Agrotechnology

New Approaches in Traditional Subsistence Agriculture

Antonio Chapman^* Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
^*Correspondence: Antonio Chapman, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy, Email:

Received: 03-Feb-2023, Manuscript No. AGT-23-19605; Editor assigned: 06-Feb-2023, Pre QC No. AGT-23-19605 (PQ); Reviewed: 20-Feb-2023, QC No. AGT-23-19605; Revised: 27-Feb-2023, Manuscript No. AGT-23-19605 (R); Published: 06-Mar-2023, DOI: 10.35248/2168-9881.23.12.300

Description

In the Pacific SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), traditional subsistence farming is practiced on more than half of all small farms. It benefits from having hardy species and cultivars that are locally suited and environmentally sound. Low production, however, is a drawback. Agro-ecological farming methods include fallow rotation systems, a reliance on commercial seed, and greater chemical and resource input systems are being eliminated as a result of a number of factors. Due to these methods, there have been increases in illnesses and pests, notably agricultural pests that are resistant to standard pesticides, as well as economic losses and environmental harm, including the loss of biodiversity. In many parts of the world, including India, subsistence farming is still the norm. Crops and cattle are frequently essential elements of smallholder farmers' subsistence farming practices. The latest research included extensive documentation of traditional agricultural practices, including native diversity, with the ultimate objective of conserving them and demonstrating their role in addressing farmers' livelihood stability. Many experiments were undertaken in three impoverished locations, each representing a different agro-ecosystem. The findings might be utilized to develop a policy framework that would allow subsistence farming agro-ecosystems to enjoy sustained agricultural expansion. The potential of other recommended "add-value" interventions to native agrobiodiversity in addressing farmer livelihood security might also be explored and promoted.

Crop failure or livestock death put the farmer at danger of famine in subsistence agriculture. Due to the fixed expenses of crops seeded and interest on loans in commercial agriculture, losing even a percentage of the harvest or obtaining poor prices may rapidly cause negative cash flow. Savings, diversification of operations, emergency borrowing, and the acquisition of hazard insurance against production risk, or any kind of forward pricing against price risk, are all steps a farmer can take to manage such risk. But, how risk-averse farmers are remains unknown. Farmers' willingness to pay for insurance and their interest in pricing their produce in advance are basic indications that risk aversion is essential. Many farmers do not purchase even subsidised crop insurance and do not seek to lock in a market value for their crops, even when contractual procedures for doing so are available. Yet, research from developing nations reveals a level of risk aversion that might easily hamper farmers' desire to invest in new production methods, even when the innovation would pay off in terms of predicted value.

Farmers have used natural agricultural methods for thousands of years, up until the present. Today's industrial farms utilize pesticides and artificial fertilisers. Manure and compost, byproducts of their own land and livestock, are frequently used by subsistence farmers. Any food or crops that are not eaten are recycled into the process to feed animals. As a result, a closed circuit is created that is effective and leaves little to no waste. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where the vast majority of rural impoverished people depend on their land for existence, subsistence farming is the most common type of agricultural practice. People that rely on the land for their livelihood are able to offset the expenditures of living in cities, including rent, food, and transportation.

For instance, agriculture accounts for 28% of Tanzania's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) overall. 19 million people live on tiny plots of land and engage in subsistence farming, making about 73% of the population. Nevertheless, as it occurs practically everywhere, subsistence farming can take on a variety as wide as the earth on which we live. The list is endless and includes Central and Western Asia, India, South-West Africa, Eurasia, the Philippines, and Latin America. The methods are as diverse and ever-changing as the places in which people live. According to a 2015 research, these methods are used to sustain 25% of the global population. Living circumstances might also differ substantially. Access to power, clean water, and quality healthcare may or may not exist. In low-income nations, one of the main causes of mortality for children is due to sanitary conditions, which are frequently a major contributing factor.