Agricultural Systems

The diversity of agriculture systems is huge, as well as the practice of farming. Usually, in research is said, every farm is unique. Nevertheless, it makes sense to group agriculture into clusters, to understand farming systems in the socio-economic and agroecological frame conditions. Classifying farming systems globally is difficult due to vast environmental, economic, and cultural diversity. Many systems don’t fit neatly into standard categories like "irrigated" or "pasto-ral" (Ruthenberg 1976, Behera and France 2023).

Table: The global economic contribution of agriculture to Gross National Production

Source: Calculated with data from Worldbank (1960, 2000, 2023)

Table: Numbers of farms by continent (estimations for 1960, 2000, 2020)

Source: Calculated with data from FAOstat for 1960, 2000, 2020 (accessed July 23, 2025)

Farms are increasingly mixed - growing fruit trees, vegetables, and keeping bees for pollination and honey. Yet these components are often overlooked in global models that focus on major cereals and livestock. Horticulture and apiculture are undervalued, despite their critical roles in nutrition, income, and ecosystem services. Complicating matters further, farming systems are dynamic. Urban gardens, mobile beekeeping, and climate-resilient orchards are emerging - but many classification frameworks remain outdated or too rigid. Scale also matters: small backyard systems and large orchards may be grouped together despite having very different characteristics. Data gaps make it even harder to account for these diverse, integrated systems. Many coun-tries lack detailed records of fruit trees, vegetables, or bees, leaving major blind spots in agricul-tural analysis and policy.

Table: Average farm size 1960, 1980 and 2010 by continent (ha)

Source: Calculated with data from FAOstat for 1960, 2000, 2020 (accessed July 23, 2025)

Table: Farming systems classification basis

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations  (FAO) farming system classification groups global agricultural systems based on factors like climate, land use, crop and live-stock types, and livelihoods. It identifies major systems such as irrigated, rainfed mixed, pasto-ral, rice-based, and highland mixed, among others. This classification helps governments and organizations target rural development, improve food security, and plan sustainable agricultural investments across different regions of the world (FAO 1997).

Table: FAO mayor farming systems

Source: FAO (2011b)

Figure: Mayor farming systems by FAO definition

Source: FAO (2011b)

The FAO’s classification of sustainable farming systems goes beyond traditional categories of crops and climate (FAO agroecology hub). It focuses on how farming can be both productive and environmentally responsible, while supporting the well-being of farmers and rural communities. This approach recognizes that sustainability is multi-dimensional - it’s about man-aging natural resources wisely, ensuring long-term economic viability, and strengthening social equity.

Sustainable systems identified by the FAO often follow agroecological principles, integrating practices like crop rotation, organic inputs, agroforestry, and efficient water use. They may include integrated crop-livestock systems, where animal waste enriches the soil, or rice–fish sys-tems, where aquatic life helps control pests and adds nutrition. These systems are designed to be climate-resilient, adaptable to local conditions, and accessible to smallholders. By highlighting and supporting these approaches, the FAO aims to promote farming that feeds the world while restoring the planet - aligned with the goals of sustainable development and long-term food security (Wezel et al. 2020).
This book will classify global farming systems by land use (input) and yields respectively profit per ha (output). It is obvious, that the diversity and heterogeneity of the more than 500 million global farming systems do not fit into those artificial classifications. Similar systems could be in different classifications. High and low labor and capital input is possible in context of farm size. The comparative costs of labor and capital is driving factor.

Figure: Examples of important farming systems on the world by yields per ha in relation to farm size (space)

Source: World of Agriculture, Rahmann et al. 2027