Difference between revisions of "Subsistence farming" - New World Encyclopedia

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Like most farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this Cameroonian man cultivates at the subsistence level.

Subsistence farming, or subsistence agriculture, is a mode of agriculture in which a plot of land produces only enough food to feed the family or small community working it. All produce grown is intended for consumption purposes as opposed to market sale or trade. Depending on climate, soil conditions, agricultural practices and the crop grown, it generally requires between 1,000 and 40,000 m² (0.25 and 10 acres) per person.

A recognizably harsh way of living, subsistence farmers can experience a rare surplus of produce goods under conditions of good weather which may allow farmers to sell or trade such goods at market. Because such surpluses are rare, subsistence farming does not allow for economic growth and development, the accumulation of capital, or the specialization of labor. Diets of subsistence communities are confined to little else than what is produced by community farmers. Subsistence crops are usually organic due to a lack of finances to buy or trade for industrial inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides or genetically modified seeds.

History

For countries like Botswana, Bolivia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Mexico, Yugoslavia, and Vietnam, subsistence farming continues to be a way of life. Subsistence farming, which exists most commonly throughout areas of Sub-Sahara Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of South and Central America, is an extension of primitive foraging practiced by early civilizations. Within early foraging communities, like hunter-gatherer societies, small communities consumed only what was hunted or gathered by community members each day. As the domestication of certain plants and animals evolved, a more advanced subsistence agricultural society evolved in which communities practiced small-scale, low-intensity farming to produce an efficient amount of goods to meet the basic consumption needs of the community. Subsistence farming is believed to have been practiced by most early civilizations until, over time, population densities rose, intensive farming methods developed and the movement toward commercial farming and industrialization became more prominent.

Historically, most farmers engaged in subsistence farming for survival. Today, subsistence farming is most prevalent within the poorest developing nations on earth where over one billion people live on less than $1U.S. dollar per day, and more than two billion more live for less than $5US dollars per day. To more than half of the human population on Earth, money is a minor consideration in how agriculture works, what crops are planted, and what tools and methods are used.

Techniques

Techniques of subsistence farming include slash and burn clearing in which farmers clear plots of farmland by cutting down all brush, allowing the debris to dry, and later burning the fallen refuse. This works to clear the field for cultivation, while the leftover ash serves as a natural fertilizer. This type of clearing technique is often employed by subtropical communities throughout lush areas of South and Central America.

In the absence of technology, the area of land that a farmer can cultivate each season is limited by factors such as available tools and the quality of the soil. Tools used by subsistence farmers are often limited. Most farmers do not have access to large domesticated work animals, and therefore clear, toil and harvest their goods using pointed sticks, hoes, or by hand. If the land does not produce a surplus, due to the fertility of the soil, climate conditions, tools and techniques, or available crop types, the farmer can do no more than hope to subsist on it. Under these conditions, subsequent years with poor harvests often result in food scarcity and famine.

Not all subsistence farmers have access to as much land as they can cultivate. Many times, socioeconomic conditions prevent an expansion of farming plots and an increase in produce levels. If inheritance traditions require that a plot be split among an owner's children upon the owner’s death, plot sizes can steadily decrease.

Obstacles to Industrial Development

The Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto has argued that one obstacle to industrial development is that subsistence farmers can not convert their work into capital which can be used to start new businesses and trigger industrialization. De Soto has argued that these obstacles exist often because subsistence farmers do not have clear titles to the land which they work and to the crops which they produce.

In addition to the problems presented by undefined property rights, monetary demands on industrial producers, like produce taxes, often dissuade subsistence farmers from entering the commercial farming sector. Moreover, the marginal benefit of surplus production is limited, and any extra effort to increase production is often wasted.

Subsistence farmers in underdeveloped countries also lack an equal access to markets. Even if attempting to specialize in the production and distribution of certain crops, many subsistence communities would still lack access to open market systems in which the sale or trade of goods are possible. Educational studies have also shown certain industrial growth techniques to depend on various infrastructures, climates, or resources that are not available in all subsistence farming communities. In this way, subsistence farming may represent the only way many deeply rural communities can survive.

Industrial Intervention

Many techniques have been attempted, with varying degrees of success, to help subsistence farmers to produce consistent surpluses so that small underdeveloped communities can begin the path toward commercial farming, economic growth and development.

Education about modern agricultural techniques has proven to have limited success in areas practicing subsistence farming. Though some subsistence communities lack the basic infrastructure for industrial growth, a second approach to education has been to provide community farmers with non-agricultural marketable skills. Under this reasoning, the implicit assumption is that the subsistence farmer will leave the community to seek employment in an area where greater resources are available. This technique has been met with marginal success as it often ignores the human desire to stay within one’s community.

