1. CHAPTER 10
AGRICULTURE

2. INTRO Sharp contrast between U.S./Canada and much of
the rest of the world (what is it?)
How farmers deal with their physical environment varies according to:
Dietary preferences
availability of technology
Cultural traditions
Geographers classify farms based on their environmental and cultural characteristics

3. Where Did Agriculture Originate?
ISSUE #1
Where Did Agriculture Originate?

4. ORIGINS OF AGRICULTURE
Hunters and Gatherers
Less than 0.005% today (where are they?)
Invention of Agriculture (Sauer)
Vegetative planting
Seed agriculture
KNOW THIS!

5. LOCATION OF AGRICULTURAL HEARTHS
FIRST VEGETATIVE PLANTING
FIRST SEED AGRICULTURE
Originated in SE Asia
Diffused NE to China and Japan; westward through India to SW Asia, Africa and Mediterranean
Dog, pig, chicken probably first domesticated in SE Asia
Other early hearths may have originated in West Africa and NW South America
3 hearths in the Eastern Hemisphere:
Western India, northern China, Ethiopia
SW Asia was also first to combine seed agriculture with domestication of herd animals (cattle, sheep, goats)
2 hearths in the Western Hemisphere:
Southern Mexico
Northern Peru

6. Vegetative Planting Hearths
Fig. 10-1: There were several main hearths, or centers of origin, for vegetative crops (roots & tubers, etc.), from which the crops diffused to other areas. Carl Sauer suggested that Southeast Asia was a primary hearth.

7. Seed Agriculture Hearths
Fig. 10-2: Seed agriculture also originated in several hearths and diffused from those elsewhere.

8. CLASSIFYING AGRICULTURAL REGIONS
LDC farmers –generally practice subsistence farming
MDC farmers - usually practice commercial farming

9. 5 FEATURES DISTINGUISHING SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE FROM COMMERCIAL AGRICULTRE….
Purpose of farming
% of farmers in the labor force
Use of machinery
Farm size
Relationship of farming to other businesses

10. Labor Force in Agriculture, 2005
Fig. 10-3: A large proportion of workers in most LDCs are in agriculture, while only a small percentage of workers in MDCs are engaged in agriculture.

11. Tractors, per cropland
Fig. 10-4: Tractors per 1000 hectares of cropland. Use of machinery is extensive in most MDC agriculture, but it is much less common in LDCs.

12. MAPPING AGRICULTURAL REGIONS
Most widely used map of agricultural regions was created by Whittlesey in 1936
Identified 11 main agricultural regions and an area where agriculture is nonexistent
5 important in LDCs, 6 important in MDCs
Based primarily on climate

13. World Agriculture Regions
Fig. 10-5b: Locations of the major types of subsistence and commercial agriculture.

14. ISSUE #2 Where are Agricultural Regions in Less Developed Countries?
(no notes for this section, see packet)

15. Where are Agricultural Regions in More Developed Countries?
ISSUE #3
Where are Agricultural Regions in More Developed Countries?
(no notes for this section, see packet; with the exception of the slides on Von Thunen)

16. IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO MARKETS
Distance from farm to market influences what crops a commercial farm will grow
Clearest ex. – dairy farming (spoils quickly)
Von Thunen Model is used to explain the importance of proximity to market and crop choice of commercial farms
Got to get this to market before it spoils!!!

17. VON THUNEN MODEL Commercial farm compares two costs:
Cost of land vs. cost of transporting the product to the market (how much it costs to maintain the land vs. profit they can make, taking into account the cost of shipping the product)
As a result, farms closer to markets tend to grow crops w/ higher transportation costs and vice versa
They can’t just look at how valuable the crop is, they must also look at how much it costs to ship. (I can sell it for $1,000/lb, but it costs me $200 to ship it 10 miles, so I only made $800 if the market is 10 miles away….but what if the market it 50 miles away? Is that crop still worth growing and selling?)
What does his model fail to take into account? (p.351)

18. Von Thünen Model
Fig : Von Thünen’s model shows how distance from a city or market affects the choice of agricultural activity in (a) a uniform landscape and (b) one with a river.

19. Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?
ISSUE #4
Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

20. CHALLENGES FOR COMMERCIAL FARMERS
OVERPRODUCTION
Victims of their own success?
(read the dairy farming ex. on page 351!!!)
Subsidies: 3 American governmental policies to deal w/overproduction (Europe?)
Encourage/pay not to produce crops in excess supply
Subsidies (Pay farmers when prices drop)
Buy surplus crops (what happens to those crops?)
Switch to sustainable agriculture?
Ex. organic farming
What makes sustainable agriculture different than conventional agriculture (3 things)
supply
demand
Price/profit

21. CHALLENGES FOR SUBSISTENCE FARMERS
OVERPOPULATION
INT’L TRADE MODEL
Can’t provide enough for rapidly growing populations
Urban populations don’t produce their own food
Irony when compared to subsidies in MDCs?
Boserup’s thesis?
2 ways subsistence farmers
Increase production
Shorter fallow periods
New farming methods
To generate income for profit and/or buy supplies, they must produce goods for MDCs
Dilemma: What happens if too much land is devoted to selling export crops?
Drug crops

22. STRATEGIES TO INCREASE FOOD SUPPLY
Expand the land area used for agriculture
Increase the productivity of land now used for agriculture (Gr. Rev.)
Identify new food sources
Increase exports from other countries

