The document discusses several factors that affect farming, including physical factors like temperature, precipitation, altitude, and wind, as well as socio-cultural factors such as land tenure and inheritance laws. It also examines economic factors such as transportation, markets, technology, and government policies. While physical factors establish basic limits of what can be grown, the document suggests that within those limits, economic factors may be more important in determining patterns of modern food production.

1. Factors Affecting Farming

2. Environmental Factors Cultural Factors Economic Factors

4. Physical Factors Affecting Farming

7. Altitude Growth is controlled by decrease in temperature at height. In Britain few grasses (including hay) can produce commercial yields above 300m. In warmer latitudes wheat can ripen at 3000m.

8. Wind Wind increases evapotranspiration rate. This allows the soil to dry out and to become vulnerable to erosion. Some winds are beneficial to agriculture, e.g. Chinook. Melts snow on the prairies, lengthening the growing season.

9. Socio-Cultural Factors Affecting Farming

10. Land Tenure Who owns the land? Farmers may be owner-occupiers, tenants, landless labourers or state employees on the land which they farm. Cash Tenancy Share Cropping

11. Inheritance Laws and Farm Size

12. Economic Factors Affecting Farming

13. Transport Types of transport available, time taken, and the cost of moving raw materials. For perishable commodities (e.g. Milk) an efficient transport network is an necessity. For bulky goods (e.g. Potatoes) transport costs must be lower for outputs to be profitable. Items should be grown as close to market as possible.

14. Markets Role of the market is closely linked with transport. Market demand depends on size and affluence of the market population. It also depends on religious and cultural beliefs.

15. Technology Technological developments such as new strains of seed, cross-breeding of animals, improved machinery and irrigation may extend the areas of optimal conditions and the limits of production (Green Revolution). Lack of capital may mean that countries are unable to take advantage of these developments.

16. Governments In centrally planned governments it is the state not the individual that makes the farming decision. EU quotas and subsidies can affect crop choice.

17. To what extent do you agree with the assertion that Economic Factors are more important that Physical Factors in food production.