Subsistence agriculture is one in which the farming areas consume all or nearly all of the products locally grown.
It can be divided into two categories.
1. Primitive subsistence agriculture
2. Intensive subsistence agriculture.
1. Primitive subsistence agriculture: Primitive subsistence agriculture is also called shifting agriculture. It is practised widely by many tribes in tropical regions. In this agriculture, vegetation is usually cleared by fire. The ashes add to the fertility of soil. Thus, shifting cultivation is also known as Slash and Bum agriculture. The patches of fields are very small. In this agriculture the primitive – tools like sticks and hoes are used. The patch loses its fertility in 3 – 5 years and farmers start search for another patch of land. Other names of shifting agriculture are Jhooming, Milpa and Ladang.
2. Intensive subsistence agriculture: This type of agriculture is found in the regions where density of population is high. Basically, there are two types of intensive subsistence agriculture:
(a) Intensive subsistence agriculture dominated by Wet Paddy Cultivation: Basic crop of this type of agriculture is rice, Size of crop – lands are very small. Family members of the farmers have tq help them like labourers to make intensive use of land. Use of machinery is limited. The primitive manure from farms is used to maintain the fertility of soil. The yield per unit area is high but per labour productivity is very low.
(b) Intensive subsistence agricultural dominated by crops other than paddy: Due to uncertainty of monsoon and climate, soil and other geographical factors, it is not possible to grow paddy crops in many parts of Asia. So wheat, soyabean, barley and sorghun are grown in China, Manchuria, North Korea and North Japan. In India, wheat is grown in western parts of the Indus – Gangetic plains and millets are grown in dry parts of western and south India.
Characteristics of shifting agriculture:
1. The patches for cultivation are obtained by cutting the forests or clearing them by fire. The ashes add to the fertility of soil.
2. The size of patches is very small and primitive tools like sticks and hoes are used.
3. The patches lose their fertility in some years and farmers shift to other patches of land.
4. The farmers may return to the earlier patches.
5. The cycle of Jhoom becomes less and less productive due to loss of fertility in different patches.
