© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 10: Agriculture The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate? Origins of agriculture – Agriculture = deliberate modification of Earth’s 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. Origins of agriculture – Hunter-gatherers Hunting, fishing, gathering plants Groups were small Groups moved with seasons and herds Perhaps 250,000 remaining today Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Known as the First Agricultural Revolution When it began = unclear But many postulate the First Agricultural Revolution was in progress possibly as long as 12,000 years ago Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Particular local groupings of plants constituted the basic ingredients for each regional agricultural development zone Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Agricultural origins in China may have occurred earlier than was long believed May have been among the world's first farmers Most suggest that these first cultivated crops were root crops not seed crops Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture Invention of agriculture Most suggest that seed crop agriculture began in – Southwest Asia (the Fertile Crescent): Seed crops, about 10,000 years ago – Generated a surplus of wheat and barley – First integration of plant growing and animal raising » Crops to feed livestock » Livestock to help grow crops Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Agricultural techniques developed much later in the Americas than in Southeast and Southwest Asia – Why? Because it took humans much longer to get to the Americas – Followed animal herds across the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture The globalization of agriculture did not occur until colonial times (the Age of Exploration) This exchange of goods from Eurasia to the Americas is known as “The Columbian Exchange” There were “New World” crops taken back to the “Old World” and “Old World” crops brought to the “New World” Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. “New World” crops maize (corn) white potatoes sweet potatoes manioc peanuts tomatoes squash (incl. pumpkin) pineapples papaya avocados “Old World” crops rice wheat barley oats rye turnips onions cabbage lettuce peaches pears sugar "Ananas cosmosus" [pineapple], in Oviedo, La historia general de las Indias, 1535 Library of Congress "Lactuca capitata. Cabbage Lettuce," in Gerard, The herball, 1633 “Columbian Exchange”

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Animal domestication Domestication was in progress as long as 14,000 years ago Keeping livestock came with the planting of crops At first, animals may have attached themselves to human settlements as scavengers Hunters may have brought back young offspring of animals killed in the field There is debate on which came first, animal domestication or agriculture Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. END OF PART I

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Animal domestication – Thought cattle were first kept for religious purposes – Possible to identify certain regions where the domestication of particular animals occurred – Regional association must be regarded with caution because numerous species were domesticated simultaneously in numerous areas "Allocamelus" [llama], in Topsell, The Historie of Foure- Footed Beastes and Serpents and Insects, 1658 New World domesticated animals hairless dogs llamas guinea pigs fowl (a few species) Old World domesticated animals dogs horses donkeys pigs cattle goats sheep barnyard fowl Horse, in Ruini, Dell'anotomia et dell'infirmità del cavallo, 1598 Library of Congress Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Animal domestication Great majority of animals suitable for domestication inhabited Eurasia Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture Animal domestication Efforts of domestication are being made today among Africa's huge herds As a potential source of meat in a region of imbalanced diets Many animals do not seem susceptible to domestication Only about 40 species of higher animals have been domesticated worldwide Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Origins of agriculture – Invention of agriculture – Industrial Revolution helped sustain the Second Agricultural Revolution A series of innovations, improvements, and techniques used to improve the output of agricultural surpluses – New tools – Advances in livestock breeding – New fertilizers – Changed landscape The cultural landscape of agriculture changed and enlarged with these innovations Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Commercial and subsistence agriculture – Subsistence = produced mainly for the farm family’s survival Most common in LDCs Still practiced by hundreds of millions of farmers in LDCs – Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm Most common in MDCs Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Commercial and subsistence agriculture – Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture Purpose of farming Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Commercial and subsistence agriculture – Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture Percentage of farmers in the labor force Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Commercial and subsistence agriculture – Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture Use of machinery Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Commercial and subsistence agriculture – Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture Farm size – Commercial farms are large – Subsistence farms are small Relationship of farming to other businesses Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in L ess Developed Countries (LDCs) ? Shifting cultivation – Most prevalent in low- latitude, A-type climates

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? Shifting cultivation – Two features: Land is cleared by slashing and burning debris Because soils in rainforests lack nutrients for farming The burned material creates a kind of fertile topsoil – 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. Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated animals) – Found primarily in arid and semiarid B-type climates Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated animals) – 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— the seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures— is practiced by some pastoral nomads Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. 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 Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Intensive subsistence – Intensive with wet rice dominant Refers to the practice of planting rice on dry land in a nursery and then moving the seedlings to a flooded field to promote growth Occupies small percentage of land area in Asia but is the region’s most important food source Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Intensive subsistence – Intensive with wet rice not dominant Areas of Asia were summers are too dry and winters too harsh Skilled crop rotation also occurs in this region Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Plantation farming – Form of commercial agriculture found in the tropics and subtropics – Especially: 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 Key Issue 2: Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. End of Key Issue #2

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Key Issue 3: Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? Mixed crop and livestock farming – Outside the tropics – Most common form of agriculture in parts of Us and Europe – Most land on these mixed farms is devoted to crops – But the most profits are derive from the livestock – Also see crop rotation on these farms

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Key Issue 3: Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? Mixed crop and livestock farming Dairy farming – Is the most important commercial agriculture practiced on farms near the large urban areas of the NE United States

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Key Issue 3: Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? Mixed crop and livestock farming Dairy farming – Regional distribution: the milkshed – Two primary challenges Labor-intensive Expense of winter feed

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Grain farming – The largest commercial producer of grain = the United States Key Issue 3: Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Livestock ranching – Practiced in marginal environments Key Issue 3: Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Mediterranean agriculture – Based on horticulture—the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers – These goods are often expensive because the Mediterranean climate type occupies such a small portion of the Earth Commercial gardening and fruit farming – Truck farms Key Issue 3: Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Challenges for commercial farmers Understanding the spatial layout of agriculture – Access to markets is important The von Thünen model (1826) – The choice of crop to grow is related to the proximity to the market – Variation in products by distance from the town, with livestock raising farthest away – Use of land governed by cost of transportation not environmental changes in landscape – Perishability=high price and location – First effort to analyze the spatial character of economic activity – But not all agri everywhere can be mapped like this…b/c geography first and foremost dictates where crops grown Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. 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 Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Challenges for subsistence farmers – Population growth Adoption of new farming methods Land is left fallow for shorter periods of time – Boserup’s 5 basic stages of land intensification – International trade Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Challenges for subsistence farmers – Drug crops Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Strategies to increase food supply – Expanding agricultural land Desertification Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Strategies to increase food supply – Increasing productivity The green revolution (also know as the 3 rd Agricultural Revolution) Invention of high-yield grains, especially rice, with goal of reducing hunger – Increased production of rice – New varieties of wheat and corn – Reduced famines due to crop failure – Most famines today due to political problems – Impact (in terms of hunger) greatest where rice is produced – Biotech research – GE or GMOs – Found in 75% of all processed foods in USA – 38% corn and 80% soybean in USA Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Opposition to Green Revolution Loss of genetic diversity Vulnerability to pests Soil erosion Water shortages Micronutrient deficiencies Dependency on chemicals for production Loss of control over seeds Genetically modified (GM) crops

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Strategies to increase food supply – Identifying new food sources Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein cereals, and improving palatability of foods – Increasing trade Export more food from countries that produce surpluses Key Issue 4: Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Grain Imports and Exports Figure 10-32