TypesofAgriculture
Agro-ecology
•Broadlystated,itisthestudyoftheroleof agriculture intheworld. Itisthestudy ofthe relationof agriculturalcropsand environment.1 Agro-ecology provides an
interdisciplinary framework with which tostudy the activity of agriculture. In thisframework,agriculturedoesnotexistasanisolatedentity,butaspartofanecologyofcontexts. Agro-ecology draws upon basicecologicalprinciplesforitsconceptualframework.
SustainableAgriculture
•SustainableAgriculturereferstotheabilityofafarmtoproducefoodindefinitely,without causingsevereorirreversibledamagetoecosystemhealth.2 Twokeyissuesarebiophysical (thelong-termeffectsofvariouspracticesonsoilpropertiesandprocesses essentialforcrop productivity)andsocio-economic(thelong-termabilityoffarmerstoobtaininputsand
manageresourcessuchaslabor).SAintegratesthreemaingoals:environmentalstewardship, farm profitability,and prosperous farming communities.
Urbanagriculture/Peri-urbanagriculture
•Urbanagricultureisthepracticeofcultivating,processinganddistributingfoodin,oraround (peri-urban),avillage,town orcity3.Urbanfarmingisgenerallypracticedforincome-earning orfood-producing activities though in somecommunities themain impetus is recreation and relaxation.Urbanagriculturecontributestofoodsecurityandfoodsafetyintwoways:first,
itincreasestheamountoffoodavailabletopeoplelivingincities,and,second,itallows fresh vegetables andfruits and meat products to bemadeavailableto urban consumers.
OrganicAgriculture
•Organicagricultureisaproductionsystemthatsustainsthehealthofsoils,ecosystemsand people4. It relieson ecologicalprocesses,biodiversityandcyclesadaptedtolocalconditions, ratherthantheuseofinputswithadverseeffects.Organicagriculturecombinestradition, innovationandsciencetobenefitthesharedenvironmentandpromotefairrelationships and a good qualityoflifeforall involved.
ConservationAgriculture
•ConservationAgricultureisaconceptforresource-savingagriculturalcropproductionthat strivestoachieve acceptableprofitstogetherwithhighandsustainedproductionlevels
1 Source:OECDglossaryofstatisticalterms,ViewedMarch2009
2 Source:UNCCD(2008).,WorldDaytoCombatDesertification17 June2008.,Theme:Combatinglanddegradation forsustainableagriculture., ViewedMarch2009
3 Bailkey,M.andJ.Nasr.2000.FromBrownfieldstoGreenfields:ProducingFood inNorthAmericanCities. CommunityFoodSecurityNews.Fall1999/Winter2000:6
4 OrganicWorldFoundation(2008).,MakingaDifference,InspiringAction–ThatiswhatOrganicAgricultureis. ViewedMarch2009-
whileconcurrentlyconservingtheenvironment” (FAO 2008)5. The firstkeyprincipleinCAis practicingminimummechanicalsoildisturbancewhich isessential tomaintaining minerals withinthesoil,stoppingerosion,andpreventingwaterlossfromoccurringwithin thesoil. Thesecondkeyprinciplein CAis muchlikethe firstprincipleindealingwithprotectingthe soil.Theprincipleofmanagingthetopsoiltocreateapermanentorganicsoilcovercan allowforgrowth oforganisms within thesoil structure. This growth will breakdown the mulchthatisleftonthesoilsurface. Thebreakingdownofthismulchwillproduceahigh organicmatterlevelwhich willactasafertilizerforthesoilsurface. Thethirdandfinal principlethatisexercisedbytheFAOisthepracticeofcroprotationwithmorethantwo cropspecies.Thisprocesswillnotallowpestssuchasinsectsandweedstobesetintoa rotationwith specificcrops.Rotationalcrops willact asanatural insecticideandherbicide against specific crops.
