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However, intensive farming alters the environment by destroying habitats of many wild creatures, and leads to soil erosion. The use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers can pollute rivers and lakes, while erosion and overgrazing can result in desertification or land is too overused to allow another plantation. Intensive farming not only requires large amounts of energy input to produce and transport, but the chemicals used can have negative health effects on the handlers and consumers of a certain product. Large plantation can lead to monoculture, where producers rely on only one product. Jobs are low paid, while much of the original profit goes to MEDCs. Soil erosion caused by deforestation, monoculture, overgrazing, removal of hedgerows and ploughing can be limited by terracing, shelter belts, stone lines, strip farming and contour ploughing. Desertification, resulting from increased population, climatic fluctuations and commercial agriculture, as well as disturbances of food chains are issues with modern intensive farming.
Intensive farming an agricultural production system requiring high use of inputs such as heavy labour, money, many seeds or large use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on a small area of land. This is very unlike traditional agriculture, where the inputs per area are much lower. Labour is highly increased for intensive farming, unless machinery is introduced, causing the labour levels to decrease dramatically. Modern intensive farming is mainly a response to the rapidly increasing population, as more food is produced on the same land sizes as before. Intensive pastoralism can involve large numbers of animals raised on small areas of land which would require huge amounts of food, water and medical resources to keep the animals healthy while living in such cramped conditions. Confined intensive livestock farming is often referred to as factory farming, which is often criticised by opposing farmers due to the animal welfare issues and pollution.
Inputs such as soil, climate, salinity, relief, machinery, demand, chemical fertilisers/pesticides, livestock, seeds and labour and subject to ploughing, weeding, harvesting, watering, planting, breeding and feeding to obtain outputs and feedback such as crops, meat, animal products, offspring, money and new seeds. Weather, government policies, varying low/high prices, viruses, climatic hazards and the levels of chemicals used affect the primary industry of intensive farming.
Mechanical ploughing, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are associated with intensive agriculture nowadays, and the large scale use of mechanisation, which cause a large increase in production, and – on the down side - environmental pollution through erosion and poisoning water with chemicals. Intensive agriculture has increased the yield per acre and person, food becomes more affordable for the consumer and farmer, reducing the risk of starvation. The area that needs to be cleared for extensive farming is reduced with intensive farming, and the gases/energy provided reduce the demand for fossil fuels. Large plantations provide export earnings for LEDCs and provide regular employment in countries where work is scarce, with the introduction of appropriate technology to improve efficiency.
The Bedouin, a system of many different predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic groups, tribes or clans were once agricultural, pastoral and occasionally fishing nomads, while transporting goods to people across the desert to earn income. The lack of water and permanent pastoral land was what required them to constantly travel. However, during the 19th century, the transition between nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles became more frequent, as the Ottoman Empire forced sedentarisation (settlement) of the Bedouin living on its territory. In 1858, the government offered legal grounds for the Bedouin’s relocation, although few decided to register due to varying reasons.
Being largely unaffected by their ever-changing surroundings has deemed the Bedouin’s lifestyle as a ‘world without time." Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, many Bedouin nomads throughout Midwest Asia began settlement within the cities, especially as populations grew. In Syria, the Bedouin way of life was effectively finished due to a dire drought 1958 to 1961, forcing many Bedouin to abandon herding for standard jobs. Throughout locations such as Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia and Lybia, as a desire for improved standards of living and laws increased, most Bedouin became settled citizens of many nations, instead of stateless nomadic herders.
Nomadism is important today because when these travellers are in a different place with their livestock or crops they take what they can from the land, before moving on to fresh pastures to allow regrowth and rejuvenation. Basically, when nomads leave an area, along with their livestock etc, they venture to another area that they have not yet settled in that has the capacity to provide for them, essentially keeping them alive. Another example of nomadism is the indigenous Aboriginals mainly from the past, moved from one place to another, as they realised how important the sustainability of their area was, and cared about their environment. As a way of life and human existence, nomadism is connected with clearly defined routes and destinations in which they aimed to pursue economic activities and ensure their livelihood.
- Both farming types are reliant on weather cycles, as nomads travel according to climatic seasons, while farmers grow certain crops each season
- Both types of farming can be categorised as ‘subsistence’ farming
- Both nomadic and intensive farmers grow/breed either plants, livestock or both
- As intensive farming begins to rely on modern technology, nomadism now uses motor vehicles etc, even though new technology can affect nomadism negatively
- Both nomadic and modern farmers are provided with food and water from their jobs, which they rely on to survive
Changes in the Bedouin lifestyle brought with it many problems, like a rise in poverty, crime and unemployment. On the other hand, Bedouins receive access to modern healthcare, education, and a small increase in the rights of women has been seen. The original home of the Bedouin is around the Arabian Peninsula, from where the groups began to spread out to surrounding deserts because of the scarcity of water and food. Throughout Arabia and surrounding deserts, up to 100 large tribes of 1,000 members or more, some numbering up to 20,000 or even 100,000 members exist. During the 20th century, the Bedouin made up the majority of the Saudi Arabian population before the population rapidly decreased, remaining at around 829,000 people in 2000. Some groups migrated north away from the Arabian desert, to Syria. There are over a million Bedouin, including the Ruwallah, living in Syria today, herding sheep and goats. Many Bedouins also roam around Egypt, Israel and Jordan.
While herding their livestock, the Bedouin were also skilled craftspeople and traders. Therefore, they made fine rugs and other hand crafts, which they could trade for things that they could not grow, like wheat for baking bread. The Bedouins ate only natural foods, made fresh using the best available produce using traditional methods. By using desert herbs, the Bedouin developed complex medicinal techniques. While they travelled, they reused as many resources as they could, and were very conscious of their environment, as they lived without any electricity or running water, which many take for granted. Nowadays, the nomadic methods have been slightly altered, but their dictates have still not been modernised, as many intensive farmers have.
Modern intensive farming technology, which makes work easier and more efficient in shorter amounts of times and smaller areas, has affected the traditional Bedouin tribes throughout the world. Because modern technology is the easier, therefore more logical alternative for farming, the Bedouin has been, and further will be in the future, decreasing due to the desire for easier and faster jobs that will require less strength, endurance and energy. At times, trekking through deserts with limited amounts of food and water could take its toll on some members, who would be likely to abandon the nomadic lifestyle for a standard job.
- While nomadic herding is known as extensive farming, modern agricultural farming is known as intensive farming
- Nomads allow the land that they have just used to regrow and rejuvenate, whereas intensive farmers remain on their land
- Nomads do not inhabit a certain place, while farmers stay in one place all year round
- Nomads are very conscious of the sustainability of their environment, while intensive farmers often use chemicals that are at risk of polluting other areas
- While nomads travel in large groups of tribes, farmers are usually either alone or working in a small group
Nomadism, in which livestock such as cattle, yaks, sheep, goats, reindeer, horses, donkeys or camels travel in herds to find fresh pastures to graze, is not unlike sheep or cattle farmers, but there are also tribes that journey in search of seasonal wild plants as food. Nomads are people without a definite place of residence, and often migrate in groups, while seminomadic people are those who have permanent homes for parts of the year. 30-40 million nomadic pastoralists are still present in parts of Asia, the Sahel of Africa, in the arctic/subarctic regions, and even in small amounts in Australia. However, despite being a way of life for many groups over the years, nomadic farming is declining as overgrazing and desertification is a large issue, if lands are not able to recover properly between one grazing period and the next.