantations of this type of agriculture are cotton, coffee, cocoa and bananas.
Instead of choosing the type of crop based on the food needs of the population, the plantations are designed to achieve the maximum economic benefit, usually for the landowner.
References
- "Agricultural exploitation"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
- "Agriculture"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
- "Types of agricultural exploitation"in: Wiki Geography. Retrieved: December 22, 2017 from Wiki Geography: wikigeografia.net.
- "Classification of agriculture types"in: Agriculture Science. Retrieved on: 22 December 2017 from Agriculture Science: scienceofagriculture.wordpress.com.
- "Types of agriculture"in: Study. Retrieved on: December 22, 2017 from Study: study.com.