3.2.1 Agricultural Systems | CIE IGCSE Geography Revision Notes 2020

Agricultural Systems

To obtain food humans use and modify the ecosystems through farming
There are four groupings commonly used to categorise farming:
- Arable and pastoral
- Commercial and subsistence
- Extensive and intensive
- Nomadic and sedentary
A farm that has both livestock and grows crops is a mixed farm

Factors influencing the type of agriculture

Physical Factors	Human Factors
Temperature - all crops have a minimum temperature below which they will not grow or will not produce a good yield - wheat grows best between 21-24^oC	Tradition - many farms simply grow the crops or raise the livestock that have been on the farm for generations
Growing season - the length of the growing season affects the type of crop grown - barley needs about 90 days from sowing to harvest whereas rice takes about 120 days	Subsidies - farmers may change crop or livestock dependent on the money available from the government
Precipitation - both the average annual rainfall and the distribution over the year affect the types of crops grown	Transport - the cost of transporting the product may affect what is produced. Livestock transport is more expensive than grain transport
Relief and slope aspect - the altitude of land affects temperature and the steepness affects the suitability for crops. in local areas different crops may be grown on south facing slopes which get more sunshine and are warmer	Farm size - due to economies of scale larger farms are able to afford more in terms of feed, fertiliser and machinery, this may affect what is produced
Soil type and fertility - in areas with thin, infertile soils grazing is likely to dominate as crops need deeper, more fertile soil	Market demand - the changing demand for produce. There has been an increase in demand for meat such as buffalo and ostrich which may affect the choice of what is produced
Drainage - for most crops to grow the land needs to be well drained so that roots do not get waterlogged	Capital - the amount of money a farmer has to invest will affect the machines and artificial inputs (irrigation, pesticides, fertilisers) they can afford

Farming systems

All farms are systems, they have inputs, processes and outputs

Ws6cwbSN_farming-system

A Farming System

Impacts of farming systems

All farming systems impact the ecosystem in which they are located
Some have more impact than others, such as:
- Monocultures which reduce diversity because the animals have no access to a wide range of foods
- When nutrient cycling is often dependent on fertilisers added to the soil, this may be natural (manure) or artificial fertilisers
- When the ecosystem is modified with inputs of seed, fertiliser, pesticides, herbicides and the use of machines
- Where food webs are reduced
- Reducing the amount of biomass

Exam Tip

Remember farms do fit into more than one category. For example, a sheep farm in Cumbria. UK would be categorised as arable, commercial, extensive and sedentary.

Worked example

Insert the following words into the table below to show examples of inputs, processes and outputs of a mixed farm.

[3]

Choose from the words below

milk wheat harvesting

ploughing water pesticides

Inputs	Processes	Outputs

Answer:

Inputs	Processes	Outputs
water	harvesting	wheat
pesticides	ploughing	milk

Case Study: Sheep Farming

The relief of the land in Cumbria limits the type of farming
Lowland areas are used for cattle grazing and limited amounts of crops
Sheep farming dominates, with approximately 3 million sheep farmed in the area
An example of extensive, commercial, pastoral and sedentary farming

Characteristics

Sheep farms usually have three land use zones:
- The fell - these are the hills over 300m and is used for grazing
- The intake - the lower slopes which are divided into fields
- The inbye - land close to the farm buildings used to bring the sheep in for lambing and shearing. Some crops may also be grown here for animal feed (turnips/hay)

Inputs

Inputs can be divided into physical and human

Physical	Human
Climate - Short growing season means the area is unsuitable for most crops as well as high rainfall. In many areas over 1500mm	Machinery, fuel and buildings - quad bikes and sheds for lambing
Soils - in the upland areas' soils are thin and acidic	Labour - low labour requirements. Farms often worked by one person with additional help when needed
Relief - many steep slopes with large areas of upland	Subsidies - without subsidies many farmers would make a loss
	Feed - needed for winter months when uplands are snow covered and grass doesn't provide the nutrients needed

Processes

There are not large numbers of processes on a hill sheep farm, but they do include:
- Monitoring the sheep
- Lambing
- Dipping - to reduce parasites and maggots
- Shearing

Outputs

Lambs are bred for meat and sent for slaughter before they are 1 year (usually 6-8 months)
Wool from shearing (this often costs more than the farmer gets for the fleece)
Mutton - this is meat from sheep over 1 year

Challenges

Hill sheep farming is often not profitable, and farmers rely upon subsidies or diversification
Disease - foot and mouth outbreaks. In 2001 nearly 500,000 sheep had to be killed to prevent further spread of the disease
Fuel, machinery and feed costs have all increased
Lamb prices fluctuate depending on the market and this affects income
Wool prices average about 32p for a kilo this is less than the cost of shearing the sheep so shearing costs the farmer money
Fewer people want to become sheep farmers
Since leaving the EU, the UK is intending to phase out subsidies and replace them with payments for environmental work

Impacts

Many sheep farmers are diversifying into areas such as campsites and holiday cottages
Conversion to organic such as Low Sizergh Farm in South Cumbria can increase profits as people pay more for organic meat and wool
Farmers taking on additional jobs and farming part time
Changing of breeds to those that shed their fleece and don't require shearing though this may not be suitable for the upland areas

Agricultural Systems (CIE IGCSE Geography)

Revision Note