In recent years, some attention has been given to developing underutilized crops, particularly in areas of Africa and South-East Asia. Genetically modified crops, such as golden rice, have also been used to educate farmers within subsistence communities. Such crops are proven to have higher nutrient content or disease resistance than natural varieties, and represent an increase in farming efficiency. This technique has been highly successful in some parts of the world, though the long-term ecological and epidemiological effects of these crops are often poorly understood.

Agriculturally, proper irrigation techniques can also dramatically improve the productivity of subsistence farmland and have been introduced to certain rural communities in hopes of promoting output surpluses. Traditional irrigation methods, if in place, have been shown to be extremely labor-intensive, wasteful of water, and may require a community-wide infrastructure which is difficult to implement. Certain programs have helped to introduce new types of irrigation equipment available, which are both inexpensive and water-efficient, to subsistence farming communities. Many subsistence farmers, however, are often unaware of such technologies, are unable to afford them, or have difficulties marketing their crops after investing in irrigation equipment.

Microloans, loans of very small sums of money (often less than $25), have also been shown to enable farmers to purchase equipment or draft animals. Alternatively, microloans can also enable farmers to find non-agricultural occupations in their communities.

Subsistence Farming & the Modern World

Despite its difficulties, subsistence farming remains a part of the modern world today. For many underdeveloped nations, subsistence farming represents the only option to prevent starvation.

In some parts of the world, subsistence farming has been argued to be economically efficient. These areas include various subtropical regions of Columbia and Papua New Guinea. Under these subtropical conditions, rainfall levels are often high and various crops can be produced year round.

These arguments do not hold for many Sub-Saharan regions of Africa, where poverty and famine levels are some of the highest in the world. In parts of rural Zambia, the majority of the population relies on subsistence farming to survive. As irrigation systems are few, most Zambians must rely on seasonal rains to ensure crop production. In 1995, Zambia underwent a severe drought which vastly diminished production levels throughout subsistence farming communities. Similar impoverishment can be observed throughout parts of the Amazon Basin of Brazil and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, which also rely heavily on subsistence farming.

Many developmental economists argue against the use of subsistence farming and promote commercial farming and economic industrialization as the solution to worldwide hunger. Economist Ronald E. Seavoy, author of Subsistence and Economic Development, argues that subsistence farming is to blame for high levels of poverty and increasing instances of famine. He suggests the first priority of central governments to be the transformation of subsistence agriculture into commercial agriculture which will ultimately promote economic growth and development among economically underdeveloped nations.

External Links

Mozambique Subsistence Agriculture FAO Newsroom 23 August, 2004.

Subsistence Farming A Way of Life in Zambia.

Uganda: Commerical Farming is Way to Go- Serunjogi

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

CBC News Viewpoint. Subsistence Farming; A Way of Life in Zambia. 14 March, 2006.

The Monitor (Kampala). Uganda: Commerical Farming is Way to Go- Serunjogi. 14 February, 2007. www.allafrica.com. Retrieved 21 February, 2007.

