Traditional Agriculture

Traditional agriculture can be defined as a primitive style of food production and farming that involves the intensive use of indigenous knowledge, land use, traditional tools, natural resources, organic fertilizer and cultural beliefs of the farmers. It is still the dominant agricultural food or production practice used by half of the world's population today.

The Characteristics of Traditional Agriculture

• Extensive use of local or indigenous knowledge, spiritual, and superstitious beliefs in making agricultural decisions
• Heavy use of primitive or low-tech tools such as the axe, hoe, and stick
• Utilizing methods such as Slash & Burn and Shifting Cultivation
• Use of cattle raisin to create fallow land
• Absence of accountability or responsibility to the environment
• Lacks surplus production - only just enough is made for the farmer and their family. This is also known as subsistence farming

How Traditional Agriculture Affects the Environment

Traditional agriculture practices like slash & burn decrease soil organic matter. This leads to rapid depletion of nutrients and fertility in the soil, meaning after a while yields start declining, and farmers move to another plot of land to start again.

Deforestation

The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests, and most of it is to make way for agricultural activities, as these require a lot of land and space.

Soil erosion

The removal of topsoil by water, wind, or tillage leads to plant roots being unable to hold firmly onto the soil. The topsoil is also the most fertile part of the soil, and once eroded can take decades to replenish.

Traditional Farming Methods

Agroforestry

Agroforestry is one of the oldest farming methods. Agroforestry involves the deliberate planting and maintaining of trees on the same plot of land as agricultural crops. This leads to the development of a unique microclimate, while also protecting the crops below. Agroforestry is successful at controlling variables such as temperature, and exposure of sunlight, wind and rain. 

Crop rotation

Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops on the same land based on the season. It helps preserve the soil productivity, reduce pests, minimize use of chemicals, maximize yields, and reduce reliance on one set of nutrients. The goal of crop rotation is to ensure positive interrelationships between cycling crops that will work together to build up soil health and fertility, and control soil erosion due to persistent root systems in the ground

Intercropping

Sowing more than two crops at the same time is also known as intercropping, or mixed cropping. Usually, intercropping is a great way of maximizing use of resources, and increasing yields and diversity of harvest on a single plot of land. There are several different types of intercropping.

It is important to note that intercropping is different compared to crop rotation. In crop rotation, different crops are grown at different times, like a relay race handing over the growth baton to each other. However in intercropping, the whole range of crops are all planted together at the same time.

Intercropping creates biodiversity, which in turn improves pest management. It also helps in fumigating the soil by increasing soil organic matter and restrain weed growth. Hence Intercropping is a local approach that is based on traditional practices which is popular even today.