23. Green Revolution
20th Century

24. Green Revolution ***
is the ongoing transformation of agriculture that led in some places to significant increases in agricultural production between the 1940s and 1960s
allowed food production to keep pace with worldwide population growth (big reason for increased agricultural production in recent decades)
has had major social and ecological impacts, and with multi-million dollar backing from organizations

25. History Began in 1943 in Mexico Indian Success
Mexico became self-sufficient in wheat production and by 1951 and began to export wheat
Indian Success
In 1961 India was on the brink of mass famine
India began its own Green Revolution program of plant breeding, irrigation development, and financing of agrochemicals (rice was the crop)

26. History Problems in Africa
Problems include widespread corruption, insecurity, a lack of infrastructure, and a general lack of will on the part of the governments

27. Main Goals of Revolution ***
Increase in Technology
Biotechnology
alter living organisms, or parts of organisms, to make or modify products , use of hybrid seeds, exporting new technologies from MDCS to LDCs
Production Increases
Food security/stability

28. Problems w/ Green Revolution ***
Argument over food production
Not a variety of food (fewer types of rice in India as a result)
Environmental Impact: use of chemicals
More food but still more people
Political Questions
Is it OK to “mess with” altering food products?
Socioeconomic Questions
“Rich get Richer”, LDCs still very dependant on MDCs
** it was not the use of “green” technologies that decreased pollution; it did use pesticides, herbicides…

29. Chapter 10 Review

30. 10.01 All of the following areas were primary or secondary origins of vegetative planting, except:
1. Southeast Asia
2. Southern Europe
3. South America
4. Mesopotamia/Middle East
5. West Africa

31. 10.01 All of the following areas were primary or secondary origins of vegetative planting, except:
1. Southeast Asia
2. Southern Europe
3. South America
4. Mesopotamia/Middle East
5. West Africa

33. 10.02 Subsistence agriculture is least common in
1. Europe
2. Latin America
3. China
4. Africa
5. Southeast Asia

34. 10.02 Subsistence agriculture is least common in
1. Europe
2. Latin America
3. China
4. Africa
5. Southeast Asia

36. 10.03 Shifting cultivation is most common
1. In the interior region of Australia
2. Within 20 degrees latitude of the equator
3. In more developed countries
4. In humid continental climates
5. In close proximity to large cities

37. 10.03 Shifting cultivation is most common
1. In the interior region of Australia
2. Within 20 degrees latitude of the equator
3. In more developed countries
4. In humid continental climates
5. In close proximity to large cities

38. 10.04 Pastoral nomadism 1. Has increased in recent decades
2. Is a form of intensive subsistence agriculture
3. Did not develop until after permanent agricultural settlements were built
4. Is synonymous with transhumance
5. Is most common in dry regions

39. 10.04 Pastoral nomadism 1. Has increased in recent decades
2. Is a form of intensive subsistence agriculture
3. Did not develop until after permanent agricultural settlements were built
4. Is synonymous with transhumance
5. Is most common in dry regions

40. 10.05 Plantations are most commonly found in
1. The American South
2. East and West Africa
3. Southeast Asia
4. Latin America
5. East Asia

41. 10.05 Plantations are most commonly found in
1. The American South
2. East and West Africa
3. Southeast Asia
4. Latin America
5. East Asia

42. 10.06 Compared to other grains, wheat
1. Is of less economic importance
2. Has more uses for human food
3. Cannot be stored as long
4. Grows less well in humid continental climates
5. Is grown primarily for domestic consumption

43. 10.06 Compared to other grains, wheat
1. Is of less economic importance
2. Has more uses for human food
3. Cannot be stored as long
4. Grows less well in humid continental climates
5. Is grown primarily for domestic consumption

44. 10.07 Ranching has declined in the western United States primarily because
1. Infectious diseases have killed off herds
2. Growing crops is a more efficient use of land
3. The federal government provides no incentives for ranchers
4. Vegetarianism has become so popular
5. A lack of water limits the number of animals per acre

45. 10.07 Ranching has declined in the western United States primarily because
1. Infectious diseases have killed off herds
2. Growing crops is a more efficient use of land
3. The federal government provides no incentives for ranchers
4. Vegetarianism has become so popular
5. A lack of water limits the number of animals per acre

46. 10.08 The most fundamental shared aspect of regions that practice Mediterranean agriculture is
1. A love of good wine
2. A willingness to experiment with new crops
3. Similar climate/physical conditions
4. Close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea
5. The speaking of Romance languages

47. 10.08 The most fundamental shared aspect of regions that practice Mediterranean agriculture is
1. A love of good wine
2. A willingness to experiment with new crops
3. Similar climate/physical conditions
4. Close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea
5. The speaking of Romance languages

48. 10.09 According to the von Thunen model, which of the following factors is least important to a farmer when deciding which crops to grow?
1. Distance to market
2. Transportation cost per kilometer
3. Yield per acre
4. Price per bushel
5. Nutritional value of the crop

49. 10.09 According to the von Thunen model, which of the following factors is least important to a farmer when deciding which crops to grow?
1. Distance to market
2. Transportation cost per kilometer
3. Yield per acre
4. Price per bushel
5. Nutritional value of the crop

50. 10.10 Which of the following areas is least affected by desertification?
1. North Africa
2. American Southwest
3. Central Australia
4. Central Europe
5. Southwestern Asia

51. 10.10 Which of the following areas is least affected by desertification?
1. North Africa
2. American Southwest
3. Central Australia
4. Central Europe
5. Southwestern Asia