1. AGRICULTURE

2. What is Agriculture?
Agriculture is deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.

3. Classifying Agriculture Regions
There are two distinct kinds of agriculture: 1.) Subsistence Agriculture ) Commercial Agriculture

4. Definitions of the 2 types of agriculture
Subsistence
Found in Least developed areas, is the production of food primarily for consumption.
Commercial
Found in more developed countries, is the production of food primarily for sale off of the farm.

5. What features differentiate the two types of agriculture?
Purpose
% of farmers in labor force
Use of machinery
Farm size
Relationship of farming to other businesses

6. Purpose
Subsistence: Farmers may sell surplus food to government of other firms. Producing a surplus is not the purpose.
Commercial: Growing crops to sell off the farm. Usually not to consumers, but directly to large food processing companies.

7. % of Farmers in Labor Force
In least developed countries the number of people farming may be as high as 55%. In more developed countries the number of people farming is less than 5%.
United States and Canada less than 2%.
In the U.S. 6m people farmed in 1940, 4m in 1960, and 2m in 2000.

8. % of Labor Force in Agriculture

9. Use of Machinery
A small % of farmers in more developed countries can feed many people because of machinery.
In LDC, farmers rely on hand tools and animals or themselves to do much of the work.
Transportation improvements, especially railroads, allow farmers to transport crops and livestock farther and faster.

10. Tractors per 1,000 Inhabitants

11. Farm Size
Farms in LDC’s are any where from 2.5 to 5 acres. The average farm in the U.S. is 435 acres.
The U.S. currently has fewer farmers and farms in 1900, yet the amount of land devoted to agriculture has increased.
There is 13% more farmland in the U.S. in 2000 compared to 1900.

12. Relationship of Farming to other Businesses
Agribusiness is the combination of commercial farming and food processing, distribution, and retailing. Also included is such enterprises as tractor manufacturing, fertilizer production, and seed distribution.
Although farmers are less than 2% of the U.S. Labor force, more than 20% of U.S. works in Agribusiness.

13. Agriculture in Less Developed Countries (LDC)
Shifting Cultivation (Slash and Burn)
Pastoral Nomadism
Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

14. Shifting Cultivation
Usually practiced in climate regions which have relatively high temp. and abundant rainfall.
Dominates in Amazon Area of S. America, Central and West Africa, and Southeast Asia.

15. Characteristics of Shifting Cultivation
Known also as Slash and Burn and Swidden.
2 Distinguishing Characteristics
1.) Farmers clear land by cutting vegetation and burning the debris.
2.) Farmers group crops for a few years until the soil nutrients are used up. Then farmers leave the area and let the soil recover it’s nutrients.

16. Future of Shifting Cultivation
Uses large amount of land for small yield.
Destroys rainforest.
Shifting cultivation is being replaced by logging, cultivation of cash crops, and cattle ranching.

17. Pastoral Nomadism
P.N. is a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals.
Occurs in dry climates where planting crops is impossible.
Only 15m people are pastoral nomads, but they sparsely occupy about 20% of the Earth’s surface.

18. Movements of Pastoral Nomads
P.N. do not wander randomly, they have a sense of territoriality. Every group controls a piece of territory and will not invade another group’s territory.
Groups will select routes based on predictions of available water and food supply.

19. Future of Pastoral Nomads
P.N. is declining mostly due to technology.
Governments have made attempts to resettle nomads in China, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Governments want to irrigate the land or in some cases mine the land and drill for oil.

20. INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE
Involves small areas of land and large amounts of labor. Yields and population density are high.
Waste virtually no land. Roads are kept narrow and livestock are rarely allowed to graze on land.
Practiced mainly in East, South, and Southeast Asia

21. Agriculture in More Developed Countries (MDC)
Mixed Crop and livestock farming
Dairy Farming
Grain Farming
Livestock ranching
Mediterranean Agriculture
Commercial gardening and fruit farming.

