Agriculture Practices in Malaysia (chap 5)

Agricultural Practices in Malaysia

Historical development of Malaysian agriculture

1.       Pre-independence (interest of British colonist)

·         Rubber plantations, tea, cocoa, coffee (commercial agriculture)

·         Malays were involved in the production of rice fruits and other crops (subsistence agriculture)

2.      Post-independence (1957 - 1970)

·      Government set up FELDA  & FELCRA) ·         Huge land to be cultivated with plantation crops ·         Smallholders switched subsistence crops  à cash crops

3.      New economic policy (1970 – 1984)

·         Address income disparity between races

·         1984 – Malaysia was top producers for

o   Natural rubber (39.8%)

o   Palm oil (58.8%)

National agricultural policy

Malaysia's National Agricultural Policy was adopted in 1984 as an attempt to provide guidelines to help unify and direct efforts of all involved in agricultural development. Although the incidence of poverty in rural Malaysia has fallen in recent decades, its persistence among half the paddy households and between 30–40% of most other rural families, despite over 30 years of government efforts at its eradication, is forcing reviews of policies and options.

·         1^ST NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY (NAP) – 1984 - 1991

·         2^ND NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY – 1992 – 2010

o   Issues labour and capital competition with other sectors

o   Need to increase efficiency and productivity

§  3^rd NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL POLICY  - 1998 – 2010

o   Introduced product based approach and erasing food security

Agricultural sites in Malaysia
Estates	Small holder

Industrial Crops in Malaysia

• Oil palm
• Rubber
• Rice
• Coconut
• Cocoa
• Coffe
• Sugarcane
• Tea
• Fruits
• Pineapples
• Vegetables

LIVESTOCK

The main difference between ruminants and non-ruminants is that ruminants have stomachs with four chambers that release nutrients from food by fermenting it before digestion. Most ruminants, except llamas and camels, have hardened gums instead of upper front teeth, and all have split hooves.
Ruminant livestock - highly commercialised - contribution: poultry (67%), swine (25%)	Non-ruminant - smallholders and low technology -contribution: 8%

FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE

•   Farming of aquatic organisms including fish, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic plants.
•   Important supplier of animal protein
•   Important commodity: prawn & seaweed
•  Steady growth since 2000

Several culture practices and systems have already been successfully operated or are being developed in Malaysia. They are:

• Cockle culture on coastal mudflats.
• Freshwater fish culture in ponds, in ex-mining pool, concrete ponds and pen culture in inland wetlands or shallow lakes.
• Freshwater fish culture in floating net-cages.
• Brackish water/marine shrimp culture in brackish water ponds.
• Marine fin-fish culture in floating net-cages.
• Mussel culture using floating raft (off-bottom).
• Oyster culture using floating raft and long lines.
• Ornamental fish culture in ponds, tanks, aquaria and floating.
• Net-cages.
• Seaweed culture using the hanging method.

Genetic Resources In Agriculture (chap 4) Part 1

Center of Origin - A geographical area where a species (domesticated or wild), first developed its distinctive properties.

Six Independent Center of Crop Origin
- Mesoamerica (Southern Mexico, North Central America)
  - Maize, beans, sweet potato
- Andes & South America (Peru, Chile, Brazil)
  - Pineapple, groundnut, papaya
- Southeast Asia
  - Mango, nutmeg, banana
- China
  - Soybean, orange, apricot
- Africa
  - Oil palm, coffee, watermelon
- Southwest Asia (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Israel)
  - Wheat, oat, carrot







Origin & Distribution of Livestock, Poultry, Fish
- Several breeds or species of livestock, fish and poultry are reared since domestication.
- Breeders around the world develop the animals
- When men migrated, they brought animals with them and continue farming activities at new land.
- Genetic engineering and reproductive biotechnology.

Livestock & Center of Origin
- Beef Cattle Breed
- Dairy Cattle
- Goat & Sheep
- Poultry
- Fish (Aquaculture)


Germplasm
- A collection of genetic resources for an organism
- Worldwide collections of plant, animal & bacterial germplasm for use in breeding new organisms and conservation of existing species.

Biological Diversity (Biodiversity)
- Variability among living organisms
- Plant or animal diversity
- Terrestrial or marine
- Within species or between species

Three Aspects of Biodiversity
- Ecosytem diversity
  - Different diversity in variety of habitats, topography, elevation, natural vs agroecosystem
- Species diversity
  - Variety of living organisms
- Genetic diversity
  - The total of all the genetic information carried by individual organisms
  - Variation (diversity) of genes within a species

Genetic Resource Applications
- Agriculture production is increased through the use of improved genetic resources (new variety) created by altering the genetic constitution.
- Advantages
  - Increase in yield
  - Pest and disease resistance
  - Ecological tolerance
- Categories of Genetic Resources
  - Wild relatives
  - Weedy relatives
  - Primitive cultivars/landraces
  - Modern cultivars
  - Advanced breeding lines
  - Genes from other species

Conservation of genetic resources
- Techniques
  - In situ conservation (On site conservation)
  - Ex situ conservation (Off site conservation)

Threat to diversity & genetic resources
- Dying species
  - Domestication and use of modern varieties
  - Intentional damage (Wanton)
  - Natural extinctions as a result of competition and natural disasters

Agro-Ecological System (chap 3)

Agroecology is the research of ecological processes that run in agricultural production system.

CLIMATE

WATER

SOIL
(Soil = mineral particles + nutrient elements + water + organic matter + living organisms)

HUMAN RESOURCE
Agriculture can only function with the help of human workforce

• Teaching institutions of agriculture 
• Skilled operators
• Scientists
• Supporting specialists

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change affects agriculture in numerous ways.

IMPACT OF POLLUTION

Byproducts are polluted from extensive commercial agricultural activities

• Acid rain (affects on forest, fresh water and soil)
• Heavy metals (affects the soil)
• Chemical pesticides (impact on consumer's heakth)
• Excessive chemical fertilizers (affects on water ecosystem)

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) (chap 2)

What is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)?

GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE.

The goal is to improve the original organism.

 

Pros & Cons of GMO Food

Issues With GMO Food

A worrisome issue in GM foods is the ability of a food to trigger an allergy in humans. Some of the genes used in GM technology might be taken from a food that causes allergies in some people. Inserting that gene into another organism could cause the host organism to express that allergen as a trait. Alternately, a new allergen could be produced when genes are mixed across different species.

Another potential downside to GM technology is that other organisms in the ecosystem could be harmed, which would lead to a lower level of biodiversity. By removing one pest that harms the crop, you could be removing a food source for an animal. Also, GM crops could prove toxic to an organism in the environment, leading to reduced numbers or extinction of that organism. 

Agricultural Practices / Systems (chap 1)

SUBSISTENCE FARMING

     

• An activity carried out by farmers to feed their family needs.
• Example : rearing livestock and growing crops

COMMERCIALIZED FARMING

• An activity carried out in large quantities to gain profit.
• Example : 

AEROPONIC

AQUACULTURE

LIVESTOCK FARMING

 SOILLESS CULTURE

VEGETABLE FARMING

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUBSISTENCE AND COMMERCIALIZED FARMING

CONCLUSION

As technology grows, commercialized farming is more suitable to be practiced in today's world as it benefits a larger group of people around the world.

THE END!!!