Tribal differences also lead to agricultural differences. We were unable to produce sufficient food for our people and foreign export was simply out of question. In others, farmers are at the mercy of nature; and great skill is required to modify the environment to obtain even the barest subsistence, essays on agriculture. We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. The population of the country keeps increasing at an alarming rate of
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Agriculture is known to be one of the most significant economic activities. It involves the production of plants, livestock, fiber, fuel and more by utilizing natural resources such as water and land. The term agriculture is broader than it is commonly anticipated to be. It includes forestry, fishery, livestock and most importantly crop production. Agriculture sector is also one of the largest employers across the world, mainly in developing and under developed nations. Millions of people around the world, directly or indirectly depend on agriculture sector for their livelihood.
It is an activity which provides our everyday requirement of food, vegetables, essays on agriculture, fruits, spices etc. Here are essay on agriculture in English of varying lengths to help you with the topic in the exam. After going through the following Agriculture essay you will be able to understand the advantages of agriculture. These essays will be helpful during several of your school assignments. You essays on agriculture select any agriculture essay as per your need and interest. Agriculture is basically the cultivation of plants for the production of food, fuel, fiber, medicines and many other things that have become a necessity for the mankind.
Agriculture also involves the breeding of animals, essays on agriculture. The development of agriculture turned to be a boon for the human civilization as it also gave way to their development. Agriculture is said to be an art, science and commerce all at the same time as it suffices the factors involved in all three, essays on agriculture. It is said to be an art as it involves the growth, essays on agriculture, development and management of crop and animal husbandry. It requires patience and dedication to yield good results in this field and only someone who possesses this art can achieve it. The knowledge of breeding and genetics is employed to come up with new improved methods of agriculture.
Several inventions and explorations are being made in the field. It is ever evolving and thus qualifies as science. Agriculture supports the economy like no other sector and thus undoubtedly falls in this category too. It is not just known to be a source of livelihood in India but a way of life. The term agriculture comes from the Latin word ager which means field and cultura that means cultivation. Agriculture basically involves the cultivation and production of crops and livestock products. The history of agriculture dates back several centuries. It began in different parts of the world independently aboutyears back mostly by the collection of wild grains for the purpose of eating.
Here is how different countries essays on agriculture involved in this activity:. Similarly, the domestication of various plants and animals is being done in many other parts of the country since thousands of years, essays on agriculture. The development in the field of science and technology led to the use of modern techniques in agriculture. While it has contributed a great deal to the development of the agriculture sector, the essays on agriculture technology has also had certain negative repercussions on the sector. Here is the kind of impact it has had:. Like every other sector, the agricultural sector has also evolved over the centuries and its development has brought about certain positive and negative repercussions to the society.
Agriculture essays on agriculture a vast subject. It encompasses the production of crops, animal husbandry, soil science, horticulture, dairy science, essays on agriculture, extension education, entomology, agriculture chemistry, agri engineering, agri economics, plant pathology and botany. These subjects are taught in various universities across the world to train people in the field. One of the most widely practiced technique of farming in India. Under this type of farming, the farmers grow grains for themselves as well as for the purpose of sale. This type of agriculture focuses on high yield with the aim to essays on agriculture it to other countries to generate profit. Some of the commonly grown commercial crops in the country include cotton, wheat and sugarcane.
This type of farming is majorly practiced by tribal groups to grow root crops. They mostly clear the forested area essays on agriculture grow crops there. This is more common in the developed countries, essays on agriculture. However, it is also practiced in certain parts of India. It focuses on the use of machinery to grow and raise crops. This is a common practice in densely populated areas of the country. It is focused on generating maximizing output of the essays on agriculture by employing different techniques. A good amount of investment in terms of money and huge labour force is required for essays on agriculture. This type of agriculture involves the cultivation of essays on agriculture that require a good amount of time and space for growing.
