Subsistence agriculture
A Bakweri farmer works on his taro field on the slopes of Mount Cameroon in 2005. This image captures the core reality of subsistence agriculture where farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Tony Waters, a professor of sociology, defines these individuals as people who grow what they eat, build their own houses, and live without regularly making purchases in the marketplace. Planting decisions occur principally with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year rather than market prices. Despite this self-sufficiency, most subsistence farmers also participate in trade to some degree. They use markets mainly to obtain goods like sugar or iron roofing sheets instead of generating income for food. These items are typically not necessary for survival but may include bicycles or used clothing. Many have important trade contacts and produce items due to special skills or access to resources valued in the marketplace.
Subsistence agriculture was the dominant mode of production in Europe and North America until around 1800 when market-based capitalism became widespread. During the Industrial Revolution, subsistence farmers moved to cities and took industrial jobs. This created a large urban population for which remaining farmers could charge higher prices for their agricultural produce. Subsistence agriculture largely disappeared in Europe by the beginning of the twentieth century. It began to decrease in North America with the movement of sharecroppers and tenant farmers out of the American South and Midwest during the 1930s and 1940s. In Central and Eastern Europe, semi-subsistence agriculture reappeared within the transition economy after 1990. However it declined in significance or disappeared in most countries by the accession to the European Union in 2004 or 2007. Steffen Abele and Klaus Frohberg edited a study on this topic titled Subsistence Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe published by IAMO in 2003.
In 2015 about 2 billion people slightly more than 25% of the world's population lived as smallholder farmers in rural areas of developing nations. These 500 million households work less than 2 hectares or 5 acres of land. Around 98% of China's farmers work on small farms while China accounts for around half of the total world farms. In India 80% of the total farmers are smallholder farmers. Ethiopia and Asia have almost 90% being small while Mexico and Brazil recorded 50% and 20% being small respectively. Areas where subsistence farming is largely practiced today such as India and other regions in Asia have seen a recent decline due to urbanization and integration of capitalist forms of farming. The increase in industrialization and decrease in rural agriculture have led to rural unemployment and increased poverty for those in lower caste groups. Those who can live and work in urbanized areas can increase their income while those who remain take large decreases. This era has marked a time of increased farmer suicides and the vanishing village.
Most subsistence agriculture is practiced in developing countries located in tropical climates where extreme temperatures link to lower crop yields. Farmers have been forced to respond to increased temperatures through things such as increased land and labor inputs which threaten long-term productivity. Coping measures include reducing daily food consumption and selling livestock to compensate for decreased productivity. These responses often threaten the future of household farms as many farmers will sell draft animals used for labor and consume seeds saved for planting. Rates of production for cereal crops like wheat oats and maize have been declining largely due to heat's effects on crop fertility. This has forced many farmers to switch to more heat tolerant crops to maintain levels of productivity. Substitution of crops for heat-tolerant alternatives limits the overall diversity of crops grown on smallholder farms. Water availability plays a crucial role in determining productivity especially in dryland regions where rain-fed farming relies only on natural precipitation.
In shifting agriculture a patch of forest land is cleared by felling and burning before crops are grown. After two to three years soil fertility begins to decline so the land is abandoned and the farmer moves to clear fresh land elsewhere. While the land is left fallow the forest regrows restoring soil fertility and biomass after a decade or more. Shifting cultivation is called dredd in India ladang in Indonesia and jhumming in North East India. Sedentary farming involves smaller fields near the homestead where farmers practice intensive non-shifting techniques. Such gardens often regularly receive household refuse including manure from chickens or goats thrown into compost piles. In some areas of tropical Africa crops grow on raised beds while slash-and-burn techniques provide fertilizer through ash. Nomadic herding sees people migrate along with animals like cattle sheep goats camels and yaks in search of fodder. Examples include the nomadic Bhotiyas and Gujjars of the Himalayas who carry belongings on donkeys horses and camels. Reindeer serve as livestock in arctic and sub-arctic areas while yak and llama are reared in mountainous regions like Tibet and the Andes.
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Common questions
What is subsistence agriculture and how does it work?
Subsistence agriculture is a farming system where farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Tony Waters defines these individuals as people who grow what they eat, build their own houses, and live without regularly making purchases in the marketplace.
When did subsistence agriculture disappear from Europe and North America?
Subsistence agriculture largely disappeared in Europe by the beginning of the twentieth century after market-based capitalism became widespread around 1800. It began to decrease in North America with the movement of sharecroppers and tenant farmers out of the American South and Midwest during the 1930s and 1940s.
How many people currently practice subsistence agriculture globally?
In 2015 about 2 billion people slightly more than 25% of the world's population lived as smallholder farmers in rural areas of developing nations. These 500 million households work less than 2 hectares or 5 acres of land.
Why do climate changes affect subsistence agriculture productivity?
Most subsistence agriculture is practiced in developing countries located in tropical climates where extreme temperatures link to lower crop yields. Rates of production for cereal crops like wheat oats and maize have been declining largely due to heat's effects on crop fertility.
What are the different types of farming methods used in subsistence agriculture?
Shifting agriculture involves clearing forest land by felling and burning before crops are grown while sedentary farming involves smaller fields near the homestead. Nomadic herding sees people migrate along with animals like cattle sheep goats camels and yaks in search of fodder.