Agro- Agricultural Practices in Malaysia [Chapter 5]

Other Industrial Crops

Other industrial crop in Malaysia is coffee, sugarcane, and tea, the fruits such as pineapple, vegetables, and floriculture. Coffee is agricultured in Johor and Selangor by smallholder. There are a few type of coffee that is Liberica, Robusta, and Arabica. Besides, tea is one of the most common crops in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Selangor and Perak. This crop has Assam type of growth.

The next crop is sugarcane. Usually sugarcane is planted in Perlis and Kedah. Both areas have a distinct dry season that are needed for cost-efficient sugarcane production. This type of crops need a distinct dry season. However, the output of the sugarcane agriculture only fulfilled 10% of the local consumption. Due to the lack of agriculture product in sugarcane, our countries have to import it from Australia, Fiji, and Thailand.

Other crops is fruits. In Malaysia, the smallholder's industry consist of 270 000 farmers. The area planted is increasing since 1985 until now. Our country also exporting fruits to other country such as watermelon, papaya, star fruit and banana. The factors that leading in increasing planting in the area and the production are the high demand for local and export and the value-added processing (down-streaming activities).

Pineapple or their scientific name, Ananas comosus is the one of the fruit that are cultured. There are about 38% of smallholders  and 62% plantations of this crops.

Next, vegetables crop. Vegetables are planted by smallholders. Main area in vegetables plantation is Johor, Perak, Kelantan, and Pahang. The export value of cucumber, spinach, long beans, chilin, kailans, and sawi is RM160 million. Besides, RM 242 million is the import value for onion, shallot, potato, chilli, and cabbage.

The Floriculture  in Malaysia.

• Net value RM290 million in 2010.
• Such as cut flower, orchids, and non-orchids.
• Area planted is increasing
• Important area in floriculture is Johor, Cameron Highlands, and Selangor.
• Most planted commodity in 2010.
• An orchid has a value of RM104.1 million.
• Non-orchids have a value of RM129.5 million

LIVESTOCK

There are two types of livestock practices in Malaysia which is non-ruminant and ruminant.

Non-ruminant: Poultry and Swine

This type of livestock is highly commercialized by large corporations. There were using high technology such as closed housing, computerized ration formulations, and feeding method. The contribution of the country’s livestock production is 67% of Poultry and 25% of Swine.

Ruminant: Cow, dairy Goat etc.

Usually owned by smallholders with low technology. The contribution 8% in livestock production. It is self-sufficiency level not achieved. Government targeted 40% SSL (self-sufficiency level) by 2015. It is achieved by integrating cattle in farm and use feedlot system.

FISHERIES & AQUACULTURE

Aquaculture à Farming of aquatic organism including fish, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic   plants.

IMPORTANT   à Supplier of animal protein.

                           à Commodity such as prawn & seaweed.

Steady growth since 2000.

The value in 2009: Freshwater fish: RM 2.32 billion. 

                               Captured fish      :  RM 6.29 billion       

Capture fisheries vs. Aquaculture?
Due to over capturing fisheries, by 2048, it is predicted that there is no longer seafood in the world.

New Source of Growth à Herbs & Spices, Pharmaceuticals, Natural Product.

~   Rapid growth at 10-15% per annum.

~   Targeted as growth sector after ICT.

~   Market value in 2010: RM7 billion.

~   Expected value in 2020: increase to RM29 billion.

~   Reason high value: Awareness on health care with natural products.

~   Currently, planted by small holders.

~   The Government target is large scale in herbal plantation.

Agricultural Marketing
Export Crop Sector.
Oil palm: 3 main type oil palm producers:

•  Independent small holders: low productivity and sell through middleman
• Producers in land development scheme: production and marketing follow the parent institution e.g. FELDA, FELCRA, RISDA
• Private estates: very organized. Processed own produces.

Food Sector:

• Small farms and minimal involvement by government or corporate sectors.
• Marketing usually through middlemen / wholesaler.
•  Except Rice because have a government intervention.

Agri-Food New Supply Chain

> Transformation due to external and domestic drivers.
> External: rapid development of large retail chains.
> In 2005:81 hypermarkets in Malaysia, 83% are foreign-owned.
> Domestic: changes in consumer income, consumption and lifestyles.

Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA)

> Responsibility: supervision; coordination; regulation and improvement of the marketing of agricultural products for domestic, export and import markets.

> Marketing Strategies.

> Farmer’s Market.

> Business on wheels.

GENETIC RESOURCES IN AGRICULTURE [CHAPTER 4]

         Genetic resources for food and agriculture are the raw materials upon which the world relies to improve the productivity and quality of crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries, as well as to maintain healthy populations of wild species. The conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources for food and agriculture is therefore at the core of food security and nutrition. Conserving and using a wide range of diversity – both among species and within species – means securing options to respond to future challenges.

CENRE OF ORIGIN: a geographical area where a species (domesticated or wild), first developed its distinctive properties.

1) Mesoamerica : Maize                                      4) China : Apricot

2) Andes and South America : Tapioca              5) Africa : Coffee

3) Southeast Asia : Mango                                 6) Southwest Asia : Walnut

GERMPLASM

- a collection of genetic resources for an organism
- DNA of an organism through collection of materials

There a lot biological diversity such as:

1)Ecosystem diversity

2)Species diversity

3)Genetic diversity.

