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In this lesson we are going to discuss about commercial arable farming and Mediterranean farming

Answer Text:
b) Commercial Arable Farming
i) Plantation Agriculture
- Cultivation of cash crops on large tracts of land called estates or plantations.
Characteristics
a) Large tracts of land are cultivated.
b) Cash crops are grown e.g. coffee, tea, cocoa rubber, etc.
c) A single crop is usually grown.
d) Done for commercial purpose.
e) High capital is required to start and meet recurrent expenditure.
f) Crops take some years after planting before they start yielding.
g) Most plantations are owned by foreign companies.
h) Employment of scientific management to produce a lot of output.

Problems
a) Crops may be destroyed by climatic hazards reducing production.
b) High expenditure in maintaining plantations.
c) Subdivision of some plantations to provide land for the landless shareholders who bought them causing decline in output from plantations.
d) Crops may also be destroyed by insect pests and diseases which also affect labourers.
e) Rapid deterioration of soil due to monoculture, soil erosion due to complete weeding and most crops not providing sufficient soil cover.
f) Fluctuations of world prices causing the farmer to suffer great losses as they have no other crop to supplement their income.
g) Poor management whereby managers misuse funds and shareholders fight over management leaving plantations unattended.

ii) Extensive Mechanised Grain Cultivation
- Cultivation of grains on large tracts of land.
- Best developed in temperate grasslands of Prairies, Pampas, Veldt, and Downs which make the granary of the world.
- In Kenya it’s carried out in Uasin Gishu plateau, Nakuru and Narok.
Characteristics
a) Extremely large farms in mid-latitudes.
b) Cultivation is highly mechanized due to large farm sizes and its more economical and efficient.
c) Wheat is the main crop cultivated with other crops including barley, corn, millet and sorghum in Veldt etc.
d) Yield per farmer is high due to mechanisation.
e) Grain is raised on unirrigated land since it requires as little as 325mm annual precipitation.
f) Farms are individually owned.

iii) Intensive Commercial Agriculture
- Intensive use of land to produce maximum yield of crop per unit area for sale.
- Areas - N.W. Europe, E. U.S.A, former U.S.S.R and slopes of Mt. Kenya and Kilimanjaro.

Characteristics
a) Soil is utilised intensively to ensure maximum yields per unit area.
b) Farms are generally small in size.
c) Manual labour is used to tend crops.
d) Proper care is given to planted crops.
e) Mechanization where farms are a bit larger.
f) Farmers use large amounts of fertilizers, hybrid seeds and pesticides.
g) Irrigation water is used to supplement rainfall insufficiency.
h) Farming is sometimes highly specialized with some farms growing crops or keeping animals.

c) Mediterranean Agriculture
- Type distinct to areas experiencing Mediterranean climate.
Main areas - middle Chile, Piedmont district in N. Italy and Andalistic District of S. Spain.
Characteristics
a) Farming is intensive.
b) It’s highly specialised.
c) Subsistence farming is practiced alongside commercial farming.
d) Cereal crops are most widespread e.g. barley and wheat.
e) Orchard farming is carried out and it’s the leading producer of citrus fruits, olives, dates and figs.
f) A small number of sheep, goats and cows are reared due to prolonged droughts and coarse bunchy grasses unsuitable for livestock.