1. Agriculture
Moooo!

2. Hunters and Gatherers Before agriculture Hunt Gather Frequent travel
Animals
Fish
Umm…what else?
Gather
Berries
Leaves?
Frequent travel
.005% of the world population now

3. Agriculture
Deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and animals
Crop: Any plant cultivated by people
Agriculture has many hearths
How and why it diffused is undecided by geographers

4. Agricultural Revolution
Climate and technology both played roles in all three revolutions.
Revolution means change! (usually abrupt, but not so abrupt with agriculture)

5. Neolithic Agricultural Revolution
People started consciously making a connection between climate and agriculture
Animals were domesticated
Often referred to as the “Dawn of Civilization”
Just after the ice age, 5-7,000 years ago (or longer, according to our textbook)
The plow, wheel, numbers and letters were all invented at about the same time.

6. Second Agricultural Revolution
Climate and technology- again!
Climate and the improved plow and the horse
Beginning 500ish AD – 1200 AD
Medieval period or Dark Ages
This time usually focuses on the arts, but not the technology that was developing
A warmer and drier climate made it possible to grow at higher elevations than ever before
The plows now had knives and a moldboard, and horse collars/shoes and nails were invented
The term acre was used, indicating the amount one horse or two oxen could plow in a day

7. Green Revolution
Started in Mexico in the 1940s, spread in the 50s and 60s from a grant to help improve agricultural techniques
Often attributed to Norman Borlaug
By the way- this is not a political thing. We’re not talking about “Going green”
Involved selected breeding of high yield plants (plants specifically designed to respond well to agricultural techniques)
Created variety of crops
Corn yields in the U.S. have almost quadrupled

8. Agricultural Hearths

9. Agricultural Hearths

10. Subsistence and Commercial Ag
Based on 5 things:
Purpose of farming
Percentage of farmers in the labor force
Use of machinery
Farm size
Relationship of farming to other businesses

11. Subsistence and Commercial Ag
MDCs
Food mainly produced for sale off the farm
Small percent of farmers in the labor force (Less than 5%)
Rely on machinery
Scientific and technological advances
Relatively large farm size
Agribusiness – System of commercial farming
LDCs
Food mainly produced for personal (family) consumption
There may be surplus, but that’s not the intent
50% + engaged directly in farming
Do most work by hand or with animals
Relatively small farm size
No need to be close to businesses

12. Sources http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/kuehnast_lecture/l4-txt.htm
Our very own textbook 