Regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is a type of farming that allows the soil to regenerate. What does this mean, and what are the challenges and methods?...
Types of agriculture
Discover the different types of agriculture around the world.
Sustainable agriculture
The guiding principles of sustainable development apply to sustainable agriculture and its production systems....
Precision agriculture: how it can meet future challenges?
Over the past 18 years, the number of patents filed for connected devices in agriculture has increased 30-fold. The precision-agriculture or AgTech, market has never been as big as it is today. In 202...
Conservation agriculture: restoring soil to its full potential
Conservation agriculture (CA) consists of a number of agricultural techniques used to restore agronomic potential to soil. It started in the United States in the 1930s following intensive tillage prac...
What different types of agriculture are there?
Farm production methods often differ from one farmer to the next, even within a given natural region. In fact, farmers often use farming practices from different types of agriculture to create their own way of working. Let's take a look at the most common types of farming.
The main farming methods in brief
The most commonly used category concerns intensity. Other techniques are categorised by type of equipment used, target markets, farmer practices, certified specifications, etc. Overview.
| Category defined by intensity of practice | Category defined by the equipment used | Category defined by the target markets | Category defined by ‘alternative’ practices | Category defined by standard specifications | Category defined by the type of land |
| Conventional agriculture | Mechanised agriculture | Subsistence agriculture | Soil conservation agriculture | Organic agriculture | Soilless agriculture |
| Productive agriculture | Precision agriculture | Commercial agriculture | Regenerative agriculture | Biodynamic agriculture | Hydroponics |
| Productivist agriculture | Agriculture 4.0 | Industrial agriculture | Integrated agriculture | High value-added agriculture | Agroforestry |
| Intensive agriculture | Smart farming | Reasoned agriculture | Certified agriculture | ||
| Extensive agriculture | Traditional agriculture | Sustainable agriculture | |||
| Modern agriculture | Permaculture | ||||
| Multifunctional agriculture |
Conventional agriculture: the most common production system?
The term is often used by way of contrast to more 'virtuous' categories of agriculture. Generally, it characterises productions whose methods are still based on the practices used during the post-war era, such as the massive use of fossil fuels to produce synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, the development of transportation, and the invention of refrigeration methods and agricultural machinery. The pursuit of a self-sufficient population greatly contributed to its development. It is considered to be the dominant practice, even though farming methods today often incorporate many more sustainable techniques.
Synonyms: Modern agriculture, intensive agriculture, productivist agriculture, commercial agriculture.
Intensive agriculture and extensive agriculture
The term 'intensive' was borrowed from the economics sector and is related to the role played by industries. The goal of this type of agriculture is to increase yields per unit. These units can be workers, land areas, animals, etc. Often, the term is used to refer to so-called conventional agriculture, although the intensity factor is also relevant.
Extensive agriculture is practiced on large, or very large, surface areas. It offsets the undesirable environmental effects of more intensive practices by having fewer production factors per unit of surface area. Yields are generally proportionally lower.
The notion of ‘extensive’ only relates to land in so-called industrialised countries, as it is often mechanised with a small labour force. It is still productive.
Precision agriculture: gaining ground
Precision agriculture relies on new technologies and data to produce in a more sustainable way, as well as being beneficial for the farmer. It entails managing the farm’s resources, productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability more effectively. This agricultural practice often uses embedded systems. Some of the most widely used innovations today include GPS geolocation and application-rate modulation.
Synonyms for precision agriculture: smart farming, agriculture 4.0, connected agriculture
The different types of traditional and modern agriculture
Traditional agriculture is a term used for the agricultural practices used until the end of the 19th century. The model dates from feudal societies. As such, it no longer exists in industrialised countries today. But the term integrates more contemporary notions, being used by way of contrast to so-called 'modern' agriculture, conventional agriculture or mechanised agriculture.
Subsistence agriculture: self-sufficient production
Subsistence agriculture is intended for personal consumption. It is mainly practiced in developing countries. The term "subsistence farming" was initially used within the field of economics. It refers to the fact that products are not part of the commercial economy.
Antonyms of subsistence agriculture: cash-crop agriculture, commercial agriculture, industrial agriculture.
Industrial agriculture: where does the farm production go?
Industrial agriculture is often confused with conventional or intensive agriculture. However, it comprises a notion not always present in the other two, i.e., it is vertically integrated into the industry that transforms or distributes its agricultural production. Vertical integration secures supplies for the industrial production unit as well as allowing for lower prices related to the purchase of intermediate products.
Soil conservation agriculture
Soil conservation agriculture is defined by the different practices that promote soil health, fertility, and sufficient levels of organic matter. The main aim is to limit erosion by keeping soils covered in the winter, minimal soil disturbance, and diversifying plant species in crop rotations (no monocultures). Limiting greenhouse gas emissions is a potential beneficial consequence of greater carbon stores in the soil.
Regenerative agriculture: a global approach
Regenerative agriculture is quite a recent and booming farming method which comprises environmentally-friendly practices. It has a three-part improvement goal for soil, food, and man, through increased biodiversity, stronger ecosystem services, and maintaining productivity levels. Soil health is central, as is reducing chemical products, and promoting sustainability in general. In addition, it includes a positive social component.
Integrated agriculture practices
Integrated agriculture is rooted in one of its fundamental practices: integrated pest control and, by extension, integrated protection. It fights pests and parasites with biological control products (insects, and repellents, etc.) and the reasoned use of chemical products. Limiting environmentally damaging inputs by using natural resources and control products is central to this type of farming. Certain notions are also similar to reasoned agriculture: economic, societal, environmental.
Reasoned agriculture, synonymous with sustainable agriculture
Reasoned weed and pest control started after the Second World War when the consequences of using plant-protection products began to pose environmental problems. At that time, a more reasoned and environmentally friendly approach to crop protection was implemented. Crop requirements and tolerance thresholds were taken into account in order to find optimum doses. The development of reasoned agriculture followed, by thinking about nutrient and fertiliser doses. Now, it is part of a global approach with a focus on the environment, farm profitability, and better working conditions.
Reasoned agriculture is synonymous with sustainable agriculture.
Organic agriculture, close to nature
Organic farming is based on respecting ecosystems and natural cycles. One of the most well-known aspects of organic farming is the non-use of chemical or synthetic products. Other important elements are preserving natural resources and respecting animal welfare. Organic farmers must respect strict regulations and are regularly controlled and audited by certified bodies.
sources: https://hal.science/hal-01202642/