Some of these crops include tea, rubber, coffee, cocoa, coconut, essays on agriculture, fruits and spices. This is mostly practiced in the states of Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. The areas that receive heavy rainfall are well irrigated essays on agriculture these are apt for the farming of crops such as jute, rice and sugarcane. It is practiced in desert-like areas such as the central and northwest India, essays on agriculture. Some of the crops grown in such areas are bajra, jowar and gram. This essays on agriculture because these crops require less water for growth.
With the advancement in technology, agriculture has come a long way. It is not limited to just growing crops and rearing of cattle. It includes a whole lot of other subjects and someone who is interested in getting into the agricultural field can choose to specialize in one. Agriculture basically involves the cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals for the purpose of generating food and other things necessary for the mankind. It goes without saying that the food we eat is a gift of the agricultural activities that take place in the country. The country has seen times of acute food shortage before independence however the problem was resolved with the advent of the green revolution in agriculture in the year Agriculture plays a major role in the development of the industrial sector by providing the raw material.
Industries such as the cotton textiles, sugar, essays on agriculture, jute, oil, rubber and tobacco are majorly dependent on the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector offers numerous employment opportunities as a large labour force is required for the smooth functioning of various agricultural activities. It does not only open a vast arena of direct employment opportunities but indirect as well. For instance, the agricultural products need to be transported from one place to another and hence it supports the transport sector. Foreign trade relies majorly on the agricultural sector. India is an exporter of tea, tobacco, cotton textiles, jute products, essays on agriculture, sugar, spices and many other agricultural products.
Excise duty on agro-based goods, essays on agriculture, land revenue and taxes on the sale of agricultural machinery make for a good source of government revenue. The surplus income generated from agricultural activities can very well be invested in banks for capital formation. Essays on agriculture agricultural sector is of great importance to the country, we cannot deny the fact that is a hazardous industry. Farmers across the globe have a high risk of work related injuries. One of the common causes of agricultural injuries is tractor rollovers and other motor and machinery related accidents.
Due to the nature of their job they are also prone to skin diseases, lung infections, noise-induced hearing problems, sun strokes as well as certain types of cancers. Those exposed to pesticides may have serious illnesses and might even have kids with birth defects. However, essays on agriculture, that said, essays on agriculture, agriculture does play a significant part in the development of the human civilization as a whole. As Booker T, essays on agriculture. Agriculture is one sector that has been in place since thousands of years. It has developed over the years with the use of new equipments and techniques of farming and domestication.
This is one sector that has not only seen immense growth but has also been the reason for growth of various other sectors. India is one such country which is largely dependent on the agricultural sector. Agriculture in India is not just a means of livelihood but a way of life. The government is continually making efforts to develop this sector. Let us learn how this sector has evolved with time. Though agriculture is being practiced since centuries in India, it remained under developed for a pretty long time. We were unable to produce sufficient food for our people and foreign export was simply out of question, essays on agriculture. On the contrary, we had to purchase food grains from other countries. This was because agriculture in India depended on the monsoon.
However, things changed with time. After independence, the essays on agriculture planned to bring about improvement in this sector. Dams were constructed, tube-wells and pump-sets were set up, better quality seeds, fertilizers were made available and new techniques were employed. With the use of technologically advanced equipment, good irrigation facilities and with specialized knowledge about the field things began improving. We soon started producing much more than we required and subsequently started exporting food grains and different agricultural products. Our agricultural sector is now stronger than that of many countries. India stands first in the production of groundnuts and tea and ranks second in the production of sugarcane, essays on agriculture, rice, jute and oil seeds across the globe.
Here are the negative repercussions of agriculture on environment:. Agriculture has thus impacted the soil and water resources negatively and this has had a major impact on the environment. Agriculture is also considered to be a hazardous occupation. Those involved in farming are constantly exposed to different chemical based fertilizers and pesticides and the continual use of these can lead to several health hazards such as skin diseases, lung infections and certain other serious illnesses. While agriculture has given so much to our society, it comes with its own set of cons that cannot be overlooked.
