Agriculture

Objectives

 Definition of agriculture
 Characteristics of agricultural systems
with respect to commercial and small
scale farming including subsistence
 Farming creates novel ecological conditions
which are referred to as agroecosystems. They
tend to differ from natural ecosystems in six
ways:
◦ Ecological succession is halted-under normal
conditions crops would be replaced by successional
plants
◦ Biological diversity and food chains are simplified
◦ Focus is on monoculture as opposed to many plant
species
◦ Crops are planted in neat rows or fields-makes it
easier for pests to have nowhere to hide
◦ Requires plowing which does not occur in any natural
ecosystem
◦ May include genetically modified crops
Climate
 There are two seasons
◦ dry season from February to May
◦ Wet season from July to December
◦ January and June are considered transition months
Crops that are exported from the Caribbean are:
Rice (wet season) Cocoa (all year)
Sugarcane (dry season) Coffee(all year)
Banana(wet/dry season)
Citrus(dry season)
Land Availability

 Due to the size of many of the smaller

islands, the size of the farms would be
restricted to a small scale with larger
islands(Jamaica, Cuba, Hispanola) having
bigger farms. Many of the larger estates
can also be found on many of the
mainland territories (Guyana, Belize,
Suriname)
History
 The colonial process has influenced the type
of crops grown on a large scale in the
Caribbean. Sugarcane was grown to supply
the demand for sugar in Britain even though
it was very rarely used in the Caribbean.
Due to the fact that slaves were not allowed
to trade goods for money and they were
under-fed by plantation owners, there was
also the development of subsistence farming
within many countries
Technology
 Many farms use simple tools shovels,
wheelbarrows, forks and hoes
 Larger farms using machinery such as
tractors, harvesters and backhoes
(however, these would be restricted to
wealthier farmers on flat land.
Cultural Preferences
 Differences in religious beliefs and dietary
needs and preferences would influence
the types of crops grown on the local
market as well as the type on animals
reared
Intensive Agriculture
 A system of cultivation using large amounts of labour
and capital relative to the land area. Large amounts of
labour and capital are necessary for the application of
fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides to
growing crops with capital being particularly to the
acquistion and maintenance of high efficiency machinery
for planting, cultivating, harvesting and irrigation systems.
Optimal use of these materials and machines produces
significantly greater crop yield per unit land. As a result a
farm using intensive agriculture will require less land
than a extensive agriculture farm to produce a similar
profit
Extensive Agriculture
 A system of crop production using small amounts of
labour and capital in relation to the area of land being
farmed. The crop yield in extensive agriculture depends
primarily on the natural fertility of the soil terrain,
climate and the availability of water. Extensive
agriculture a lower yield per unit of land making its use
commercially to require land amounts of land in order
to be profitable. This demand for land means that
extensive agriculture must be carried out where land
values are low in relation to labour and capital, which in
turn means that it is practiced where population
densities are low
Types of Agriculture
 Agroforestry is the land use system where woody perennials are deliberately used
on the same land management unit as agriculture, crops and/or animals OR is a
technique that uses trees as a major component of the multicrop production
system and compares to a natural multi-layer ecosystem
Plantation system
 Land owned by foriegn entity
 Plantation system had a large labour force
 The workers were landless
 Production was not for the local market,
it was for the foreign market
 Only one crop was grown; sugarcane
(monocropping)
 Wages were low
 Commercial agriculture Subsistence farming

Scale of operation Large scale Small scale

System of production Monocropping Intercropping ,slash and
burn, crop rotation
Type of crops Sugarcane, coffee, rice Pumpkin, tomato,potato,
peppers
Type of labour Hired labour force Labour intensive (family)
Equipment Irrigation systems, harvester Simple tools
tractor, plougher

Financing Capital intensive (bank Small capital (family funding,

loan) personal savings)
Yields per hectare High low
 Why mechanization?
 Mechanization is a crucial input for agricultural
crop production.
 Increasing the power supply to agriculture
means that more tasks can be completed at the
right time and greater areas can be farmed to
produce greater quantities of crops while
conserving natural resources.
 Applying new technologies that are
environmentally friendly enables farmers to
produce crops more efficiently by using less
power.
Sustainable agricultural
mechanization
 can contribute significantly to the
development of value chains and food
systems as it has the potential to render
postharvest, processing and marketing
activities and functions more efficient,
effective and environmentally friendly.
Mechanization- Presentations
 Harvesters
 Ploughs
 Tractors
 Irrigation systems
Advantages of sustainable
mechanization
 Sustainable mechanization can:
- increase land productivity by facilitating
timeliness and quality of cultivation;
- support opportunities that relieve the
burden of labour shortages and enable
households to withstand shocks better;
- decrease the environmental footprint of
agriculture when combined with adequate
conservation agriculture practices; and
- reduce poverty and achieve food security
while improving people's livelihoods.
 Monocropping

Industrial agriculture maximizes production and profits by

using excessive amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides
and hormones that end up in what we eat, drink and
breathe, endangering our health.
Negative Impacts of Using Inorganic
Fertilizers
Environmental Issues associated
with Single Crop Cultivation
Recommendations