Seavoy, Ronald. Subsistence and Economic Development. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT. 2000. ISBN 0275967824.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Claimed}}{{Contracted}}
 [[Image:Bakweri cocoyam farmer from Cameroon.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Like most farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this Cameroonian man cultivates at the subsistence level.]]
-'''Subsistence farming''' is a mode of [[horticulture]] in which a plot of land produces only enough food to feed the family working it. Depending on [[climate]], [[soil]] conditions, agricultural practices and the crop grown, it generally requires between 1,000 and 40,000 m&sup2; (0.25 and 10 acres) per person.
+'''Subsistence farming''', or subsistence agriculture, is a mode of [[agriculture]] in which a plot of land produces only enough food to feed the family or small community working it. All produce grown is intended for consumption purposes as opposed to market sale or trade. Depending on [[climate]], [[soil]] conditions, agricultural practices and the crop grown, it generally requires between 1,000 and 40,000 m&sup2; (0.25 and 10 acres) per person.
-[[Subsistence]] farming, by definition, produces only enough food to sustain the farmers through their normal daily activities.  It is a harsh way of living. Good weather may occasionally allow them to produce a surplus for sale or [[barter]], but surpluses are rare.  Because surpluses are rare, subsistence farming does not allow for growth, the accumulation of capital or even for much [[specialization of labor]].  The farming family is left almost entirely without implements or goods that it cannot produce by itself.
+A recognizably harsh way of living, subsistence farmers can experience a rare surplus of produce goods under conditions of good weather which may allow farmers to sell or [[trade]] such goods at market. Because such surpluses are rare, subsistence farming does not allow for economic growth and development, the accumulation of capital, or the [[specialization of labor]]. Diets of subsistence communities are confined to little else than what is produced by community farmers.  Subsistence crops are usually [[Organic farming|organic]] due to a lack of [[finances]] to buy or trade for industrial inputs such as [[fertilizer]], [[pesticide]]s or [[genetically modified organism|genetically modified seed]]s.
 ==History==
+For countries like [[Botswana]], [[Bolivia]], [[Rwanda]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Zambia]], [[Mexico]], [[Yugoslavia]], and [[Vietnam]], subsistence farming continues to be a way of life. Subsistence farming, which exists most commonly throughout areas of Sub-Sahara Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of South and Central America, is an extension of primitive foraging practiced by early civilizations.  Within early foraging communities, like hunter-gatherer societies, small communities consumed only what was hunted or gathered by community members each day. As the domestication of certain plants and animals evolved, a more advanced subsistence agricultural society evolved in which communities practiced small-scale, low-intensity farming to produce an efficient amount of goods to meet the basic consumption needs of the community. Subsistence farming is believed to have been practiced by most early civilizations until, over time, population densities rose, intensive farming methods developed and the movement toward commercial farming and industrialization became more prominent.
-'''Subsistence agriculture''' is [[agriculture]] carried out for survival &mdash; with few or no crops available for sale.  It is usually [[Organic farming|organic]], simply for lack of [[money]] to buy industrial inputs such as [[fertilizer]] and [[pesticide]]s and [[genetically modified organism|genetically modified seed]]s.  It is however not always [[sustainable agriculture]], as such techniques as [[slash and burn]] agriculture are common for instance in [[rainforest]] regions.
+Historically, most [[farmer]]s engaged in subsistence farming for survival. Today, subsistence farming is most prevalent within the poorest [[developing nation]]s on earth where over one billion people live on less than $1U.S. dollar per day, and more than two billion more live for less than $5US dollars per day. To more than half of the human population on [[Earth]], money is a minor consideration in how agriculture works, what crops are planted, and what tools and methods are used.
-Historically most [[farmer]]s were engaged in these practices for subsistence, and this is still the case in the poorest [[developing nation]]s, where over one billion people live on under one U.S. dollar per day, and two more billion live on under five dollars a day.  To half the human population on [[Earth]], money is a minor consideration in how agriculture works, what crops are planted, and what tools and methods are used.  Each region has a few traditional crops, and methods to grow those that amount to [[gardening]] on a large enough scale to feed one family or [[extended family]].
+==Techniques==
+Techniques of subsistence farming include [[slash and burn]] clearing in which farmers clear plots of farmland by cutting down all brush, allowing the debris to dry, and later burning the fallen refuse. This works to clear the field for cultivation, while the leftover ash serves as a natural fertilizer. This type of clearing technique is often employed by subtropical communities throughout lush areas of South and Central America.
-[[Cash crop]]s are never the motive of subsistence agriculture, although excess of traditional crops can often be sold in towns, or, more likely rare foodstuffs can be gathered in the wild and sold.  The [[bushmeat]] trade is such a sideline &mdash; hunting of wild animals to feed the cities.
