1. The Globalization of Agriculture
Food for Thought:
The Globalization of Agriculture
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This presentation may be used and adapted for use in classes using the fifth edition of Human Geography in Action. It may not be re-distributed except to students enrolled in such classes and in such case must be password protected to limit access to students enrolled in such classes. Students may not re-distribute portions of the original presentation.
Chapter 8

2. Two major themes in this chapter
Agriculture
Figure 8.1 (p. 221)
Globalization
DISCUSSION:
* What are your experiences with agriculture? Where? What type of agricultural production was it?
* Name some U.S. and Canadian companies that operate globally.
* Name some companies from other countries that operate globally in the U.S. and Canada.

3. Agriculture Relationship Between Agriculture and Food Production
DISCUSSION:
* Where does your local region fit on this model?
Relationship Between Agriculture and Food Production
Figure 8.3 (p. 223)

4. Agriculture Agriculture is a major cause of environmental change
DISCUSSION:
* Where does the water come from for these crops?
Agriculture is a major cause of environmental change
Figure 8.2 (p. 222)

5. Probable culture-hearths and origins of agriculture
Agricultural Revolutions
First Agricultural Revolution
DISCUSSION:
* What types of technical innovations made the First Agricultural Revolution possible?
Probable culture-hearths and origins of agriculture
Figure 8.4 (p. 224)

6. Second Agricultural Revolution
technological change:
crop rotation, instruments, machines, fertilizers
DISCUSSION:
* Think of the time required to harvest these fields by hand with field laborers.
Figure 8.5 (p. 226)

7. Third Agricultural ("Green") Revolution
hybrid grains for better yields, greater reliance
on fertilizers, genetically engineered crops
DISCUSSION:
* How does this billboard reflect the Third Agricultural Revolution?
* What is the difference between hybrid and genetically engineered plants?

8. Geography of agriculture
• Climate and natural environment
• Culture
• Economic factors
DISCUSSION:
* Give an example of where climate or soil type is a limiting factor for agriculture.
* How does culture influence what people want to plant or raise for food?

9. Simplified von Thünen model of agricultural land use
urban market
high transportation cost items:
vegetables, eggs, dairy
DISCUSSION:
* Von Thünen developed his model in Is it still relevant today?
* Are transportation costs still an important factor in where certain products are raised today?
low transportation cost items:
forestry, wheat
Simplified von Thünen model of agricultural land use
(pp )

10. ? Production methods capital labor intensive intensive vs. DISCUSSION:
* In what other areas of the developed world is productivity increased by utilizing capital vs. labor intensive practices?
labor
intensive
capital
intensive ?
vs.

11. ? extensive intensive agriculture agriculture vs. DISCUSSION:
* How does "intensive" agriculture differ from "labor-intensive" and "capital-intensive" agriculture?
intensive
agriculture
extensive
agriculture ?
vs.

12. ? subsistence commercial vs. DISCUSSION:
* How does commercial agriculture differ from subsistence production?
* Is commercial agriculture equivalent to agribusiness? ?
commercial
vs.
subsistence

13. ? nomadism sedentary vs. agriculture DISCUSSION:
* How do the two graphics in this slide represent nomadic food production? ?
sedentary
agriculture
nomadism
vs.

14. • Irrigated versus non-irrigated • Different forms of land ownership:
- family farms
- tenant farmers
- sharecroppers
- plantations
- state-owned farms
- garden plots
- agribusiness
• Agribusiness and the globalization of agriculture
DISCUSSION:
* How do these different forms of land ownership work?
* Are there still sharecroppers in the United States? [yes!]

15. Globalization • Time-space convergence
• Winners and losers in the global economy
• Free trade and comparative advantage
DISCUSSION:
* How has the U.S. comparative advantage in corn production sparked an identity crisis in Mexico?
* In what areas of agriculture does Mexico hold a comparative advantage over the U.S. and Canada?

16. Export economy Traditional economy
Globalization
• Time-space convergence
• Winners and losers in the global economy
• Free trade and comparative advantage
DISCUSSION:
* Who wins, who loses?
Export economy Traditional economy
Figures 8.6 and 8.7 (p. 230))

17. Globalization • Time-space convergence
• Winners and losers in the global economy
• Free trade and comparative advantage
• Cattle production in the Amazon
• Global-local continuum works in both directions
DISCUSSION:
* How have you personally experienced the global-local continuum?

18. Amazon roads and deforestation
Globalization
DISCUSSION:
* How does beef consumption contribute to tropical deforestation?
Amazon roads and deforestation
Figures 8.8 and 8.9 (p. 231))

19. Resistance to Globalization and Industrial Agriculture
LDCs object to agricultural subsidies in the United States and the European Union:
Unfair trade practices
MDC consumers object to:
Oil-based production system
Environmental damage from pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers
DISCUSSION:
How does the Farm Bill affect trade and development?
How sustainable is Industrial agriculture?
Unethical, inhumane treatment of animals
Monoculture mass production threatens food security
Emphasis on low nutrition processed foods
Weakened local culture and traditions

20. Responses: Local Food Movement Organic Farming
Urban and Community Gardens
Grass-fed, free range ranching
Farmer’s Markets
DISCUSSION:
How does the Farm Bill affect trade and development?
How sustainable is Industrial agriculture?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs)
Figure 8.10 (p. 232))
Restaurants and Chefs Promoting Local Food

21. Remote sensing Amazon Rainforest, Bolivia
DISCUSSION:
* How are satellite images like this one different from photographs?
This specific map image is taken from:
Amazon Rainforest, Bolivia
Landsat 7 data acquired August 1, 2000

22. The Globalization of Agriculture
Food for Thought:
The Globalization of Agriculture
Case Study
Chapter 8

23. After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
• Differentiate among agricultural landscapes.
• Understand how and why the same crops and
livestock are produced in different ways in
different regions of the world.
• Collect primary data in your local supermarket.
• Describe global food chains.
• Recognize different land uses in satellite images.
• Use remote sensing to study land use change.

24. Activity 1: Agricultural Landscapes and Production Methods
Online Activity

25. Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT)
Activity 2: Global Sources for Your
Local Supermarket
Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT)

26. Activity 3: Remote Sensing & Agricultural Land Use Change
Figure 8.11 (p. 245)

27. Online Activity