Geography Notes

Agricultural development
Natural and Physical factors:
Soil: best are alluvial and loess. Very fertile and found along the banks of River Indus. Soil rich in humus
are also excellent for farming. A substitute is nitrogen containing fertilizers which improve the quality of
soils
Alluvium
Loess
Alluvial Soil
Alluvial soils are soils deposited by surface water. You’ll find them along rivers, in floodplains and deltas.
Loess is a layer of fine, mineral-rich material and is mostly deposited by wind.
Water: northern areas receive adequate rainfall (recap: climate – many different types of rainfall are
applicable) Regional distinction: northern areas remain cultivable without irrigation while also providing
grazing areas for animals. Southern areas are comparatively drier which requires irrigation and support
arable farming (land farming) only
Temperature: cooler areas have limited potential and shorter period and southern areas with higher
temperatures have a longer span of growth
Pests/diseases: affects small scale farmers more, require preventative and curative measures and use of
chemicals
https://www.thethirdpole.net/2020/05/07/locust-food-security-pakistan/
Irrigation: with irrigation methods handy, it becomes possible to increase the yields by growing crops
twice/thrice a year – depending on growth cycles, different crops can be harvested all year round
Cons: can destroy large fertile areas due to waterlogging and salinity (canal irrigation),canals need proper
cleaning and maintenance over time and needs to be done to prevent water wastage
aerated
Aero
Fertilizers: manure vs chemicals nitrogen, phosphate and potash (using fertilizer is in itself a human effort
hence doesn’t matter which kind of fertilizer is being used – will be a human input)
fig 7.48
page 125
HYVs: less time to grow, per unit yield is higher, they require more labour so employment rate goes up,
up to ten times more output, keep up with food supplies for the ever growing populations
Machinery = unemployment due to using machines instead of people.