+In the absence of technology, the area of land that a farmer can cultivate each season is limited by factors such as available tools and the quality of the soil.  Tools used by subsistence farmers are often limited. Most farmers do not have access to large domesticated work animals, and therefore clear, toil and harvest their goods using pointed sticks, hoes, or by hand. If the land does not produce a surplus, due to the fertility of the soil, climate conditions, tools and techniques, or available crop types, the farmer can do no more than hope to subsist on it. Under these conditions, subsequent years with poor harvests often result in food scarcity and [[famine]].
-The Peruvian [[economist]] [[Hernando de Soto (economist)|Hernando de Soto]] has argued that one obstacle to industrial development is that subsistence farmers can not convert their work into [[capital]] which can be used to start new businesses and trigger industrializations.  He argues that these obstacles exist often because [[subsistence farmer]]s do not have clear title to the land which they work and to the crops which they produce.
+Not all subsistence farmers have access to as much land as they can cultivate.  Many times, socioeconomic conditions prevent an expansion of farming plots and an increase in produce levels.  If [[inheritance]] traditions require that a plot be split among an owner's children upon the owner’s death, plot sizes can steadily decrease.
+==Obstacles to Industrial Development==
+The Peruvian [[economist]] [[Hernando de Soto (economist)|Hernando de Soto]] has argued that one obstacle to industrial development is that subsistence farmers can not convert their work into [[capital]] which can be used to start new businesses and trigger industrialization.  De Soto has argued that these obstacles exist often because [[subsistence farmer]]s do not have clear titles to the land which they work and to the crops which they produce.
-==Contributing factors==
+In addition to the problems presented by undefined property rights, monetary demands on industrial producers, like produce [[tax]]es, often dissuade subsistence farmers from entering the commercial farming sector. Moreover, the marginal benefit of surplus production is limited, and any extra effort to increase production is often wasted.
-In the absence of technology, the area of land that a farmer can cultivate each season is limited by factors such as available tools and the quality of the soil.  If this land will not produce a surplus, due to the fertility of the soil, climate conditions, tools and techniques, or available crop types, the farmer can do no more than subsist on it.
-In the absence of a well developed commercialized agricultural sector, with monetary demands on the producer, such as [[tax]]es, any given agricultural producer has relatively little incentive to move beyond subsistence farming. Expending effort to produce surplusses generates very little benefit, so the extra  effort is usually wasted. Unfortunately, under these conditions years with poor harvests often result in food scarcety and [[famine]].
+Subsistence farmers in underdeveloped countries also lack an equal access to markets. Even if attempting to specialize in the production and distribution of certain crops, many subsistence communities would still lack access to open market systems in which the sale or trade of goods are possible. Educational studies have also shown certain industrial growth techniques to depend on various infrastructures, climates, or resources that are not available in all subsistence farming communities. In this way, subsistence farming may represent the only way many deeply rural communities can survive.
-Not all farmers have access to as much land as they can cultivate.  Socioeconomic conditions may prevent an expansion of farming plots.  If [[inheritance]] traditions require that a plot be split among the owner's children upon his death, plot sizes can steadily decrease.
+==Industrial Intervention==
+Many techniques have been attempted, with varying degrees of success, to help subsistence farmers to produce consistent surpluses so that small underdeveloped communities can begin the path toward commercial farming, [[economic growth]] and development.
-==Mitigation tactics==
+[[Education]] about modern agricultural techniques has proven to have limited success in areas practicing subsistence farming. Though some subsistence communities lack the basic infrastructure for industrial growth, a second approach to education has been to provide community farmers with non-agricultural [[marketable skill]]s.  Under this reasoning, the implicit assumption is that the subsistence farmer will leave the community to seek employment in an area where greater resources are available.  This technique has been met with marginal success as it often ignores the human desire to stay within one’s community.
-Many techniques have been attempted (with varying degrees of success) to help subsistence farmers to produce surpluses so the community can begin the path to [[economic growth]].
-[[Food aid]] can alleviate a short [[famine]], but does nothing to solve the inherent problem of subsistence production.  It is no longer considered a long-term solution.
+In recent years, some attention has been given to developing [[:Category:underutilized crops|underutilized crops]], particularly in areas of [[Africa]] and [[South-East Asia]]. [[Genetically modified crop]]s, such as [[golden rice]], have also been used to educate farmers within subsistence communities. Such crops are proven to have higher nutrient content or disease resistance than natural varieties, and represent an increase in farming efficiency.  This technique has been highly successful in some parts of the world, though the long-term [[ecology| ecological]] and [[epidemiology| epidemiological]] effects of these crops are often poorly understood.
-[[Education]] about modern agricultural techniques has had some limited success, but not as much as was originally hoped. Many instructors discovered that their techniques depended on [[infrastructure]], climate or resources which are not available in the subsistence community.