22. Characteristics of Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming
Most of the crops are fed to animals, not humans
Farms devote almost all land to growing of crops, ¾ of income comes from sale of animal products.
Farmers are able to distribute workload throughout year.
Income can be distributed throughout year.

23. Crop Rotation System Most mixed farms use a crop rotation system.
Farm is divided into different fields, different crops are planted during different years.
Some crops take out the nutrients, some crops put nutrients back into the soil. Some fields would go unplanted.
Started in N. Europe in 5th Century.

24. Choice of Crops Most farms in the U.S. plant corn.
Most important region in the U.S. extends from Ohio to the Dakotas, with Iowa in the center, area is known as the Corn Belt.
Soybeans are the second most important crop.

25. World Corn Production

26. Dairy Farming
Most important type of commercial agriculture near large urban areas.
Accounts for 20% of ag. output in W. Europe and N. America
Historically, milk was rarely consumed outside of the farm or nearby villages.
Rising incomes of I.R. and improved transportation increased the demand for milk products.

27. Regional Differences in Dairy Products
Most milk is consumed in NE U.S. (Close to markets)
Most milk in WI is processed, further away from markets.
Dairy farmers do not sell directly to consumers, but to wholesalers, who distribute the milk to retailers.

28. Problems of Dairy Farming
Labor intensive. Cows have to be milked twice a day, every day.
Feeding the cows in the winter. Cows cannot graze. Hay or grain must be purchased.
Farmers that leave cite lack of profits and excessive workloads as two main reasons.

29. U.S. Milk Production

30. World Milk Production

31. Grain Farming
Different than mixed farming because grain grown commercially for consumption by humans.
Most important crop is wheat. Why?
Sold for higher price than other crops.
Stored and transported easily.
High value per weight, shipped profitably.

32. Grain Farming Regions Three main areas in N. America
“Winter Wheat Belt”—Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Planted in fall, harvested in summer.
“Spring Wheat Belt”—Dakotas, Montana, S. Saskatchewan. Planted in spring, harvested in summer.
Palouse region in Washington State.
Wheat is the world’s largest export crop. U.S. and Canada account for ½ of world’s wheat exports.

33. World Wheat Production

34. Livestock Ranching
Commercial grazing of livestock, practiced in MDC’s.
Occurs where soil is too poor to support crops.
Ranching has followed certain stages throughout the world: open ranges, fixed farming (ranches), ranching pushed to dry lands, and finally new methods of breeding and sources of water.

35. Meat Production in the World

36. Mediterranean Agriculture
Exists in the lands that border Med. Sea, California, Chile, and SW Australia.
Similar climates in these areas: Summers are hot and dry, land is very hilly, and prevailing sea winds provide moisture.
Most important crops are olives, grapes, and other fruits.

37. Commercial Gardening and Fruit Farming
This type of agriculture is referred to as “Truck Farming”
Grows many fruits and vegetables.
Large-scale operations with machinery at every stage.
Labor costs are kept low by hiring of migrant workers from Mexico.

38. Von Thunen’s Model
Model that shows what crops and livestock a farmer should grow based on available markets and price of land.
Commercial farmers must calculate two variables to determine best possible location.
1.) the value of the yield per acre
2.) the cost of transporting the yield per acre

39. Von Thunen’s Model
Products that are expensive to transport or are perishable will be grown closer to the market.
Further from the market farm land will be used for grazing.

40. Von Thunen’s Model

41. Green Revolution
The Green Revolution is the use of better technology and management to bring larger harvests.
Between world grain production rose 90%.
Three-fourths was due to higher yields rather than expansion in crop land.
Needs include costly highbred seeds, mechanization, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides.

42. Africa’s Food-Supply Crisis
40 Million Africans face famine.
Production of most food crops is lower today in Africa than in the 1960s.
Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa can feed just a little more than ½ of the population.
To make food affordable for urban residents local govt.’s have kept prices low through price controls. Farmers cannot sell their products at a profit….no incentive to increase productivity.