Lecture- 7 & 8:

Primary economic Activities:

Agriculture
 Agriculture
• Agriculture is very important, old and traditional type of
economic activity. It is an economic activity conducted by
Homo sapiens to grow crops and raise livestock directly
from the field under their direct supervision.

Based on the mode of production, there are two types

of agriculture
• 1. Subsistence agriculture
• 2. Commercial agriculture
 Subsistence agriculture
• Subsistence agriculture is that type of agriculture
practice by which farmers try to meet their own
demand by producing the necessary agricultural
products.
• There should not be any profit motive in producing
those agricultural commodities.
• There are two types of subsistence agriculture, such as

A. Primitive agriculture/ Primitive subsistence

agriculture
B. Intensive agriculture/ Intensive subsistence
agriculture
 Primitive agriculture
• Primitive agriculture is the function of the south
(People living in the developing and under developed
areas).
• It is also known as traditional agriculture.
• It manifests only rudimentary technical management
of the land, and
• limited amounts of time, effort and capital are
devoted to this activity.
For example: shifting cultivation, slash/burn
agriculture etc.
 Slash-and-burn Agriculture
• Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which
involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to
create fields.
• There are an estimated 250 million slash-and-burn
farmers across the world. In 2004 it was estimated that,
in Brazil alone, 500,000 small farmers were each
clearing an average of one hectare of forest per year.
 Slash-and-burn Agriculture
• In slash-and-burn agriculture, forest will be cut months before a dry
season. The "slash" is permitted to dry, and then burned in the
following dry season.
• The resulting ash fertilizes the soil, and the burned field is then
planted at the beginning of the next rainy season with crop such as
upland rice, maize, cassava, or other staple crop.
• Most of this work is typically done by hand, using axes, hoes, and
other such basic tools.
• Location of Primitive Agriculture: Central Africa, south East Asia and
the adjacent islands. On the mainland of Asia, primitive cultivation
tend to be confined to the interior Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia,
adjacent portions of India and china, Amazon and Congo forest area
 Intensive agriculture
• When the farmers produce the goods in a cost
effective manner it is known as intensive
agriculture. The main objective of this
agriculture is to gain profit by minimizing the
cost. This type of agriculture mainly related
with rice cultivation.
• Location: coastal and delta areas of India,
Southeast Asia, southern china and Japan.
Primitive agriculture is mainly different from intensive agriculture on
the basis of

• Mode of production: primitive subsistence agriculture is absolutely

non-cost effective. There is no tendency to maximize the profit. On
the other hand, intensive agriculture is cost-effective.

• Cropping intensity: is a function of frequency of occurrence of crops

in a given year. For primitive agriculture cropping intensity is single
cropping.

But, in intensive agriculture the cropping intensity is double or

multiple cropping.

• Fragmentation of land: fragmentation of land is very low in

primitive agriculture and on the other hand, very high in the
intensive agriculture.
 Commercial Agriculture
• Commercial agriculture is mainly profit
oriented or business oriented. These are also
known as modern agriculture system.
• Mainly two types:
A. Commercial grain farming
B. Plantation agriculture
Commercial grain farming
• In commercial grain farming producers always produce the
goods in a cost effective manner and make profit. All the
equipments are mechanized. It is mainly seen in the North
region of the world. Crops, which are produced in this
agriculture system, are wheat, rice, corn etc.
• Location: North American short grass land, Russia, Western
Europe, South America.
Plantation agriculture
• Plantations are a technique for organizing land and labour
in the tropics and supply mid latitudes markets with certain
products. Plantation of tea, rubber, coffee, pineapple, coco
tree are known as plantation agriculture. Growing cash
crops. Mainly it is the activity of south.
• Location: the majority of the world’s plantation occurs in
the tropics.
 Plantation agriculture: Some Examples

• Mid American countries: sugar, banana, coffee

• North eastern and western part of South America:
cocoa, palm oil, sugar, coffee and cotton
• South east part of Africa: tea, rubber, palm oil,
coconuts, sugar
• India, Srilanka, Bangladesh: Tea
• Indonesia, Malaysia: coffee, rubber, palm oil
 Green revolution

• A significant increase in agricultural productivity resulting

from the introduction of high-yield varieties of grains, the
use of pesticides, and improved management
techniques. It was introduced during mid 1960s.
• Success of the Green Revolution
• For farmers
– Yields increase by three times or more for farmers able to
afford HYVs and fertilizers
– Faster growing plants allow more than one crop per year
(multiple cropping)
– Increased output creates a surplus for sale, raising rural
incomes and standard of living
• For the country
– Food production is revolutionized and in some cases surpluses
for export are created
– Less dependence on imported food or food aid
– Lower rates of malnutrition and reduced risk of food shortages
– Reduced rates of rural to urban migration due to higher
standards of living in rural areas.
• Failures of the Green Revolution
• For farmers
– Yields do not change as many poor peasants unable
to afford new seeds and fertilizers
– Sometimes farmers cannot pay back the borrowed
money and end up in debt
– Gap between large-scale rich and poor-scale
farmers widens
• For the country
– Environmental problems increase from the use of
fertilizers and pesticides
– Sell the property to pay the debt and move to the
cities
Cropping Intensity
Frequency of occurrence of crops in a given region over a given
period of time. 3 types
• Single cropping intensity (cultivate land once in a year,
country where population density is low and do agriculture
with manual tools)
• Double cropping intensity(cultivate land twice in a year,
country where population density is medium and do
agriculture with the help of technology)
• Multiple cropping intensity(cultivate land three times in a year
country where population density is high and do agriculture
with the help of technology)
By applying different cropping intensity cultivator can change the
production amount from the same piece of land.
Sustainable Agriculture
•Ecologically sound
•Economically viable
•Socially & culturally appropriate
•Based on holistic scientific approach
Its aim to produce food and fiber on a sustainable
basis and repair the damage caused by destructive
practices.
Appropriate technology in agriculture
• Irrigation
• Organic fertilizers
• Mixed cropping
• Natural predators
• New seeds and plant varieties
• Power from living resources (biofuels, biogas)