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SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIVE MATRIX ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE: AN INTERPRETATION FROM ALCHIPICHI‐PUELLARO, ECUADOR
Author(s) -
Smith Betty
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
singapore journal of tropical geography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1467-9493
pISSN - 0129-7619
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9493.1994.tb00246.x
Subject(s) - interpretation (philosophy) , descriptive statistics , agriculture , matrix (chemical analysis) , descriptive research , geography , regional science , sociology , social science , statistics , mathematics , archaeology , linguistics , philosophy , materials science , composite material
This paper examines the usefulness of a systematic typology of agricultural activities. Characteristics of both traditional and modem systems are analysed and the physical and human environmental relationships of the changing agricultural dynamics examined. Altitudinal zonation of the study site offers a diverse agro‐ecological physical environment appropriate for the cultivation of subtropical plants, especially fruit. Field work, interview results, air photo analysis and land use mapping combine with a systematic descriptive matrix analysis, to show that in response to the environment and changing market conditions, mixed systems have evolved, often including commercial poultry and egg production. Increasing systematic heterogeneity such as the association of commercial fruticulture with intensive animal husbandry and the association of commercial fruticulture with subsistence and semi‐commercial agriculture using animal force, poses problems to the method. The potential for use at other study sites and the limitations of the technique are discussed.