Method of intensive subsistence
- Selection of seeds which are growth in nurseries
- Ditches are cleared and repaired
- Paddy wall are rebuilt and the soil made ready
- An ox pulls a wooden plough to break the soil then the soil is made soft
- Young seedlings are replanted when the soil is ready
Other examples of intensive subsistence include:
Pastoral nomadism, cattle ranching, transhumance
- Pastoral nomadism
This is a type of cattle rearing where the hinder moves with his cattle from place to place in search of pasture and water.
It is practiced mainly in the tropical grassland regions where natural grass is available. The popular groups involved in pastoral nomadism in Africa include the: Masai in East Africa especially in Kenya an the Fulani in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Characteristics
- Nomads move from extensive distance
- The activity is carried out mainly by the Fulani who neither have fixed homes or lands
- The rearers consider the livestock as wealth and their social position and prestige depends upon size and herds rather than upon money
- no ownership of a grass land
- Pastoral farming is carried out in the savanna and sahel zones where rainfall is low and unreliable. These area are free from tse-tse fly
- Animals are a source of livelihood to the Fulani, it provides food, wool and dung as manure
Problems accounted in pastoral nomadism
- The herders depend entirely on local pasture which is a low nutritional value, this results to poor quality meat
- In years of prolonged drought, the grass withers and river dries. This leads to the death of many cattles and loses in weight of others
- Though cattle rearers avoid diseases, infected areas, occasionally they are attacked as they wonder about in search of pasture and also on their way southwards to the market
- Where transportation of cattle from the grazing land to the southern market is done on foot, there is great loss in weight and quality by the time they arrive the market
- Cattle ranching
Cattle ranching are the rearing of cattle in enclosed grazing lands or fences hence restricting the movement of the animals.
The animals are fed on corn and other food stuffs as well as being left to feed for themselves on the natural pasture. The cattle are reared mainly for beef and riches. The major areas of cattle ranching are western USA, Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Australia.
Characteristics
- Cattles are reared mainly for beef production
- The average size of a ranch is 25 hectares fence with barriers wired
- Ranches are owned mainly by individuals and each has a work force of about 20 stock men
- Scientific cross breed is practiced to obtain better species
