A farm system is a method of organizing a farming business or enterprise. A farmer’s farm, his farm, and the crops they grow are called a farm system. You can grow the crops separately, one after another, or combined.
The following groups are for farming systems:
1. Mixed farming
2. Bush following and shifting cultivation
3. Pastoral farming (nomadic and ley)
The following groups are for cropping systems:
a. Mono cropping
b. Mixed cropping
c. Continuous cropping
d. Multiple cropping
e. Crop rotation
1. Mixed Farming: This is where the farmer raises crops on one land and also rears animals there as part of the same farming operation.
2. Mixed cropping is the practice of growing multiple crops on one piece of land. Example: A farmer could grow the following crops on the same piece of land: Okro, Maize, and Cassava.
3. Mono Cropping is a system that allows you to grow only one crop on a given piece of land. This can be done in cash crops such as cotton, oil palm, and cocoa.
4. Pastoral farming (nomadic and ley)
It is the raising or grazing livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Animals can roam freely and graze in fields, not in restricted areas.
ADVANTAGES OF MIXED FARMING
1. To improve soil fertility, animal droppings can be used as manure.
2. The farmer can still make a living from his livestock and the products of his animals if crops fail.
3. This allows the farmer to grow a variety of crops. Etc.
DISADVANTAGES OF MIXED FERMENTING
1. Animals can get into the crops if they aren’t properly trained.
2. A farmer should be proficient in both crop and animal management.
3. Sometimes, the farmer may be so busy tending to his crops and animals that he doesn’t have the time or energy to care for them.
MONO CROPPING SYSTEM – ADVANTAGES
1. Because only one crop can be produced, mechanization is used.
2. A farmer can become highly skilled in particular crops, etc.
DISADVANTAGES OF THE MONO-CROPPING SYSTEM
1. For food crops he doesn’t produce, the farmer must rely on other farmers.
2. After harvest, the land could be at risk of being eroded.
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