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Farming systems and modified ecosystems
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Farming is the biggest way people change natural ecosystems. Every farm works as a system.
Goods and services
Natural ecosystems provide goods, such as food, timber, fuel and medicines, and services, such as clean water, flood control, pollination and carbon storage.
People change ecosystems to produce more food, often reducing these services.
People change ecosystems to produce more food, often reducing these services.
Farming as a system
Inputs: physical (climate, soil, relief) and human (labour, machinery, seeds, fertiliser, money).
Processes: ploughing, sowing, spraying, harvesting, milking.
Outputs: crops, animals, milk, profit, and sometimes waste.
Types: arable (crops), pastoral (animals), mixed; subsistence (to feed the family) or commercial (for sale); intensive (high inputs on small areas) or extensive (low inputs over large areas); nomadic herding; plantations of cash crops.
Processes: ploughing, sowing, spraying, harvesting, milking.
Outputs: crops, animals, milk, profit, and sometimes waste.
Types: arable (crops), pastoral (animals), mixed; subsistence (to feed the family) or commercial (for sale); intensive (high inputs on small areas) or extensive (low inputs over large areas); nomadic herding; plantations of cash crops.
Modifying ecosystems
Farmers clear forests and grassland, irrigate dry land, drain wetlands, build terraces on steep slopes, remove hedgerows for bigger fields, and use greenhouses.
These raise food output but can reduce biodiversity, cause soil erosion and pollute water.
These raise food output but can reduce biodiversity, cause soil erosion and pollute water.
Classify a large cattle ranch in Argentina that sells beef abroad.
- It keeps animals, so it is pastoral.
- It sells its produce, so it is commercial.
- It uses large areas with few workers per hectare, so it is extensive.
Answer: Pastoral, commercial and extensive.
Ecosystems provide goods and services. Farms are systems of inputs, processes and outputs. Types: arable, pastoral, mixed; subsistence or commercial; intensive or extensive; nomadic; plantation. Farming modifies ecosystems by clearing, irrigation, drainage, terracing and hedgerow removal, reducing biodiversity.
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