Overview of Different Types of Agriculture

Market Gardening/Commercial Gardening/Truck Farming

Climate: Warm Mid-Latitude. Where: Southeastern US, California, Southeastern Australia. Types of Crops: Fresh fruits and vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, apples, oranges, tomatoes. Intensive or Extensive: Intensive (reliant on migrant laborers & machinery). Commercial or Subsistence: Commercial. Description: Some of the fruits and vegetables are sold fresh to consumers, but most are sold to large processors for canning or freezing.

Mediterranean

Climate: Mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers, coastal. Where: Southern Europe & Northern Africa, Pacific Coast of the US, Chile, South Africa, Southern Australia. Types of Crops: Grapes, olives, dates, figs. Intensive or Extensive: Intensive (land is scarce, hilly, labor intensive). Commercial or Subsistence: Commercial. Description: Orchards are common, crops produced for the global market.

Dairy Farming

Climate: Mid-Latitudes. Where: Northern United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, China, India, Brazil. Intensive or Extensive: Intensive (cows need to be milked 2x a day; machinery). Commercial or Subsistence: Commercial. Description: Dairy farmers typically sell their milk to wholesalers who later distribute it to retailers. Retailers then sell it to consumers in shops or at home.

Mixed Crop & Livestock

Climate: Cold & Warm Mid-Latitude. Where: Midwestern United States & Canada, Central Europe. Types of Crops: Corn, grains, & soybeans grown to feed to cattle & pigs. Intensive or Extensive: Intensive (reliant on high amounts of capital & labor). Commercial or Subsistence: Commercial. Description: Most money comes from the sale of livestock rather than crop outputs.

Plantation Agriculture

Climate: Tropical. Where: Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Southeast Asia. Types of Crops: Commodity & speciality crops such as cacao, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, bananas, tobacco, tea, coconuts & cotton. Intensive or Extensive: Intensive (reliant on cheap labor from former colonies). Commercial or Subsistence: Commercial. Description: A plantation specializes in one crop that is transported for sale on the global market.