A farm/family plot can be viewed as a system. Image credit mg.co.za
ZIMSEC O Level Geography Notes:Agriculture:Farming as a system
- A farm is a tract of land on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood
- A farm can be viewed as a system
- A system is a set of interacting or interdependent component parts forming a complex or intricate whole.
- The farm is a system with inputs, elements, characteristics, processes and outputs.
- This system may be closed or open, depending on location and level of production.
| INPUTS | LAND | PROCESSES | OUTPUTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| natural inputs include: sunshine temperature soil (land) moisture/rainfall/water human inputs include: labour, capital, machinery, seeds, fertilisers and insecticides | size site layout ownership division and farm buildings | ploughing planting weeding harvesting transporting storing rearing milking | food crops industrial crops meat milk hides bones hooves waste materials eg crop stalks residues and manure |
- Components that fall under inputs are as follows, these are natural inputs:
- Sunshine
- Temperature
- Land size
- Soil
- Slope
- Land Ownership and tenure
- Rainfall
- Natural inputs are always complemented by human inputs
- The human inputs are what the people themselves put onto the land to produce outputs
- Common Human inputs include:
- Labour
- Capital
- Seeds
- Fertilizer
- Farm machinery
- Click on each input to learn more about it
To access more topics go to the O Level Geography Notes page
