Types of Farming

1. Commercial Agriculture/Farming:

  • Cash-crop farmers sell products on the local or world market

Examples of Commercial Farming(crops, etc):

  • Any individual farmer (or corporation) only grows a few crops even on very large farms(they specialize)
  • They may not use any of what they produce
  • Examples???

What kind of countries would likely take part in this practice? Why?

  • Usually developed countries with access to a surplus of food (grocery stores)

2. Subsistence Farming:

  • Crops and livestock to meet the immediate need of the family
  • Surplus may be sold

Examples of Subsistence Farming (kinds of agriculture, etc):

  • Variety of products, small farms, usually individually owned

What kind of countries/areas would likely take part in this practice? Why?

  • Usually less developed nations where people must grow their own food rather than buy it
  • Is it making a comeback in the developed world? Why?

What is the main difference between Commercial Farming and Subsistence Farming?

  • Goal: Your own food supply vs. a business (in some cases big business)
  • Profit vs. subsistence and survival

3. Intensive Farming:

  • Farming a small area of land in a concentrated fashion with lots of labour and capital
  • Higher crop yields, efficiency

Examples of Intensive Farming (crops, locations):

  • Canada: fruits and vegetables, vineyards, feedlots, hog factory farms

What kind of countries would likely take part in this practice? Why?

  • those with limited land and the capital necessary to invest (modern farming)

4. Extensive Farming:

  • Farming large amounts of land with limited labour and capital
  • Crop yields more dependent on nature

Examples of Extensive Farming (crops, locations):

  • Canada: grain, oil seed, ranching, mixed farming

What kind of countries would likely take part in this practice? Why?

  • Countries with a lot of agricultural land, less developed nations

What are the major differences between intensive and extensive farming? Think: cost of land, amount of land used, value of output, amount of input….

  • Way more investment in intensive farming (chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, machinery
  • Less investment in extensive farming
  • Which is better for the environment????

5. What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) or Transgenic Organisms?

  • Organisms that have been genetically modified withdesirable genes from one organism moved to another

What are some benefits of GM crops?

  • Added nutrients
  • Blindness preventing rice
  • Plants with added nutrients, disease resistance, resistance to herbicides, resistance to insects (produce toxins to kill insects)
  • Weed control (herbicide resistant crops)
  • Research on cancer, and muscular dystrophy
  • Cows produce more milk, leaner pork, sheep and pigs that produce human proteins

What is the extent of GM Agriculture? (Around the globe, what countries are doing this? When did this start? What kinds of crops are grown? How much is produced? Is it just crops?)

  • See figure 20.9/20.10

What is so controversial about GMO’s?

  • FRANKENFOODS!!!
  • Scientific and ethical concerns
  • Creation of super-insects
  • genetic warfare
  • Ownership of agricultural advancements
  • can you patent food sources?
  • Seed producers force farmers to continually buy from them
  • Is it ethical to engineer a plant that kills its own seeds?
  • What would this gene do to other plants if it spread?
  • Is this messing with evolution?
  • Trans genetic fish
  • Is there enough research on this????

In your opinion, do you think we should be using GMO’s? Why or why not? (Support your response with data from the above questions or from what you’ve read about GMO’s. Take a close look at the controversy and the benefits of using GMO’s. What areas of the world could benefit the most?)