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Focalising mainly on the least but crucial aspects Agriculture Farm. Executive Summary Canada is good friend of Bangladesh from independence and all kind of relation and they can work together also we have seen is predicted that this relation is very important for these two friendly nations for their own prosperity. In this report explain Agriculture Bangladesh Canada. Agricultural waste produced as a result of various agricultural operations. It includes manure and other wastes from farms, poultry houses and slaughterhouses; harvest waste; fertilizer run- off from fields. Cow-dung waste with high moisture content and its readily biodegradable nature is causing major environmental problems Agriculture Waste. The important policy measures introduced in the agricultural sector in India for the betterment of agricultural sector are as follows: Technological Measures: It is the primary measures to increase agricultural production to meet the growing needs of the population.
To expand this programmed to larger Agriculture India Innovation. This development took after the primary period of Green Revolution that had brought about increased agricultural output and requirement for its post-harvest management. The significance of this sector was Agriculture Economy India. Describe the main features of pre-industrial society and explain how gradual change in agriculture led to changes in society at the dawn of the industrial revolution. The Industrial Revolution is considered by some the most significant time in human history. This point can be well Agriculture Industrial Revolution. Agent Orange in Crops In the latest herbicide revival, a contaminate found in Agent Orange,2,4-d, has been found in the latest creation by the Dow pesticide company, as well as Monsanto.
This is causing up rise in American farmers, EPA, and health advocates. The concern Agriculture Pesticides. Dryland Agriculture Dry land agriculture is defined differently by different researchers and experts. According to the Fourth five year plan of India, dry lands are defined as areas which receive rainfall ranging from mm to mm and with very limited irrigation facilities. In this endeavor, agricultural mechanics may use computer-aided systems to help troubleshoot and Agriculture Factory Farming Job. Agricultural biodiversity is defined as the variability and variety of plants, animals and microorganisms that are used in agriculture and food.
To specify it, agricultural biodiversity can be expanded and categorized it into ecological diversity, genetic diversity and organismal diversity. Agricultural is not only a Agriculture Biodiversity. Me as a citizen of this country, Agriculture Business Analysis. It encompasses the production of crops, animal husbandry, soil science, horticulture, dairy science, extension education, entomology, agriculture chemistry, agri engineering, agri economics, plant pathology and botany. These subjects are taught in various universities across the world to train people in the field. One of the most widely practiced technique of farming in India.
Under this type of farming, the farmers grow grains for themselves as well as for the purpose of sale. This type of agriculture focuses on high yield with the aim to export it to other countries to generate profit. Some of the commonly grown commercial crops in the country include cotton, wheat and sugarcane. This type of farming is majorly practiced by tribal groups to grow root crops. They mostly clear the forested area and grow crops there. This is more common in the developed countries. However, it is also practiced in certain parts of India.
It focuses on the use of machinery to grow and raise crops. This is a common practice in densely populated areas of the country. It is focused on generating maximizing output of the land by employing different techniques. A good amount of investment in terms of money and huge labour force is required for this. This type of agriculture involves the cultivation of crops that require a good amount of time and space for growing. Some of these crops include tea, rubber, coffee, cocoa, coconut, fruits and spices. This is mostly practiced in the states of Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. The areas that receive heavy rainfall are well irrigated and these are apt for the farming of crops such as jute, rice and sugarcane.
It is practiced in desert-like areas such as the central and northwest India. Some of the crops grown in such areas are bajra, jowar and gram. This is because these crops require less water for growth. With the advancement in technology, agriculture has come a long way. It is not limited to just growing crops and rearing of cattle. It includes a whole lot of other subjects and someone who is interested in getting into the agricultural field can choose to specialize in one. Agriculture basically involves the cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals for the purpose of generating food and other things necessary for the mankind. It goes without saying that the food we eat is a gift of the agricultural activities that take place in the country. The country has seen times of acute food shortage before independence however the problem was resolved with the advent of the green revolution in agriculture in the year Agriculture plays a major role in the development of the industrial sector by providing the raw material.
