Farming and agriculture, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), RGS-IBG. - Farming and agriculture, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), RGS-IBG.

Farming and agriculture

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Farming and agriculture

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Farming and agriculture

Poland has 1.4 million self-sufficient or semi self-sufficient farms.

A family of four could live for 10 years off the bread that can be produced from one acre of wheat.

24 million jobs are supported by US farmers – more than the population of Australia.

It only takes 5¢ worth of wheat to produce a loaf of bread.

Each cider producer in Normandy, France can bottle up to 85,000 bottles of cider a year.

UN studies estimate that 30,000 hectares of coca leaves are illegally harvested in Bolivia every year.

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Kansas, USA at 13,000m - A geometric patchwork

The bright colours demonstrate the variety of crops being grown and the different methods of irrigation and farming used.

Golden fields of Kansas wheat shine beneath the setting sun.

A pivot irrigation system at work in a Kansas field.

The Seal of Kansas reflects the state's agricultural history.

This young loose-smut infected wheat head will die, with the disease killing off multiple years of harvest if left untreated.

This LANDSAT satellite image shows healthy vegetation as circles of red near Garden City, Kansas.

Resembling a work of modern art, variegated green crop circles cover what was once shortgrass prairie in southwestern Kansas.

Irrigation systems on the Kansas plains provide life-giving water and enable the crops to survive and flourish.

The ghostly outline of crop circles covered in snow gives a suggestion of the winter wheat beneath the surface.

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Cochabamba, Bolivia at 12,000m - The Granary of Bolivia

Ribbons of fields run through the Cochabamba Valley, with a range of crops seen growing here in the Tunari region.

A potato farmer hoeing his fields in the hills above Cochabamba - potatoes are one of a variety of crops which flourish in the valley's hospitable climate.

Potato plants farmed on terraced land and steeper slopes in the north of the Cochabamba Valley region.

Farmers in Cochabamba selling their produce, including strawberries and cherimoyas, also known as custard apples, a fruit native to the area.

A handful of coca leaves. Coca is still grown on a smaller scale by many farmers across the region, who chew the leaves or take them in tea for their reputed health benefits.

Grain fields and haystacks in the foothills of the Cochabamba Valley. Fruit grows well in the lush lower valleys, with grain and potatoes favoured higher up.

A farming family selling their potatoes at the weekly market in Cochabamba.

Farmers harvesting their crops in the upper Cochabamba Valley. The area is known as the "granary of Bolivia".

Haystacks post-harvest in the upper Cochabamba Valley - although drier and at higher altitude, the upper valley region is still relatively fertile.

The Coca Colla soft drink is produced by a Bolivian state-sponsored co-operative with a view to find legal and marketable uses for the widely farmed coca leaf.

Terraces of coca plants are farmed alongside other crops. As well as their illegal use in cocaine, coca leaves are also legally chewed or taken in tea by people across Bolivia.

A market stall in Cochabamba overflows with fresh produce of the region: peanuts, avocados, and other fruits flourish in the lowlands of the valley.

1964 - Farmers gather in Cochabamba to sell their produce, with large scale farms and smallholders alike displaying their fruit and vegetables for sale.

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Mega-Fezzan, Libya at 4,000m - "With water comes Life"

The Umm al Maa "Mother of Water" oasis is a tiny pool compared to the vast body of water that once filled Lake Mega-Fezzan.

Pivot irrigation systems from ground level stretching across the desert floor.

Libyan pivot irrigation systems from the air.

Part of an old irrigation system supplying the desert with water.

A view of Lake Gebraoun - a salty oasis near the Messak Settafet.

A camel herder in the desert off the road to Tobruk.

The Ain Wif oasis is a splash of green in the desert, supporting palms and other hardy vegetation with its valuable moisture.

Geometric pivot irrigation systems from space.

An oasis in the Fezzan region where the Dawada tribe harvest their shrimps from.

Pipes for the Great Man-Made River Project await installation, which will be the largest underground network of pipes in the world.

Touareg man, often given the name Imohagh, near an oasis.

RGS Archive image

Huge pipes for use in the Man-Made River Project, bringing water to the desert.

Pivot irrigation systems from ground level.

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Crossing the Channel at ground level - Chalk farmland, cider and cheese

A circular horse-drawn apple crusher (tou d'preinseu) is used to crush the apples, and the pulp is squeezed through a cider press to produce the apple juice required for cider.

A device used to bottle cider during the 1950s - in small family run businesses these traditional methods are often still used today.

A traditional camembert label for "Bluebird" cheese, maunfactured by the Safr dairy in Montrelet until the mid 1970s.

Soldiers during the Second World War enjoying a refreshing bottle of Normandy cider - during the First World War, calvados brandy was requisitioned to clean weapons due to its high alcohol content.

A Normandy factory producing Camembert and Livarot cheeses - this business has been passed between families for generations.

Children in traditional costume celebrate at a festival in the Norman town of Pont l'Évêque, famous for cheesemaking since the 12th century.

A 1919 holiday postcard from Normandy, showing apple pickers in traditional costumes, caption: "In Normandy, we have apples" - a reference to their nation-wide fame.

A satellite view of the Norman countryside reveals its rural nature - scattered fields of varying sizes and shapes make up a patchwork of agricultural living.

The Norman cow, with its distinctive white body and brown spots, has been part of the local scenery since Viking invasions.

A local shop selling cider, perry (pear cider) and calvados - all traditional products of the Normandy region.

The barrels and jars of a Norman cider manufacturer - traditional manufacturing methods are still used today.

Cider from Normandy - "brut" is a dry cider which is more alcoholic with more body than the sweeter "doux".

A 19th century illustration of the production of camembert using the traditional methods for maturing the rounds of cheese.

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Poland at ground level - A unique farming culture

Inside a Polish forest - a fundamental part of the Polish countryside.

Polish farmer plows using horse power.

Tilling the fields in Poland using traditional horse power.

A rustic farm in rural Poland, typical of many farms in the traditional style across the country.

EU enlargement in 2004, taking in Poland and the other countries coloured blue.

A typical farm house in Czermna, Lower Silesia.

A local farmer, in traditional dress, selling her home-made goods and produce.

Cropping apple trees at experimental farm in Przybroda.

A traditional small scale winemaker house in a rural heritage park.

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© 2012 Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)