Factors Affecting Farm Layout

The layout of infrastructure on a farm is determined by:

• The natural resources available on the farm
• Climate (rainfall, temperature, daylight hours, wind)
• Soil (determines the growing capacity and vegetation type)
• Indigenous vegetation (specifically for grazing purposes)
• Landscape and topography

Decisions will be influenced by already existing resources. What will the farm’s main income source be – the forms of production (crops, animals, etc?)

Once we know what we are going to do we have to decide and find out:

• What is needed in order to achieve the forms of production (services, inputs, storage, irrigation)?
• Getting the produce or products off the site and also bringing in what is needed to achieve production (access/transport).
• Using the outputs of the farming activities appropriately (waste water).
• Ensure that farming activities are not negatively impacted by, nor have a negative. impact on anyone or anything outside of the farm’s borders (buffer zones, windbreaks, firebreaks).