© T. M. Whitmore Last Time East Asia- continued  Korea-continued  Taiwan  Environment, settlement, history, & economy South Asia  Geophysical Environmental regions

© T. M. Whitmore Today Geophysical Environmental regions Climate — key to life in S Asia Environmental problems & hazards Agriculture

© T. M. Whitmore Climate Review: Climatic regions  Dry and semi-arid in W  Rainfall variable with elevation, aspect, and location  Hot tropical and semi-tropical Seasonal progression of temperatures The “monsoon” is the summer rainfall regime in most of S Asia and SE Asia  a system of alternating-direction winds

Calicut

© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

© T. M. Whitmore Environmental hazards Failed monsoon Tropical cyclones (like our hurricanes) Deforestation Desertification Salinization

Pakistan– salinization © 2005 The Great Mirror

© T. M. Whitmore Agriculture I High population density and high physiological population density => importance of agriculture South Asia is very rural ~ 70% Two major staples: rice and wheat Also important  Cotton  Peanuts, lentils, chick peas (pulses)  Millets  Jute  Tea

rice wheat Drier land crops

Bangledesh ag – clod breaking © 2005 The Great Mirror

Bangledesh ag – dry season © 2005 The Great Mirror

© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

N India – irrigated (dwarf HYV) wheat © 2005 The Great Mirror

N India – animal power © 2005 The Great Mirror

© T. M. Whitmore Agriculture II: Green Revolution Begins in 1950s in Mexico with Rockefeller foundation funds research to increase wheat yields Basic idea reproduced world wide: potato institute in Lima, Rice in Philippines, tropical ag generally in Nigeria, etc. Term coined by U.S. Agency for International Development director William Gaud (March 1968) Norman Borlaug: father of Green Revolution

© T. M. Whitmore How does it work? The “green revolution” consists of several things — “the package”  1) Dwarf, high yielding hybrid seeds (HYV)  Response to fertilizer  Photo period insensitive  Dwarf (less lodging; denser planting)  Genetic uniformity and so potential disease susceptibility

© T. M. Whitmore How does it work? (continued) “The package” continued  1) Dwarf, high yielding hybrid seeds (HYV)  2) Irrigation  3) Chemical Fertilizers (NPK)  Nitrogen (N often in ammonia form); Potassium (K commonly in a form called potash); Phosphorus (P)  4) Herbicides and pesticides  5) Often uses agricultural machinery

Pakistan – irrigated (dwarf HYV) wheat © 2005 The Great Mirror

Pakistan – irrigation technology © 2005 The Great Mirror

E India –mechanized rice harvest © 2005 The Great Mirror

© T. M. Whitmore How does it work? (continued) Lacking the “package: (hybrid seeds, water, fertilizer, and chemicals)  yields/ha are often NO better than traditional Infrastructure:  Roads, markets, banking and finance, rural credit, agricultural extension, research capacity, national integration and policy making  Necessary to develop and sustain the technological package

© T. M. Whitmore Problems with green revolution Not much gain without entire package Impacts on large and small holders Chemical pollution Soil damage Genetic loss Erosion

© T. M. Whitmore Agriculture III Cattle — Sacred in Hindu India:  >200 million head

© John Wiley & Sons

N India –”Persian” wheel irrigation © 2005 The Great Mirror

© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

N India – dung curing for fuel © 2005 The Great Mirror

© Michel Guntern