Types of AgricultureAgriculture is one of the most widespread activities in the world, but it is not uniform throughout. There are a number of ways to classify agriculture, and some of the major criteria which can be adopted include:ScaleType of cropLivestock combinationsIntensityMeans of distribution of farm produceLevel of mechanizationThe following are the major types of agriculture AROUND the world.Nomadic HerdingNomadic HerdingNomadic HerdingNomadic herding is based upon the rearing of animals on natural pastures. This practice is performed by the people of semi-arid and arid regions. These people stay on the move with their animals in search of natural pastures for their livestock to graze. The type of animals reared differ from one region to the other. Northern Africa, parts of Arabia and parts of northern Eurasia are the typical regions of this type of farming. This is a subsistence type of activity.Livestock RanchingLivestock RanchingLivestock RanchingUnder this system of farming, the major emphasis is laid on rearing animals. Unlike nomadic herding, the farmers live a settled life. This type of farming has developed on a commercial basis in areas of the world where large plots of land are available for animal grazing, such as the low rainfall areas of North America, South America and Australia. Animals are reared MAINLY for meat and wool, and they are kept on large-scale farms called ranches.Shifting CultivationShifting CultivationShifting CultivationThis type of farming is most often adopted in the tropics. Under this system, the land is obtained by clearing forest areas using a slash and burn technique. The land is then cultivated for a few YEARS, or until the fertility DECLINES or the land is overtaken by the weeds and other native flora. At this point, farmers move on to clear another area of the forest. This is a subsistence type of farming that is almost always done manually. This type of agriculture is usually adopted by people LIVING in tropical regions like southeast Asia, with a major emphasis is on grain crops. This type of farming is declining due to pressure by environmentalists.Rudimentary Sedentary TillageThis is a subsistence type of agriculture and it differs from the aforementioned types because the same plot of land is cultivated continuously year after year. Fallowing of land is commonly adopted to maintain soil fertility, and is a technique often adopted in tropical regions. Besides grain crops, some tree crops such as the Pará rubber tree are grown using this system.