Industries such as the cotton textiles, sugar, jute, oil, rubber and tobacco are majorly dependent on the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector offers numerous employment opportunities as a large labour force is required for the smooth functioning of various agricultural activities. It does not only open a vast arena of direct employment opportunities but indirect as well. For instance, the agricultural products need to be transported from one place to another and hence it supports the transport sector. Foreign trade relies majorly on the agricultural sector.
India is an exporter of tea, tobacco, cotton textiles, jute products, sugar, spices and many other agricultural products. Excise duty on agro-based goods, land revenue and taxes on the sale of agricultural machinery make for a good source of government revenue. The surplus income generated from agricultural activities can very well be invested in banks for capital formation. While agricultural sector is of great importance to the country, we cannot deny the fact that is a hazardous industry. Farmers across the globe have a high risk of work related injuries.
One of the common causes of agricultural injuries is tractor rollovers and other motor and machinery related accidents. In some areas the virgin soils of the newly-cleared upland forests have proved to be some of the most productive lands in the world but steep slopes are very prone to soil erosion. Agriculturalists are devising new strains of crops that can survive at higher altitudes and in colder climates but efforts to overcome topographical restrictions have so far affected only small areas. The mountainous regions, therefore, remain sparsely settled or virtually unpopulated. Thus physical, as well as climatic controls over agriculture are profound and Man can do little to alter them, except in such directions as land reclamation from swamps, marshes or shallow seas.
by use of multiple-cropping, use of higher yielding seeds and use of fertilizers, which all improve yields per hectare. Extension of farmlands is possible only in areas where potential croplands have not yet been fully utilized. The soil, which is composed of a variety of minerals and organic substances, forms the physical support of plants and is fundamental to any form of agriculture. As soils are so varied in their physical and chemical composition, being so closely related to their climatic and vegetational environment, their suitability for the cultivation of different kinds of crops varies tremendously.
The soil requirements for cereals, beverages, root crops and garden crops differ so much that unless the farmer has a sound knowledge of soil properties, he is not likely to gain the most from his land. Crop cultivation may be hampered by weeds, parasitic plants, diseases, insect- pests and animals. They either compete with the sown crop for plant nutrients or destroy the crop before it can be harvested. Many weeds render tilling and thinning operations more difficult, and pests such as the boll-weevil in the Cotton Belt, U.
or fungus diseases like the Coffee Blight of Sri Lanka, may completely exclude cultivation of certain crops in an area. Despite all the climatic and geographical advantages that a farmer may enjoy, his efforts can be useless in the face of diseases or insect infestations. Social factors affect farming in a number of ways. In the first place the type of farming practised, be it shifting cultivation, subsistence farming, extensive cereal cultivation or mixed farming affects the type of crops which can be produced and the yields which can be obtained.
Intensive wheat farming in Europe, for instance, gives far greater yields than extensive wheat farming in the North American Prairies. The type of farming which is practised depends on the culture of the farmers concerned and to some extent on the physical and topographical characteristics of the area in which they live. Social factors can also affect the type of crops that are grown. In West Africa for instance, where much farm work is done by the women, the amount of land cleared and the type of crops grown are dependent on how much work the women of a family can put in. Similarly some crops such as yams are planted by the men, while others such as vegetables are planted by the women.
Tribal differences also lead to agricultural differences. Nomadic herders such as the Fulani in West Africa or the Masai in East Africa despise settled agriculture and do not often practise it. Certain crops are traditionally grown by certain peoples so that there is a major division in Ivory Coast, for example, between peoples to the west who depend on rice as a staple food and people to the east who traditionally depend on yams. Another way in which social factors can affect agriculture is in the ownership and inheritance of land. In many areas, e. in parts of Europe and in much of Asia the land of a father is divided between his children. This leads to the breaking up of already small farms into smaller and smaller units which are often uneconomic to farm. It is difficult to introduce the use of modern tractors or harvesters in areas where the fields are too small for them to operate economically.
