Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Key Issue #2: Where are Agricultural Regions in Less Developed Countries (PINGs)?
Shifting Cultivation
Where???
Humid Low latitudes climate regions Amazon area, Central and West Africa, and SE Asia It is practiced by about 250 million people
Shifting Cultivation
Hallmarks
Slash-and-burn agriculture Farmers grow crops on a cleared field for only a few years until soil nutrients are depleted and then leave it fallow (nothing planted) for many years so the soil can recover.
Shifting Cultivation
The process:
Clear the dense vegetation Burn the debris Prepare the fields by hand Leave after about 3 years Return in 6-20 years
Shifting Cultivation
Crops of Shifting cultivation
Vary according to local custom and taste SE Asia rice South America maize Africa millet and sorghum
millet
sorghum
Shifting Cultivation
Ownership and Use of Land
People who use shifting cultivation tend to live in small villages and use the surrounding land for agriculture. The land is owned by the village as a whole, not an individual. The chief or ruling council allocates the land to the people.
Pastoral Nomadism
Pastoral nomadism is a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals. Adapted to dry climates such as North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia There are only about 15 million pastoral nomads, but they occupy about 20% of Earths land area.
Choice of Animals
The type of animal and size of the herd is selected based upon the local culture and physical characteristics The Middle East camel followed by goats and sheep Central Asia the horse
Double Cropping
Double cropping the process of getting two harvests on a field each year Common in places with warm winters Usually involves wet rice in the summer and wheat, barley, or another dry crop in the winter
Plantation Farming
Plantation a large farm that specializes in one or two crops; a form of commercial agriculture found in the tropics Generally found in PINGs, they are often operated by Europeans or North Americans The crops are often for sale PEDs
Rubber Trees