CHAPTER 10
AGRICULTURE
INTRO
• Sharp contrast between
U.S./Canada and much of
the rest of the world (what
is it?)
• How farmers deal with their
physical environment varies
according to:
– Dietary preferences
– availability of technology
– Cultural traditions
Geographers classify farms based on their
environmental and cultural characteristics
ISSUE #1
Where Did Agriculture Originate?
ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE
• Hunters and Gatherers
– Less than 0.005% today (where
are they?)
• Invention of Agriculture
(Sauer)
– Vegetative planting
– Seed agriculture
– KNOW THIS!
LOCATION OF AGRICULTURAL
HEARTHS
FIRST VEGETATIVE PLANTING
• Originated in SE Asia
– Diffused NE to China and
Japan; westward through
India to SW Asia, Africa and
Mediterranean
– Dog, pig, chicken probably
first domesticated in SE Asia
– Other early hearths may have
originated in West Africa and
NW South America
FIRST SEED AGRICULTURE
• 3 hearths in the Eastern
Hemisphere:
– Western India, northern China,
Ethiopia
– SW Asia was also first to
combine seed agriculture with
domestication of herd animals
(cattle, sheep, goats)
• 2 hearths in the Western
Hemisphere:
– Southern Mexico
– Northern Peru
Vegetative Planting Hearths
Fig. 10-1: There were several main hearths, or centers of origin, for vegetative crops
(roots & tubers, etc.), from which the crops diffused to other areas. Carl
Sauer suggested that Southeast Asia was a primary hearth.
Seed Agriculture Hearths
Fig. 10-2: Seed agriculture also originated in several hearths and diffused from
those elsewhere.
CLASSIFYING AGRICULTURAL REGIONS
• LDC farmers –generally
practice subsistence
farming
• MDC farmers - usually
practice commercial
farming
5 FEATURES DISTINGUISHING SUBSISTENCE
AGRICULTURE FROM COMMERCIAL AGRICULTRE….
1. Purpose of farming
2. % of farmers in the
labor force
3. Use of machinery
4. Farm size
5. Relationship of
farming to other
businesses
Labor Force in Agriculture, 2005
Fig. 10-3: A large proportion of workers in most LDCs are in agriculture, while only a
small percentage of workers in MDCs are engaged in agriculture.
Tractors, per cropland
Fig. 10-4: Tractors per 1000 hectares of cropland. Use of machinery is extensive
in most MDC agriculture, but it is much less common in LDCs.
MAPPING AGRICULTURAL REGIONS
• Most widely used map of
agricultural regions was
created by Whittlesey in
1936
– Identified 11 main agricultural
regions and an area where
agriculture is nonexistent
– 5 important in LDCs, 6
important in MDCs
– Based primarily on climate
World Agriculture Regions
Fig. 10-5b: Locations of the major types of subsistence and commercial
agriculture.
ISSUE #2
Where are Agricultural Regions in Less Developed
Countries?
(no notes for this section, see packet)
ISSUE #3
Where are Agricultural Regions in More Developed
Countries?
(no notes for this section, see packet; with the exception of
the slides on Von Thunen)
IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO MARKETS
• Distance from farm to
market influences what
crops a commercial farm
will grow
– Clearest ex. – dairy farming
(spoils quickly)
• Von Thunen Model is
used to explain the
importance of proximity
to market and crop choice
of commercial farms
Got to get this to
market before it
spoils!!!
VON THUNEN MODEL
• Commercial farm
compares two costs:
- Cost of land vs. cost
of transporting the
product to the
market (how much
it costs to maintain
the land vs. profit
they can make,
taking into account
the cost of shipping
the product)
• As a result, farms closer to markets tend to
grow crops w/ higher transportation costs
and vice versa
• They can’t just look at how valuable the crop
is, they must also look at how much it costs
to ship. (I can sell it for $1,000/lb, but it
costs me $200 to ship it 10 miles, so I only
made $800 if the market is 10 miles
away….but what if the market it 50 miles
away? Is that crop still worth growing and
selling?)
• What does his model fail to take into
account? (p.351)
Von Thünen Model
Fig. 10-13: Von Thünen’s model shows how distance from a city or market affects
the choice of agricultural activity in (a) a uniform landscape and (b)
one with a river.
ISSUE #4
Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?
CHALLENGES FOR COMMERCIAL FARMERS
OVERPRODUCTION
•
Victims of their own success?
(read the dairy farming ex. on page
351!!!)
•
Subsidies: 3 American governmental
policies to deal w/overproduction
(Europe?)
a.
b.
c.
•
Encourage/pay not to produce crops in
excess supply
Subsidies (Pay farmers when prices drop)
Buy surplus crops (what happens to those
crops?)
supply
demand
Switch to sustainable agriculture?
– Ex. organic farming
– What makes sustainable agriculture different
than conventional agriculture (3 things)
Price/profit
CHALLENGES FOR SUBSISTENCE FARMERS
OVERPOPULATION
•
Can’t provide enough for rapidly
growing populations
•
Urban populations don’t produce their
own food
•
Irony when compared to subsidies in
MDCs?
•
Boserup’s thesis?
– 2 ways subsistence farmers
Increase production
a.
Shorter fallow periods
b.
New farming methods
INT’L TRADE MODEL
• To generate income for
profit and/or buy supplies,
they must produce goods
for MDCs
• Dilemma: What happens if
too much land is devoted to
selling export crops?
• Drug crops
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE FOOD
SUPPLY
1. Expand the land area
used for agriculture
2. Increase the productivity
of land now used for
agriculture (Gr. Rev.)