Elsewhere public or co-operative ownership of land may affect the type of crops grown or the agricultural methods employed. Finally social and religious influences have profound effects on animal rearing. The belief that pigs are unclean, held by Muslims, Jews and Hindus, limits the rearing of pigs in many parts of Asia and Africa. Similarly the Hindu veneration of cattle, or the prestige conferred by a large herd of cattle in many parts of Africa, limits the full exploitation of the animals for meat. Besides the factors outlined above, the farmer has constantly to take into consideration many economic factors, which may be unstable or entirely beyond his control. A peasant in Monsoon Asia practising subsistence farming where everything grown is consumed within the farm or the village boundaries may not be so seriously affected in the case of a trade recession as the wheat specialist in the Canadian Prairies whose crops are all intended for cash sales, including exports to overseas markets.
Natural hazards such as floods, droughts or diseases that ruin his harvests pose an even greater threat to him than market fluctuations. Three kinds of economic controls are, however, operative in all farming practices throughout the world, except in state-owned farms where there is no individual ownership and economic problems have to be dealt with by government agencies. Essay 7. Location of Agricultural Activities: The distribution of different crops or livestock farming activities within a country is strongly influenced by physical factors of terrain, soil and climate. But economic factors are also very important, particularly transport costs to markets. Crops which are expensive to produce because they need skilled cultivation, much costly equipment such as milking machines , or labour intensive picking, packing or processing for market are only profitable if transport costs can be kept low.
Therefore they must be grown near city markets. Crops which require less intensive farming can stand higher costs in marketing, while crops or livestock produced on an extensive basis at low cost can stand higher transport costs and be grown at greater distance from markets. This is the basis of the theory of J. von Thunen — who lived in northern Germany and published his ideas in Given the ideal conditions of a single market and uniform land qualities he maintained that land use would react to the economic forces of production and transport costs and would be located in a series of concentric rings around the urban market.
There is rarely an area where conditions are uniform and the pattern is therefore affected by physical differences; whatever the economic forces it is useless to try and grow crops in unsuitable soil or climatic conditions, though in some cases the economic forces may be such that it is profitable to modify natural conditions by the use of glass-houses, irrigation or other techniques which increase production costs. Even where zones are fairly regular they may be interrupted by an area of high fertility where particular crops are favoured or low fertility where nothing can be grown. Moreover a single market rarely exists and the land use zones around one city or town are always modified by impinging zones around other towns. Finally farmers may not be equally well- informed about farming techniques or marketing conditions and this may lead to some farmers growing crops inappropriate to the zone in which they live.
Some of these factors modifying the ideal von Thunen rings are illustrated in Fig. Von Thunen propounded his theory more than years ago and since then the relative cost of transport has diminished, except perhaps in developing countries where there are few lines of transport. Labour and production costs have risen by comparison and the actual cost of land has also increased. In areas close to the city there is more competition from housing and industrial uses and this pushes up the price of land. Thus only very valuable crops can be grown. The effect of these changes has not invalidated the theory, however, but has led to a change in the types of land use found close to towns. This was because wood was the major fuel and building material at the time and in very great demand.
It was heavy and bulky to transport however and was best produced fairly close to its markets. Nowadays a typical pattern of land use rings is for market gardening producing perishable and bulky goods, especially fruit, flowers and vegetables to be closest to the city, followed by dairying which has high production costs and bulky, perishable products. Then comes mixed or arable farming and lastly livestock farming. Transport of animal products is fairly expensive, requiring refrigerated trucks and so on but the price of meat is high so it can stand higher transport costs.
