2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 10: Agriculture The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Origins of agriculture Agriculture = deliberate modification of Earths surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals Cultivate = to care for Crop = any plant cultivated by people 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Origins of agriculture Hunter-gatherers Small groups of nomadic people Focus of daily activities Perhaps 250,000 remaining today living on the periphery of world settlement Invention of agriculture When it began = unclear Many assumptions, both cultural and environmental, may have led to cultivation Diffused from many hearths 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Probable culture-hearths of agriculture shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies Invention of farming & domestication of livestock (8,000 14,000 years ago) + diffusion from several source regions = shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies First Agricultural Revolution 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Crop Hearths Figure 10-2 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Animal Hearths Figure 10-3 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Climate impacts Agriculture Figure 10-4 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Whittleseys Agricultural Regions 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Commercial and subsistence agriculture Subsistence = produced mainly for the farm familys survival Most common in LDCs Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm Most common in MDCs 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Commercial and subsistence agriculture Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture Purpose of farming Percentage of farmers in the labor force Use of machinery Farm size Relationship of farming to other businesses (agribusiness) 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Agricultural Workers Figure 10-5 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Second Agricultural Revolution Technological changes (starting 1600s in Western Europe; spread by 1800s to North America) Began with new methods: crop rotation, better horse collars Later innovations: replace human labor with machines, supplement natural fertilizers & pesticides with chemical Beginnings of commercialization of agriculture (production of surplus for trade); enabled widespread urbanization 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Third Agricultural Revolution Since 1960s - hybridized grains for better yields (Green Revolution) - greater reliance on synthetic fertilizers - genetically engineered crops - vertical integration of ownership (e.g., Cargill, ConAgra, ADM) - globalization of production A partial list of ConAgras brands Swiss MissHunts Van CampsMarie Callenders WessonHebrew National Slim JimEgg Beaters RosaritaChef Boyardee ReddiWipPam Peter PanOrville Redenbachers Healthy ChoiceBanquet 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Green Revolution 1960s -1980s Rice plant Rice - staple food for 2.5 billion Asians - provides 2/3 of calories for Asians with rice-based diets Green Rev Raised yields * Improved rice strains * Greater use of fertilizer * Increase use of irrigation Asias rice production grew at annual rates of 3.0% until 1980s Yield growth rate exceeded high pop. growth rates of the time Sources: FAO, IRRI (research organization devoted to rice) part of global CGIAR effort at improving yields of staple crops worldwide 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Post-Green Revolution (since 1980s) Green Revolution Plusses: Countries self-sufficient in rice or even exporters (Thai, Viet). Poor people benefited as yield increases caused real price of rice to drop. Problems Successes led to less concern about food security, and less investment in irrigation, agric research, and rural infrastructure. Growth rate in rice production declined during due to drop in growth rate of rice yields. In most places, despite increasing use of fertilizers, further increases in yields became harder to achieve and more costly.Mobilising science for global food security 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Large-area farms or ranches Low inputs of labor & low output per acre Extensive Land Use Small-area farms or ranches High inputs of labor & high output per acre Intensive Land Use Rice paddies, southeast China Cattle ranch, northeast Colorado 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Large amount of human work is applied per unit of output Labor-Intensive Agriculture Large amount of capital (equipment and buildings used to produce other goods) is applied per unit of output Capital-Intensive Agriculture Top picture Labor-intensive corn raising in central Mexico. Bottom picture Corn exported from capital- intensive U.S. farms to the Mexican market 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Area of Farmland Per Tractor Figure 10-6 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? Shifting cultivation Most prevalent in low-latitude, A-type climates Two features: Land is cleared by slashing and burning debris Slash-and-burn agriculture Land is tended for only a few years at a time Types of crops grown vary regionally Traditionally, land is not owned individually 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated animals) Found primarily in arid and semiarid B-type climates Animals are seldom eaten The size of the herd indicates power and prestige Type of animal depends on the region For example, camels are favored in North Africa and Southwest Asia Transhumance practiced by some pastoral nomads 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? Intensive subsistence Found in areas with high population and agricultural densities Especially in East, South, and Southeast Asia To maximize production, little to no land is wasted Intensive with wet rice dominant Intensive with wet rice not dominant 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? Plantation farming Found in Latin America, Africa, and Asia Products are grown in LDCs but typically are sold to MDCs Plantations specialize in one or two cash crops Important crops = coffee, sugarcane, cotton, rubber, and tobacco A large labor force is usually needed in sparsely settled regions 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? Mixed crop and livestock farming Most land = devoted to crops Most profits = derive from the livestock Dairy farming Regional distribution: the milkshed Two primary challenges Labor-intensive Expense of winter feed 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? Grain farming The largest commercial producer of grain = the United States Livestock ranching Practiced in marginal environments Mediterranean agriculture Based on horticulture Commercial gardening and fruit farming Truck farms 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Rice Production Figure 10-12 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Corn (Maize) Production Figure 10-15 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Milk Production Figure 10-17 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Wheat Production Figure 10-19 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Meat Production Figure 10-21 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties? Challenges for commercial farmers Access to markets is important The von Thnen model (1826) The choice of crop to grow is related to the proximity to the market Figure 10-24 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Climate and natural environment Culture Economic factors Simplified von Thnen model of agricultural land use (1826) Factors influencing location of agriculture Medium transportation cost items (corn, soybeans, mixed farming) More extensive land use medium rent Urban market High transportation cost items (vegetables, eggs, dairy, flowers) Intensive land use high land rent Lowest transportation cost items (forestry, wheat, livestock ranching) Most extensive land use lowest land rent 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Primary Secondary Tertiary Quaternary Sectors of the Economy Figure 6.1 (p. 138) Figure 6.11 (p. 150) 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties? Challenges for commercial farmers Overproduction Agricultural efficiencies have resulted in overproduction Demand has remained relatively constant As a consequence, incomes for farmers are low Sustainable agriculture Sensitive land management Integrated crop and livestock 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties? Challenges for subsistence farmers Population growth Have more peopleneed more food! International trade What can we sell to MDCs? Drug crops MDCs will buy them.so we will produce them! 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Drug Trade Figure 10-27 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. How do we feed the masses? Strategies to increase food supply Expanding agricultural land Desertification Increasing productivity The green revolution Identifying new food sources Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein cereals, and improving palatability of foods Increasing trade 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Agricultural Land and Population Figure 10-28 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Grain Imports and Exports Figure 10-32