Factors Influencing Agriculture
Natural Factors
Climate:
All forms of agriculture are
controlled largely by temperature. Areas deficient in heat are deficient
in agriculture. For that is one element of climate that man has not
been able to create at economic costs on a large scale. Temperature
determines the growth of vegetation through determining the length of
the vegetative period.
Successful agriculture, therefore, requires
a fairly long summer. In higher latitudes, however, the shortness of
summer is compensated by the longer duration of the day. The total
amount of heat received is enough for ripening of crops.
In lower
latitudes where the winters are never too cold to arrest the growth of
vegetation, practically the whole year is the growing period, and the
agricultural operations are timed according to the supply of rainfall.
The
moisture requirements of the plant vary according to the heat received.
In the higher latitudes, where the summers are not very hot or where
the winds are not dry, the amount of moisture given out by plant
transpiration is less than in the lower latitudes where the heat
received is great and the capacity of the winds to suck up moisture
considerable.
The plants, therefore, require less moisture in the
temperate regions than in the tropical regions. Thus, a certain amount
of precipitation may be sufficient for flourishing agriculture in the
temperate regions, while the same may not suffice for meager agriculture
in the tropical regions.
Soil:
A rich
soil in plant food is the chief requirement of successful agriculture.
It is essential as a support for plants, and as the main medium whereby
water and all plant foods, except carbon dioxide, are brought to the
roots of the plants where they are absorbed. Soils that are poor, either
chemically or in texture, have low productivity, both in amount and
variety.
Topography:
Topography
affects agriculture as it relates to soil erosion, difficulty of tillage
and poor transportation facilities. Mechanization of agriculture
depends entirely on the topography of land. On rough, hilly lands, the
use of agricultural machinery is impossible.
In
areas where the pressure on soil is great, even the slopes of mountains
are terraced into small farms to provide agricultural land. In China,
farm terraces may be seen clinging to hillsides to a height of several
thousand feet. It is known that in extreme cases agriculture may succeed
in conquering slopes of as much as 45 degrees.
Economic Factors
Market:
Relation
to market generally determines the character of farming, for the cost
of transport to the market will generally affect the competitive power
of the agricultural output. Places away from the market will generally
grow such things which can afford the cost of transport to the market.
Places
near large centers of population generally develop market gardening and
produce easily perishable goods which can be transported to the market
for short distances without much damage.
Transportation Facilities:
In
commercial type of farming transportation facilities play a significant
role. Indeed they determine its genus. In regions far flung from
markets and ill-equipped with transportation facilities commercial
farming is a remote possibility. The term ‘truck farming’ bears the
unmistakable influence of transportation facilities on agriculture.
The
economic history of the world records the changes in agriculture
patterns as induced by transportation facilities. Improvements in the
realm of transportation and communication have rendered possible
regional specialisation and thus made feasible fuller utilisation of the
peculiar features of the specific soils and climates.
Labour:
Labour
supply determines the character of agriculture. Intensive agriculture
is essentially labour-intensive and exemplifies the human pressure on
land.
Agriculture requires skilled labour that can appreciate the
subtle relations of seasons and soils with crops and adopt the requisite
cultural practices. Again, it is the supply of agricultural labour that
determines the timely sowing, harvesting and other cultural practices
and ensures good returns.
Capital:
The
modern mechanised farming has become capital-intensive to a large
extent. The occidental farmer has to invest large amount of capital in
agriculture because he has to buy agricultural machinery and chemical
fertilizers.
Social Factors
Social
factors affect farming in a number of ways. The type of farming
practiced, be it shifting cultivation, subsistence farming, extensive
cereal cultivation or mixed farming, etc., is always related to regional
social structure. Social factors can also affect the type of crops that
are grown.
These factors are more effective in tribal cultures.
Another way in which social factors can affect agriculture is in the
ownership and inheritance of land. In many parts of the world the land
of a father is divided between his children. This leads to the breaking
up of already small farms into smaller units which are often uneconomic
to farm, as in case of India.
Political Factors
Political
factors also play a vital role in agricultural development. The
political system, i.e., capitalistic, communist or socialistic system
determines the pattern of agriculture. For example in China, agriculture
is fully controlled by government; similar was the case of former USSR.
On the other hand, in USA, Canada and in most of the other countries of
the world, agriculture is a private concern.
The government
policies regarding land, irrigation, marketing and trade, etc., have a
direct impact on agriculture. Similarly, subsidies, loan policy,
purchase policies, agricultural marketing and international trade and
tax policy of the government also have a direct impact on agricultural
production and its development.
No comments:
Post a Comment