+Agriculturally, proper [[irrigation]] techniques can also dramatically improve the productivity of subsistence [[farmland]] and have been introduced to certain rural communities in hopes of promoting output surpluses.  Traditional irrigation methods, if in place, have been shown to be extremely labor-intensive, wasteful of [[water]], and may require a community-wide infrastructure which is difficult to implement.  Certain programs have helped to introduce new types of irrigation equipment available, which are both inexpensive and water-efficient, to subsistence farming communities.  Many subsistence farmers, however, are often unaware of such technologies, are unable to afford them, or have difficulties marketing their crops after investing in irrigation equipment.
-Another approach to education has been to provide the farmers with non-agricultural [[marketable skill]]s.  The implicit assumption is that the subsistence farmer will leave the community to seek employment in an area where greater resources are available.  This technique has met with marginal success because it often ignores the human desire to stay with community.
+[[Microloan]]s, loans of very small sums of money (often less than  [[US dollar|$]]25), have also been shown to enable farmers to purchase [[agricultural equipment|equipment]] or [[draft animal]]s.  Alternatively, microloans can also enable farmers to find non-agricultural occupations in their communities.
-In recent years, some attention has been given to developing [[:Category:underutilized crops|underutilized crops]], particularly in [[Africa]] and [[South-East Asia]].
+==Subsistence Farming & the Modern World==
+Despite its difficulties, subsistence farming remains a part of the modern world today. For many underdeveloped nations, subsistence farming represents the only option to prevent [[starvation]].
-Proper [[irrigation]] techniques can dramatically improve the output of [[farmland]].  Traditional irrigation methods can be extremely labor-intensive, wasteful of [[water]], and may require community-wide infrastructure which is difficult to implement.  There are new types of irrigation equipment available which are both inexpensive and water-efficient.  Many subsistence farmers, however, remain unaware of the new technologies, are unable to afford them, or have difficulties marketing their crops after investing in irrigation equipment.
+In some parts of the world, subsistence farming has been argued to be economically efficient. These areas include various subtropical regions of [[Columbia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. Under these subtropical conditions, rainfall levels are often high and various crops can be produced year round.
-[[Genetically modified crop]]s (ex. [[golden rice]]) can have higher nutrient content or disease resistance than natural varieties.  This technique has been highly successful in some parts of the world, though the long-term [[ecology|ecological]] and [[epidemiology|epidemiological]] effects of these crops are poorly understood.
+These arguments do not hold for many [[Sub-Saharan]] regions of [[Africa]], where poverty and famine levels are some of the highest in the world. In parts of rural [[Zambia]], the majority of the population relies on subsistence farming to survive. As [[irrigation]] systems are few, most Zambians must rely on seasonal rains to ensure crop production. In 1995, Zambia underwent a severe drought which vastly diminished production levels throughout subsistence farming communities. Similar impoverishment can be observed throughout parts of the [[Amazon Basin]] of [[Brazil]] and the [[Indonesian islands]] of [[Sumatra]] and [[Borneo]], which also rely heavily on subsistence farming.
-[[Microloan]]s, loans of very small sums of money (often less than  [[US dollar|$]]25), can enable farmers to purchase [[agricultural equipment|equipment]] or [[draft animal]]s.  Alternatively, microloans can enable farmers to find non-agricultural occupations in their communities.
+Many [[developmental economists]] argue against the use of subsistence farming and promote commercial farming and economic industrialization as the solution to worldwide hunger. Economist [[Ronald E. Seavoy]], author of ''Subsistence and Economic Development'', argues that subsistence farming is to blame for high levels of poverty and increasing instances of famine. He suggests the first priority of central governments to be the transformation of subsistence agriculture into commercial agriculture which will ultimately promote [[economic growth]] and [[development]] among economically [[underdeveloped]] nations.
-Subsistence farming exists nowadays in [[Batswana]], [[Benin]], [[Bolivia]], [[Congo]], [[Guinea]], [[Kikuyu]], [[Rwanda]],  [[Sierra Leone]], [[Zambia]], [[Mexico]], [[Yugoslavia]], [[Polynesia]], [[Kiribati]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Vanuatu]], [[Vietnam]] and multiple other countries.
+==External Links==
+*[http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/49917/index.html| Mozambique Subsistence Agriculture] FAO Newsroom 23 August, 2004.
-==External Links==
 *[http://www.ewb.ca/mainsite/pages/articles/mikequinn_viewpoints_march2006.pdf| Subsistence Farming] A Way of Life in Zambia.
-*[http://allafrica.com/stories/200702131031.html| Uganda] Commerical Farming is Way to Go- Serunjogi.
-*[http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/49917/index.html| Mozambique Subsistence Agriculture] FAO Newsroom 23 August, 2004.
+*[http://allafrica.com/stories/200702131031.html| Uganda: Commerical Farming is Way to Go- Serunjogi]
 ==References==
 *CBC News Viewpoint. [http://www.ewb.ca/mainsite/pages/articles/mikequinn_viewpoints_march2006.pdf| Subsistence Farming; A Way of Life in Zambia]. 14 March, 2006.
-*The Monitor (Kampala). [http://allafrica.com/stories/200702131031.html| Uganda: Commerical Farming is Way to Go- Serunjogi]. 14 February, 2007. allafrica.com. Retrieved 21 February, 2007.
+*The Monitor (Kampala). [http://allafrica.com/stories/200702131031.html| Uganda: Commerical Farming is Way to Go- Serunjogi]. 14 February, 2007. www.allafrica.com. Retrieved 21 February, 2007.
+*Seavoy, Ronald. ''Subsistence and Economic Development''. Praeger Publishers. Westport, CT. 2000. ISBN 0275967824.
 {{Credit2|Subsistence_farming|51248767|Subsistence_agriculture|44329582|}}