Farming is the term used to describe the practice of agriculture, the activity or business of growing crops and raising livestock. Farming can be either subsistent or commercial. Subsistence farming is the type of farming in which most of the produce reared is consumed by the farmer only. Subsistence farming is a way of life devoted for the provision of food for one’s home or community. Some crops grown on subsistence farms are yams, corn, sweet potatoes, watermelons, bananas, okras and much more. On the other hand, Commercial farming is where the farmer grows crops solely for the purpose of sale with a large demand. According to Neil E. Sealey, Commercial farming is essentially the farming of a product for sale, and food is not always the thing produced: it may be a fiber such as cotton, or an animal product like wool. Commercial farms are also known as plantations. An example of this kind of farm is the large citrus farms of Abaco.
Source: www.bahamasguide.com
Agriculture in the Bahamas
Agricultural production in the Bahamas focuses on four main areas: crops, poultry, livestock, and dairy.Poultry, winter vegetables, and citrus fruits are the mainstay of the agricultural sector, which is concentrated in The Abacos. Exports consist mainly of grapefruits, limes, okra, papaya, pineapples, and avocado. These foods tend to grow quite well here (particularly the pineapples of Eleuthera which are fabulous!). Bananas, oranges, mangoes are also popular fruits. More than 5,000 acres of agricultural land in the Bahamas are used for citrus production. In 1993, about 14 million pounds of poultry meat was produced, valued at $15.3 million; egg production was estimated at 4.15 million dozen eggs, valued at $4.85 million; and agricultural exports were an estimated 18,794 tons. In addition to citrus fruits, exports included honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon and squash.
Supposedly, to 'encourage' local agriculture (i.e. force consumers to buy local