describe and explain the main features of an agricultural system: inputs, processes and outputs

•the main features of agricultural systems

          •inputs

                     •natural 

                               •soils

                               •land and its relief (including drainage)

                               •climate: rainfall, temperature, sunshine 

                     •human / economic

                               •investment

                               •labour

                               •machinery 

                               •seeds

                               •transport

                               •fertilisers 

          •processes 

                     •preparing land 

                     •ploughing 

                     •sowing

                     •weeding

                     •reaping

                     •milking

                     •feeding

                     •slaughtering 

                     •harvesting 

                                •arable farm focuses on plants etc. whilst pastoral is more animal based 

          •outputs

                     •wheat grain

                     •meat 

                     •milk

                     •cotton

                     •rubber 

                     •leather 

                     •manure

•commercial farming

          •where crops and animals are produced to sell at the market for a profit

•subsistence farming

          •where crops and animals are produced by a farmer to feed their family

•arable farming

          •where crops are grown

•pastoral farming

          •rearing animals for by products e.g eggs, milk or for meat 

•mixed farming

          •where both crops and animals are farmed 

•intensive farming 

          •where a large amount of produce is generated from a small area of land

•extensive farming

          •where a small amount of produce is generated from a large area of land 

•the influence of natural and human inputs on agricultural land use

          •natural factors 

                    •temperature (affected by latitude, altitude and distance from the sea)

                    •precipitation 

                    •steep land slopes make machinery difficult, only suitable for sheep 

                    •soil needs to be fertile for it to be efficiently farmed

                    •flat areas may  

          •human factors 

                    •economic 

                              •transport: cost of growing different crops in different areas

                              •markets: prices for products can change year on year

                              •capital: investment in machines can be expensive, limiting consumer demand

                              •technology: requires investment but is vital for food security

                              

                      •social 

                              •tradition: farmers in certain regions tend to produce things the same way

                              •land tenure: inheritance laws have banned equal division of land to stop subsistence farming

                              •government policies: the government may control surplus, loans and income supplements or own the land 

•scale of production 

          •farms in MEDCs may be run by large companies - economies of scale, reducing the unit cost of production and wiping out smaller farms - high capital allows them to acquire lots of land 

          •LEDCs may have smaller farms due to split of inheritance  

•methods of organisation 

          •commercial farming is highly modernised e.g automatic drivers and chemical sprays, systematic, high capital intensive

          •subsistence farming focuses more on tradition / doing things by themselves 

•products of agricultural systems

          •commercial farms will produce things on a massive scale, but may be focused on a select few crops

          •subsistence farms will focus on a small amount of products, but may have a wider range of products