Mr.

Mangan
IB2 ESS
1 November 2016
5.2 Types of Farming
1. Describe the types of farming.
Arable farming grows crops, eg wheat and barley.
Pastoral farming is raising animals, eg cows and sheep.
Mixed farming is both arable and pastoral.
2.Outline the factors influencing sustainability of agriculture
Factor

Commercial farming:
mostly MEDCs

Subsistence farming: mostly

in LEDCs

Water use

Very heavy water demands

and large-scale irrigation
solutions needed to divert
water from people, causing
localized water supply
problems

Requires water which can be

used unsustainably.

Fossil fuels

Used in their machinery,

negatively affecting the
atmosphere

Little to no fossil fuels used

as it is done by individuals
(farmers) with their own
traditional or convenient
farming practices

Community (society)

Viewpoints of the society may

influence farming methods; if
society highly values the
environment, then more
sustainable methods will be
used.

The society might be just

concerned with the
availability of food for cheap
so the values of the
communities may not
necessarily impact the
sustainability of the farms.
However, individual farmers
are able to use their own
traditional farming methods
that are often sustainable
practices anyways.

Investment (money)

Commercial farming has

Farmers who farm to survive

more funds so more access to have fewer funds to spend in

greater machinery that may be using sustainable farming
more damaging on the
methods.
environment. Likewise, more
money might promote
switching to sustainable
practices as more research
and opportunities will be
available.
Industrialization

Greater machines can be used

which can negatively affect
the health of the soil, the
atmosphere, and the food
produce.

More basic tools and

machinery are used that are
passed down by generations
which are often more
sustainable than commercial
farming methods.

Scale

Commercial farming requires

big amounts of food to be
produced which often leads to
unethical and
environmentally-damaging
practices.

Less demand on producing

food so there is no
exploitation of the land. This
means there is a smaller
chance to use unsustainable
farming methods.

Legislation

More laws are in place so

there are stricter rules to
follow

Fewer laws means that it is

easier to use unsustainable
farming practices that might
be cheaper and more
practical.

Pest Control

Insecticides used are harmful

to the environment which is
not a sustainable farming
method.

Pesticides might be too

expensive to use so farmers
may use natural pesticides
like natural predators to eat
the pests.

Fertilizers

Fertilizers disrupt the nutrient It might be too expensive to

levels in the soil which allows use fertilizers so they will not
more crops to grow quicker
use harmful chemicals.
and better. However, the
unnatural disturbance could
lead to eutrophication which
is negative.

3. Consider your own food choices. Which of the following factors determine what you eat? Are
other factors involved as well?
Environmental, ethical, and health factors determine my food choices. Our diets have great
impact on the environment so it is so important to be aware of our food choices. So I try to eat
less meat because of the water it takes.