Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
10
RAW MATERIALS OF
AGRICULTURE
10.1
THREE FARMERS
Subsistence Farmer.
Donio owns no land and has minimal farm equipment and
buildings. An inventory of all his farm tools show only 13 tools used for his farming
work. One of these shown in Figure 10.1 is a wooden frame with metal spikes used
to remove weeds in maize. An estimated value for his entire set of farming tools is
less than US$100. His only expenses for the crops he plants are for rice seed and
fertilizer. He saves maize seed from each crop for seed. The fertilizer he purchases
is applied at less than recommended rates because he cannot afford to buy very
much at one time.
Family Farmer.
A
ยด
da and Octavio own their land and have a few buildings for
their family and livestock. Most of their farm production goes to feed their family,
but a significant part is sold to meet family expenses. Most of the fertilizer for their
farm is from composted manure and kitchen scraps. The most expensive materials pur-
chased for their crops and animals are fertilizer for their potato crop (US$96/year) and
agricultural-grade molasses for the animals (US$120/year). All of their farm tools are
shown in Figure 10.2. They have no tractor or truck. They sell potatoes from their two
