India is known as the ‘land of farmers’. Being a part of such a huge diversity, they can survive various seasons, climate change, soil conditions, and often harsh destruction of wildfires, droughts, and floods. The occupation of farming in India provides food security, rural employment, management of natural resources, soil conservation, etc. As farming is evolving, the farmers use modern seed fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and irrigation techniques to grow crops. Despite their rigorous hard work, 80% of farmers are marginal and contribute to only 17% of the GDP.
Based on the data, around 2.3 million U.S. farmers are involved in farming. In contrast two the Indian farmlands which are 2-3 hectares, the U.S. farm holdings are large, spread in around 250 hectares. The U.S. farmers are well-equipped with the new-age agriculture equipment and technology. Based on the soil texture and the climatic conditions, the U.S. farms grow multiple crops in a year such as soybeans, beetroot, wheat, etc. Also, they use advanced irrigation systems to make farming possible round the year. The availability of special business corporations and manpower substantiates their farming more.
Australia has a large landmass spanning 769.2 million hectares, out of which farmers manage 51.1% of the land. The farmers in Australia manage the soil, natural vegetation, and waterways. Australia is the second-driest continent in the world with an average rainfall of 600mm. Thus, the farmers are experts at growing both food and fibres at little water. As per the data, the Australian rice growers use 50% less water than the global average, and the cotton growers improved the water use efficiency by 48%. The farmers in Australia grow enough food to feed 600 people around the world.
The advent of farming in Europe started in the year 1865. New generation farmers had joined smallholders in Europe either as tenants or owners to feed the urban and industrial population. Grassland and cropland together make up 39% of Europe’s land cover. Europe is self-sufficient in primary agricultural commodities and is the single largest exporter of agri-food products, including processed food. However, the 3 factors such as land-take, intensification, and extensification can lead to a loss of high-value farmland.