3. Identify new food
sources
4. Increase exports from
other countries
Green Revolution
20th Century
Green Revolution ***
• is the ongoing transformation of agriculture that led
in some places to significant increases in agricultural
production between the 1940s and 1960s
• allowed food production to keep pace with
worldwide population growth (big reason for
increased agricultural production in recent decades)
• has had major social and ecological impacts, and
with multi-million dollar backing from organizations
History
• Began in 1943 in Mexico
– Mexico became self-sufficient in wheat production
and by 1951 and began to export wheat
• Indian Success
– In 1961 India was on the brink of mass famine
– India began its own Green Revolution program of
plant breeding, irrigation development, and
financing of agrochemicals (rice was the crop)
History
• Problems in Africa
– Problems include widespread corruption,
insecurity, a lack of infrastructure, and a general
lack of will on the part of the governments
Main Goals of Revolution ***
• Increase in Technology
– Biotechnology
• alter living organisms, or parts of organisms, to make or
modify products , use of hybrid seeds, exporting new
technologies from MDCS to LDCs
• Production Increases
• Food security/stability
Problems w/ Green Revolution ***
• Argument over food production
– Not a variety of food (fewer types of rice in India as a result)
– Environmental Impact: use of chemicals
– More food but still more people
• Political Questions
– Is it OK to “mess with” altering food products?
• Socioeconomic Questions
– “Rich get Richer”, LDCs still very dependant on MDCs
** it was not the use of “green” technologies that decreased
pollution; it did use pesticides, herbicides…
Chapter 10 Review
10.01 All of the following areas were primary or
secondary origins of vegetative planting, except:
1. Southeast Asia
2. Southern Europe
3. South America
4. Mesopotamia/Middle East
5. West Africa
10.01 All of the following areas were primary or
secondary origins of vegetative planting, except:
1. Southeast Asia
2. Southern Europe
3. South America
4. Mesopotamia/Middle East
5. West Africa
10.02 Subsistence agriculture is least common in
1. Europe
2. Latin America
3. China
4. Africa
5. Southeast Asia
10.02 Subsistence agriculture is least common in
1. Europe
2. Latin America
3. China
4. Africa
5. Southeast Asia
10.03 Shifting cultivation is most common
1. In the interior region of Australia
2. Within 20 degrees latitude of the equator
3. In more developed countries
4. In humid continental climates
5. In close proximity to large cities
10.03 Shifting cultivation is most common
1. In the interior region of Australia
2. Within 20 degrees latitude of the equator
3. In more developed countries
4. In humid continental climates
5. In close proximity to large cities
10.04 Pastoral nomadism
1. Has increased in recent decades
2. Is a form of intensive subsistence agriculture
3. Did not develop until after permanent agricultural
settlements were built
4. Is synonymous with transhumance
5. Is most common in dry regions
10.04 Pastoral nomadism
1. Has increased in recent decades
2. Is a form of intensive subsistence agriculture
3. Did not develop until after permanent agricultural
settlements were built
4. Is synonymous with transhumance
5. Is most common in dry regions
10.05 Plantations are most commonly found in
1. The American South
2. East and West Africa
3. Southeast Asia
4. Latin America
5. East Asia
10.05 Plantations are most commonly found in
1. The American South
2. East and West Africa
3. Southeast Asia
4. Latin America
5. East Asia
10.06 Compared to other grains, wheat
1. Is of less economic importance
2. Has more uses for human food
3. Cannot be stored as long
4. Grows less well in humid continental climates
5. Is grown primarily for domestic consumption
10.06 Compared to other grains, wheat
1. Is of less economic importance
2. Has more uses for human food
3. Cannot be stored as long
4. Grows less well in humid continental climates
5. Is grown primarily for domestic consumption
10.07 Ranching has declined in the western United
States primarily because
1. Infectious diseases have killed off herds
2. Growing crops is a more efficient use of land
3. The federal government provides no incentives for
ranchers
4. Vegetarianism has become so popular
5. A lack of water limits the number of animals per
acre
10.07 Ranching has declined in the western United
States primarily because
1. Infectious diseases have killed off herds
2. Growing crops is a more efficient use of land
3. The federal government provides no incentives for
ranchers
4. Vegetarianism has become so popular
5. A lack of water limits the number of animals per
acre
10.08 The most fundamental shared aspect of
regions that practice Mediterranean agriculture is
1. A love of good wine
2. A willingness to experiment with new crops
3. Similar climate/physical conditions
4. Close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea
5. The speaking of Romance languages
10.08 The most fundamental shared aspect of
regions that practice Mediterranean agriculture is
1. A love of good wine
2. A willingness to experiment with new crops
3. Similar climate/physical conditions
4. Close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea
5. The speaking of Romance languages
10.09 According to the von Thunen model, which of
the following factors is least important to a farmer
when deciding which crops to grow?
1. Distance to market
2. Transportation cost per kilometer
3. Yield per acre
4. Price per bushel
5. Nutritional value of the crop
10.09 According to the von Thunen model, which of
the following factors is least important to a farmer
when deciding which crops to grow?
1. Distance to market
2. Transportation cost per kilometer
3. Yield per acre
4. Price per bushel
5. Nutritional value of the crop
10.10 Which of the following areas is least affected
by desertification?
1. North Africa
2. American Southwest
3. Central Australia
4. Central Europe
5. Southwestern Asia
10.10 Which of the following areas is least affected
by desertification?
1. North Africa
2. American Southwest
3. Central Australia
4. Central Europe
5. Southwestern Asia