Precisionagriculture
•PrecisionFarmingisanewtechnologythatallowsfarmerstolookattheirfieldsmoresite specifically than before and apply inputs in a manner more specific than a blanket application. This technologysaves money whileholding orenhancing yieldoutput ofthe field.Environmentalpollutionisalsobereducedusingthismethod6.Precisionagriculture
usesICTtocoverthe three aspectsofproductionnamelyfordatacollectionofinformation input throughoptions as GlobalPositioning System(GPS)satellitedata,gridsoilsampling, yieldmonitoring,remotesensing,etc;fordata analysisorprocessingthroughGeographic Information System (GIS)and decision technologiesas process models,artificial intelligence systems,and expert systems;and forapplication ofinformation byfarmers.
Industrial agriculture
•Industrialagricultureisaformofmodernfarmingthatreferstotheindustrializedproduction of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops 7. The methods of industrial agriculture are technoscientific,economic, andpolitical.Theyincludeinnovationinagriculturalmachinery andfarmingmethods,genetictechnology,techniquesforachievingeconomiesofscalein
production,thecreationofnew marketsforconsumption,theapplicationofpatent protection to genetic information,and global trade. Thesemethods are widespread in developednationsandincreasinglyprevalentworldwide.Mostofthemeat,dairy,eggs, fruits,andvegetablesavailableinsupermarketsare producedusingthesemethodsof industrial agriculture.
Bio-dynamicagriculture/ecologicalagriculture
•Biodynamic agriculture, a method of organic farming that has its basis in a spiritual world-view(anthroposophy,firstpropounded byRudolfSteiner),treatsfarmsasunifiedand individualorganisms,emphasizingbalancingtheholisticdevelopmentandinterrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a closed, self-nourishing system8. Regarded by some proponentsas the first modernecological farmingsystem, biodynamicfarmingincludes
organic agriculture's emphasis on manures and composts and exclusion of the use of artificialchemicalson soilandplants.Methodsuniquetothebiodynamic approach include theuseoffermentedherbalandmineralpreparationsascompostadditivesandfieldsprays
5 FAO2008.,AgricultureandConsumerProtectionDepartment,ConservationAgriculture.WhatisConservation
Agriculture?ViewedMarch2009,
6 KansasStateUniversity—BiologicalandAgriculturalEngineeringDepartment.,PrecisionAgriculture:Tomorrows futureheretoday.ViewedMarch2009-
7 Agri-vision,AgricultureGuide(2007): TrendOfIndustrialAgriculture.,ViewedMarch2009
8 BiodynamicFarming:Advancedbiodynamictechnologiesforeffectiveorganicfarming.WhatisBiodynamic farming(2009).,ViewedMarch2009-
andtheuseofan astronomical sowing and plantingcalendar.
CommunitySupportedAgriculture
•CommunitySupportedAgriculture,orCSA,isadirectmarketingalternativeforsmall-scale growers9.InaCSA,thefarmergrowsfoodforagroupofshareholders(orsubscribers)who pledgetobuyaportionofthefarm'scropthatseason.Thisarrangementgivesgrowers up-front cash to finance their operation and higher prices for produce, since the middleman has been eliminated. Besides receiving a weekly box or bag of fresh,
high-qualityproduce,shareholdersalsoknowthatthey'redirectlysupportinga localfarm.
SlashandBurn(swidden)agriculture
•Slashandburnconsistsofcuttingandburningofforestsorwoodlandstocreatefieldsfor agricultureorpastureforlivestock,orforavarietyofotherpurposes.Itissometimespart ofshiftingcultivationagriculture,andoftranshumancelivestockherding.Burningremoves thevegetationandmayreleaseapulseofnutrientstofertilizethesoil.Ashalsoincreases thepHofthesoil,aprocesswhichmakescertainnutrients(especiallyphosphorus)more availableintheshortterm.Burningalsotemporarilydrivesoffsoilmicroorganisms,pests, andestablishedplantslongenoughforcropstobeplantedintheirashes.Beforeartificial fertilizerswereavailable,firewasoneofthemostwidespreadmethodsoffertilization.
9 ATTRA- NationalSustainableAgricultureInformationService.,CommunitySupportedAgriculture
ByKatherineL.Adam.,NationalCenterforAppropriateTechnology(NCAT)AgricultureSpecialist.Published2006.,ATTRAPublication#IP289