            Ecological diversity is a type of biodiversity. It is the variation in the ecosystems found in a region or the variation in ecosystems over the whole planet. Ecological diversity includes the variation in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Ecological diversity can also take into account the variation in the complexity of a biological community, including the number of different niches, the number of tropic levels and other ecological processes. An example of ecological diversity on a global scale would be the variation in ecosystems, such as deserts, forests, grasslands, wetlands and oceans. Ecological diversity is the largest scale of biodiversity, and within each ecosystem, there is a great deal of both species and genetic diversity.

            Species diversity is defined as the number of species and abundance of each species that live in a particular location. The number of species that live in a certain location is called species richness. If you were to measure the species richness of a forest, you might find 20 bird species, 50 plant species, and 10 mammal species.

   

A venomous green palm pit-viper waits for its prey

IMPORTANCE OF SPECIES DIVERSITY

There are numerous reasons why species diversity is essential. Each species has a role in the ecosystem. For example, bees are primary pollinators. Imagine what would happen if bees went extinct. Fruits and vegetables could be next, and subsequently the animals that feed off them - this chain links all the way to humans. Various species provide us not only with food, but also contribute to clean water, breathable air, fertile soils, climate stability, pollution absorption, building materials for our homes, prevention of disease outbreaks, medicinal resources, and more.

The cute olinguito hangs out in a tree

GENETIC OF DIVERSITY :

Agro- Ecological System [Chapter 3]

Agro - ecological system are about climate, water, soil, human resources, impact of climate change and the impact of pollution to the environment. First, we would discussing about the different climates in the world. Generally, there are four climates which is tropics, temperate, tundra and desert. Now, let's go through each climate.

First climate is tropics. Here, the environment have a high temperature and there are a lot of rainfall. The location with this climate have abundance of agricultural activities as tropic's climate is suitable for agricultural activities. Example of crops that are suitable at tropic's climate is rubber, oil palm, cocoa, coconuts and sugarcane.

The second climate is temperate. Where there is neither too warm nor too cold and neither too wet nor too dry which is they have four seasons. The crops is planted in spring and harvested in summer. Example of crops are maize and wheat. The vegetables are continuously grown even during winter as it is placed in glasshouse. The most suitable farming for this climate is livestock farming. Large cattle  are reared for milk and beef performed best in the temperate region.

Next climate is Tundra. Tundra is known as treeless land. Its temperatures are very low which is below 0°C. There will be a long and cold dark winter about 6 until 10 months. The place has a little water and sunshine. This climate has a short growing season which is for 6 until 10 weeks. The dominant vegetation is grasses, mosses and lichens. At this climate, crops or livestock are hardly grown or raised. Only in restricted enclosure adequate water supply. There is three types of tundra which is named Arctic tundra, Antarctic tundra and Alpine tundra. Different type of tundra have a different geography.

Lastly, desert. It have very little precipitation, lower than 250 mm annually. In this climate, vegetation is very sparse. The temperature is very high during the day and very low at night. The agriculture only possible with sufficient irrigation.

Next, agro-ecological system : water. The agriculture activities is rain-fed or irrigation. In the Southern Peninsular Malaysia, the average annual rainfall higher than 3000 mm suitable for oil palm cultivation. While, Kedah and Perlis region have less than 2000 mm average annual rainfall making it is more suitable for rubber and mangoes plantation. It also have a good irrigation system that are suitable for padi. For example, Krian, Perak and Sawah Sempadan,Selangor.

2) Heavy metals

- Areas of intensive industry

- Easily transported and available to plants and animals

- Pollute the soil and render the crops toxi

- Zinc, copper, and lead

3) Chemical pesticide

- Affect biodiversity

- Affect consumer’s health

4) Excessive chemical fertilizer

- High level of nitrate & cause eutrophication

- Nitrate from soil to water ecosystem

- Rapid algal growth to decrease the amount of O2 in the atmosphere resulting the extinction of aquatic life

The Transformation Of Agriculture [Chapter 2]

                      

There are 3 stage of Evolution :


1) Prehistoric Era

Three System

--> Stone Age, Bronze Age & Iron Age

                                   
2) The Middle Ages

    4 keys Area

1. Irrigation System with machines,dams & reservior-with machine.
2. Adopted scientific approach to farming with improve farming techniques - Publish Manual.
3. Incentive Driven approach land ownership,workers rights,rewards of harvest(wages).
4. Introduction of new crops &plant varieties.

       -new cultivation techniques derived from research
       -Grafting

grafting

 3)Modern Agriculture

Green Revolution 
   New Varieties of plants produced through series of R&D and technology transfer initiatives.


Blue Revolution 
   Management of water resources for drinking and food security.


Genetic Engineering 
   Advance processing method & genetically modified organism (GMO) to improve yield and quality. We can see in production of  high yielding clones, fast and Frozen Food and others.

What is GMO( Genetically Modified Organisms)

• Refer to the plants / animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology.
• GMO's and GE foods refer to the same thing. 
• They are food created by merging DNA from different species.

DISADVANTAGES        

• Pest & disease free seedlings
• Many unknown effect
• No staggered harvest crop
• Unpredictable health effects                                                                                                                               

blue rose applouse

chimeric mouse with pups

glo fish