Chapter 12 : Intensity of Food Production
Political
Government Policies
- can encourage greater productivity by building new farming facilities or by providing loans & subsidies to farmers.
- may also affect productivity on a regional level.
- It is the plan of action that a government takes.
Social
Land Fragmentation
- Countries such as China & North Korea, are still practising such tradition.
- with limited output of a small farm, it is unprofitable to use expensive machines. Hence, productivity is low as more labour is need to work on farm.
- normally by inheritance, over many generations.
- where a piece of land is divided into smaller plots.
Land Tenure
- therefore there is little motivation for farmers to use improved farming methods.
- cause harvest eventually go to government or landlords who own the land.
- does not promote efficient use of the land to increase productivity.
Physical
Climate
- Farmers in these areas are often able to produce 2 or more successive crops in a year on the same field.
- output is higher in areas with high temperature & rainfall because such conditions are more favourable for plant growth.
Soil
- soil fertile, less need for a resting period for a resting period. Hence, farmers able to produce more crops. Thus, productivity increases.
- this influences the fertility of soil, hence affecting the productivity of the land.
- nutrients in soil consist of minerals; phosphours, iron & zinc, which are helpful for healthy plant growth.
Relief
- easier for farmers to transport & operate heavy machines on gentle relief than on steep relief.
- It is the physical height & slope of land.
Technological
The Blue Revolution (sea)
- Fish farming
Subtopic
The Green Revolution (land)
Use of Chemicals
- Herbicides: removing weeds by hand is laborious & time-consuming. Thus, spray herbicides to remove weeds.
- Pesticides: toxic chemicals used to destroy pests.
- Insecticides: kill insects.
- Fertilisers: substance added to soil to provide nutrients for healthy plant growth & continuously cultivation.
- different mixtures of nutrients increase output of crops.
Modern irrigation methods
- ensures crops receive enough water during dry season.
- water sprinklers & sluice gates, are used to control amt. of water for watering crops.
- Irrigation is the practise of supplying water to land through artifical means.
High-yielding varieties (HYVs)
higher outputs, increase in productivity.
- shorter growing period results in higher yield of crops produced.
- developed with different valuable traits e.g. pest resistance or shorter growth duration
Economic
Capital
- Hence, productivity of land increase.
- enables farmer carry out farming faster.
- large amount of capital, farmers can buy machines such as tractors.
- It is the sum of money used to start/expand food production.
Demand
- so they can earn more money by selling more crops or liverstock.
- A high demand for food, encourage food producers to increase their output & productivity