In Peninsular Malaysia it is possible to discern a similar pattern although the crops are entirely different. Market gardening is found nearest to the towns and supplies the markets, while cash crops such as rubber or oil palm are grown further from the cities and towns but must have access to lines of transport so that the products, e. rubber sheets, can be easily transported to the towns where they are traded and processed ready for export. Finally beyond the cash crop regions where hilly or mountainous terrain, lack of communications and distance from urban centres all combine to reduce agricultural potential the land is forested.
Despite this seeming agreement with the von Thunen model, there are several exceptions. Rice is grown in distinctive regions, most of which are in fact in densely peopled regions, around Alor Star, around Kota Bharu and around Malacca, but the main reason for its location in these regions is the need for a particular set of physical conditions where fields can be flooded. Some crops have very specific locations, e. pineapples in Johore where the correct peaty type of soils are found, and some market gardening takes place at a distance from the main cities in the Cameron Highlands. Here conditions allow the production of some temperate fruits and vegetables which command a high price and can therefore stand the high transport costs to the cities.
This form of agriculture is widely practised by many tribes of the tropics, especially in Africa, in tropical South and Central America, and in South-East Asia. It is better known as shifting cultivation. Farming is on a self- sufficient basis and farmers grow food only for themselves and their families. Very little ever leaves the farm and every farmer produces practically the same range of crops as his neighbour. Some small surpluses may be either exchanged by barter i. payment in kind not cash or sold for cash. The resultant economy is thus static with little chance for improvement, but there is a high degree of rural independence because farmers are not tied to landlords or to trading centres.
Shifting cultivation is practised in the tropics by many different peoples and thus has many different names, e. milpa in Central America and parts of Africa, conuco in Venezuela, roca in Brazil, masole in Zaire, ladang in Malaysia, humah in Indonesia, caingin in the Philippines, taungya in Burma, tamrai in Thailand, bewar or poda in India and chena in Sri Lanka. This form of agriculture is best developed in and practically confined to the monsoon lands of Asia. It is found in China, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the greater part of continental South-East Asia and parts of insular South-East Asia Java, Luzon, Visayan Islands, coastal Sumatra and Malaysia. Farming in both the wet lowlands and the terraced uplands has to be very intensive to support a dense population. Population densities in some agricultural areas in Asia are higher than those of industrial areas in the West.
Many of the regions of intensive subsistence farming have a highly developed form of society and government and some such as China and India have a continuous history of civilization going back more than 4, years. The fast-growing population, almost unchecked for centuries, necessitates an ever greater intensity in the tillage of the lands. A small plot of land has to support 5 or 10 times the number of people that a similar plot on an extensive corn farm in the U. could feed. The distinctive characteristics of this type of agriculture have led some geographers to call it oriental agriculture. Basically, there are two types of intensive subsistence agriculture: that dominated by wet padi and that dominated by other crops such as sorghum, soya beans, sugar-cane, maize, kaoliang, tubers and vegetables.
Due to differences in relief, climate, soil and other geographical factors, it is not practicable to grow padi in many parts of Monsoon Asia. Though methods are equally intensive and farming is on a subsistence basis, a very wide range of other crops is raised. In most parts of North China, Manchuria, North Korea, northern Japan and Punjab wheat, soya beans, barley or kaoliang a type of millet are extensively grown as major food crops. In the Indian Deccan and parts of the Indus Basin sorghum or millet is the dominant crop due to the scarcity of rain and the poorer soils. In many parts of continental South-East Asia such as the Dry Zone of Burma, the Korat Plateau of Thailand and the interior regions of Indo-China, the annual precipitation is too low for wet padi cultivation, and the substitute crops are millet, maize and groundnuts together with cotton, sugar-cane and oil-seeds.
