4.5: Agricultural Development
- Page ID
- 179380
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There are three primary levels of agricultural development: developed, subsistence, and primitive. The livestock systems in an area are primarily determined by its agrarian system.
Primitive Agriculture
In this system, almost the entire population is involved in food production because no one produces a surplus. It is characterized by a scarcity of food, a low nutritional level, and very little use of animal or mechanical power. Primitive agriculture often supplements subsistence farming with non-agricultural food sources like hunting and gathering. Examples include nomadic herding, transhumance, and shifting cultivation.
Subsistence Agriculture
About half of the population is engaged in farming, with each farm family producing roughly what it consumes and only a small surplus for sale or barter. It relies heavily on manual and animal labor and has little mechanization. This level of agriculture is associated with a low per capita income and literacy rate. Examples include subsistence crop and livestock farming (also known as peasant grain, tuber, and livestock farming), paddy rice farming, and urban agriculture.
This system's goal is to earn a profit from agriculture. It is highly specialized, with each unit producing only one or two products. Less than 10% of the population is engaged in farming, which is highly mechanized and uses little to no animal or hand labor. Developed agriculture is associated with high per capita income and literacy rates.
Image credit: Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels: Link to woman walking in the steppe field [www.pexels.com]
Developed Agriculture
This system's goal is to earn a profit from agriculture. It is highly specialized, with each unit producing only one or two products. Less than 10% of the population is engaged in farming, which is highly mechanized and uses little to no animal or hand labor. Developed agriculture is associated with high per capita income and literacy rates.