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Point 5- Traditional agriculture - Coggle Diagram
Point 5- Traditional agriculture
Traditional subsistence agriculture, is considered environmentally friendly because it maintains a balance between the land’s physical conditions and existing natural resources.
• It is common in less-developed countries.
• Rudimentary techniques and tools are used, and it is labour-intensive.
• There is limited production — enough for self-consumption.
• Surplus or extra products are sold at local markets.
• Areas are organised in small plots under private or
communal ownership, and polyculture
is the usual type of farming.
Agricultural methods and techniques
Shifting or slash-and-burn cultivation
It is used on very poor soil in tropical areas. It requires large expanses of land:
Clearing
A forested area is cleared.
Planting
Several crops are planted (millet, maize, etc.).
Fallow
The forest naturally takes over the
abandoned space, which lies fallow.
Burning
The vegetation is burnt and the land
is ploughed to incorporate the ashes, which are the only fertiliser.
Dryland or traditional farming
It uses annual crop rotation: a few sections are left fallow and the others are farmed.
It is a ployculture agricultural system which was used in Europe before the Industrial Revolution. Today it is
common in less-developed countries.
Animal manure provides a natural fertiliser to restore fertility to the soil.
intensive irrigated farming
It is found in areas with high population densities and close to rivers, like monsoon Asia (India, China, Indonesia).
Fertiliser is provided by silt carried by irrigation channels and canals.
Monoculture production is intensified by irrigating the crops and by planting germinated cuttings. This way, while the current harvest is flowering, the next one is growing in the seedbeds. It requires a lot of labour.