Generally farming in these areas has very similar features to those of wet padi cultivation, including an intensive use of land, much manual labour, little use of farm machinery or modern implements and the use of a variety of manures and fertilizers. Irrigation is often employed to make good the lack of moisture, though this has not yet been fully developed in many areas. With the intervention of the European colonists in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia intensive subsistence farming has given way to more profitable, large-scale cash crop cultivation on plantations. The specialized commercial cultivation of cash crops on estates or plantations is a very distinctive type of tropical agriculture and is found in many parts of Asia, Africa and tropical and sub-tropical America.
Its initiation by the Europeans during the colonial period has made possible the manufacture of a wide range of modern materials. Some of the main plantation crops are rubber, oil palm, cotton and copra, beverages like coffee, tea and cocoa, fruits like pineapples and bananas, as well as sugar-cane, hemp and jute. This is a recent development in the continental lands of the mid-latitudes, which were once roamed by nomadic herdsmen. It was the invention of farm machinery which enabled farmers to cultivate grain on a large scale, and there is a marked specialization in wheat monoculture in many areas.
Communication with the outside world is mainly by railways and the bulk of the grain harvest is exported. This is, in fact, a type of plantation agriculture in temperate latitudes. This form of large-scale grain cultivation is best developed in the Eurasian Steppes in regions of chernozem soil; the Canadian and American Prairies; the Pampas of Argentina, the Veld of South Africa, the Australian Downs, and the Canterbury Plain of New Zealand. This is an extensive form of animal grazing on natural pasturage, involving constant or seasonal migration of the nomads and their flocks.
Nomadic herding is confined to rather sparsely populated parts of the world where the natural vegetation is mainly grass and where the rather low rainfall has a markedly seasonal distribution so that vegetation thrives at certain times of the year, necessitating seasonal movements in search of pasture. The movements of nomads are not random but are geared to traditional routes which take them from one area of pasture to another according to the season. However, the constant spread of sedentary cultivators into formerly marginal areas, often due to improved farming techniques or the development of irrigation, and the change to a settled form of animal ranching in most parts of the world, have combined to reduce drastically the importance of nomadic herding.
It is a declining type of agriculture and continues to become less and less important. Nomadic herding is practised in many parts of Africa, especially by the Fulani of the West African savannas, by many different peoples, including the Masai, in East Africa and the Nuba in Ethiopia and Sudan, and by the Bantu and Hottentots of southern Africa in Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa. The Bedouin of Saudi Arabia and the Tuareg of the Sahara also practise nomadic herding in the desert and semi-desert areas of North Africa and South-West Asia, but changes in the economy of most Middle Eastern countries due to the exploitation of oil resources, and the difficulties posed to nomads by the multiplicity of political boundaries in the region, are reducing the importance of this mode of livelihood.
Some herdsmen in parts of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan still have a nomadic way of life. The whole of Central Asia from the Caspian Sea to Mongolia and northern China was also traditionally an area of nomadic herding and many sub-arctic areas in Siberia and northern Europe were also dominated by this form of livestock farming, but this pattern is rapidly changing. Nomadism is virtually non-existent in the Soviet Union today and Mongolia and China are both taking measures to settle the Mongol herdsmen or reduce their movements to very short distances. Groups in Central Asia such as the Kirghiz, Kazaks and Kalmuks have been brought into the state farming system and the pastures are divided into immense state cereal farms or ranches. In the tundra lands of Siberia, Yakuts, Samoyeds and Koriaks have also been settled on the state farms.
In Scandinavia, the Lapps are tending to settle down and fewer of them nowadays have a truly nomadic way of life. Nomadic herding was never important in the Americas where bison were never domesticated. In the extensive temperate grasslands, once roamed by nomadic herdsmen or by hunters, are found permanent ranches where large numbers of cattle, sheep, goats, and horses are kept. In Siberia reindeer are also kept on ranches in the sub-Arctic lands. Within the Mediterranean climatic region, where there is winter rain and summer drought, a distinctive type of agriculture has evolved.
This type of farming is also found in irrigated semi-desert and desert areas in similar latitudes.
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