Farming can be viewed as a system with inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback. Physical inputs include water, land, and raw materials while human inputs are money, labor, and skills. Processes transform inputs into outputs, which can be positive like crops and meat or negative like waste. Feedback puts money and knowledge back into the system. There are different types of farming like arable, pastoral, and mixed, which can be commercial, subsistence, or plantations. Sustainable agriculture maximizes yields through techniques like crop rotation, irrigation, and limited chemicals. The Green Revolution increased food production but was expensive, water intensive, and relied heavily on chemicals, negatively impacting the environment and farmers.

1. Economic Geography:
Farming

2. Agriculture
A system of growing crops and raising animals which
involves soil conservation and sustainable irrigation.
In simple terms, also known as farming.
Other types of ‘cultures’-silviculture; pisciculture;
viticulture; sericulture;aquaculture

4. Farming As A
System

5. Inputs
Any farm can be viewed as a system, with inputs,
throughputs (or processes), outputs and feedback.
Inputs can be divided into two groups.
Physical inputs are naturally occurring things
such as water, raw materials and the land.
Human or Cultural Inputs are things like
money, labour, and skills.

6. Processes And Outputs
Processes or Throughputs are the actions
within the farm that allow the inputs to turn into
outputs. Processes could include things such as
milking, harvesting and shearing.
Outputs can be negative or positive, although they
are usually the latter. Negative outputs include
waste products and soil erosion. The positive
outputs are the finished products, such as meat,
milk and eggs, and the money gained from the sale
of those products.

7. Feedback
Feedback is what is put back into the system.
The main two examples of this are money, from the
sale of the outputs, and knowledge, gained from the
whole manufacturing process.
This knowledge could then be used to make the
product better or improve the efficiency of the
processes.

9. Types of Farming
Arable- growing crops
Pastoral- rearing animals

10. Mixed farming

11. These three types can be-
 Subsistence (Intensive/extensive)- slash and burn also known
as Jhooming
 Commercial (intensive/extensive)
 Shifting
 Sedentary
 Plantations- Monoculture
 Livestock/ranching
Done either on Small scale or large scale

12. Sustainable agriculture
Maximizing the carrying capacity of land (yield) with
the use of correct irrigation techniques to ensure soil
conservation
Some possible ways-
Organic farming
Crop rotation
Irrigation techniques like- drip/sprinkler etc.
Fallow land
Limited use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides-
use of natural manure

13. Case studies
Subsistence farming
Commercial farming- one plantation and one other

14. Green Revolution
The introduction of modern western style farming
techniques in LEDCs during the late 1960's and
1970's.
 Norman Borlaug- 1940’s researched on wheat
Supported by Rockefeller and Ford foundations- a
lot of work done on varieties of rice- especially in
Philippines
Introduction of HYVs

15. Advantages of GR
Increased food production- improved food trade
Helped solve problem of food shortage-
Shorter growing period- farmers could grow 2-3
crops in the same duration
Consumers had access to different types of crops
Some farmers in LEDCs gained financially

16. Disadvantages of GR
Expensive for some farmer- HYVs were not cheap
Water intensive
Heavily rely on Insecticides and fertilizers increasing
chances of euthrophication
Not suitable to the local palate as the taste changed
Natural varieties lost
Foreign dependence increased (tariffs and subsidies
became very important)
Mechanization increased leading to umemployment

17. GM crops Vs Organic Crops
Genetically modified- so look/production was better
but taste is not- though uniform-led to unnecessary
growth in size/shape/texture of crops- effects on
humans still not known-destruction of native species
Organic- grown the natural way- takes longer-more
expensive-but healthy food.

18. Food security
The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food
security as existing “when all people at all times have
access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain
a healthy and active life”.
Its 3 pillars are-
Food Availability
Food Access
Food Use

19. Malnourised
Badly nourished
Under/over
Disease of affluence and Poverty

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