Agriculture Ap Human Geography

Agriculture Key Issues for Unit Where did agriculture originate? Where are agricultural regions in less developed countries? Where are agricultural regions in more developed countries? Why does agriculture vary among regions? Why do farmers face economic difficulties?

Economic Activities Primary Secondary Tertiary Quatrinary Quinary Raw Materials: Agriculture, mining, fishing, and forestry Secondary Manufacturing: capital (for industry) and consumer goods Tertiary Consumer: retail and personal services; entertainment Quatrinary Business/Producer services: trade, insurance, banking, advertising, transportation and information services Quinary Public (government) Services: health, education, research, transportation, tourism & recreation These three levels are often subdivided within the economic activity group “tertiary” as services may be utilized by both consumers & producers.

Key Issue 1: Where Did Agriculture Originate? Origins Of Agriculture Hunters And Gatherers Contemporary Hunting And Gathering Invention Of Agriculture Two Types Of Cultivation Location Of Agricultural Hearths Location Of First Vegetative Planting Location Of First Seed Agriculture Diffusion Of Seed Agriculture Classifying Agricultural Regions Differences Between Subsistence And Commercial Agriculture Purpose Of Farming Percentage Of Farmers In The Labor Force Use Of Machinery Farm Size Relationship Of Farming To Other Businesses Mapping Agricultural Regions Vocabulary agriculture crop vegetative planting seed agriculture subsistence agriculture commercial agriculture prime agricultural land agribusiness

Hunter- Gatherers Before the invention of agriculture, humans existed through hunting and gathering. This means the collection of food (animals, fish, berries, nuts, fruits, and roots) on a daily basis for subsistence. Hunter-gatherers lived in small groups, usually fewer than 50 persons, to maintain available resources in the area. Food questing for a hunter-gatherer may take 20 hours a week on average. This can still be seen in modern hunter- gatherer populations. About 250,000 people still engage in hunting and gathering; these people live in isolated areas of the Arctic, Africa, Australia, and S. America.

What is agriculture? Agriculture Definition: the deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain. The first forms of agriculture: Vegetative planting- the reproduction of plants by direct cloning from existing plants. Such as cutting stems and dividing roots. Seed agriculture- the reproduction of plants through annual planting of seeds that result from sexual fertilization.

Agriculture Origins Vegetative planting originated in three primary hearths: S.E. Asia, West Africa, and northwest South America. Seed agriculture also originated in several primary hearths: west India, north China, Ethiopia, south Mexico, and north Peru.

Carl Sauer: 11 areas of agriculture innovations Agriculture probably did not originate in one location, but began in multiple, independent hearths, or points of origin. From these hearths agricultural practices diffused across Earth’s surface.

Carl Sauer 1889-1975 One of the most influential American geographers, Sauer was instrumental in the development of the field of cultural geography. Developed the Agricultural Hearths theory.

Animal Domestication The best animals to farm are large, plant eating mammals. Over the years, humans have probably tried to domesticate all of them, usually without success. Diamond counted 148 different species of wild, plant eating, terrestrial animals that weigh over 100 pounds. Of those, we have only successfully farmed for any length of time –just 14. They are: goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, Bactrian camels, Arabian camels, water buffalos, llamas, reindeers, yaks, mithans cattle and Bali cattle. All but one [llamas of South America] of these animals are native to Asia, North Africa and Europe. The Big Four livestock animals: cows, pigs, sheep and goats were native to the Middle East.

Fertile Crescent FIGURE 5.1 Map of the Near East indicating the Fertile Crescent [according to Breasted (1916)]. Shaded areas indicate the approximate areas of domestication of pig, cattle, sheep, and goats with dates of initial domestication in calibrated years b.p. [after Zeder (2008)]. Lines enclose the wild ranges of einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, and barley [after Smith, (1995)]. Shaded area in southern Levant indicates the region where all 3 grains were first domesticated 12,000 years B.P.

Fertile Crescent Here, it is assumed hunter-gatherers first became sedentary, domesticated plants and animals, developed agriculture, and built urban villages—the suite of cultural innovations and consequences known as the Neolithic Revolution. The Fertile Crescent during the terminal Pleistocene was much different from the thorny, overgrazed scrub that is present today. Gazelle and deer, wild cattle, boar, horses, and goats and sheep flourished through an oak/pistachio parkland. Among the hundred or so species of edible seeds, leaves, fruits, and tubers, there were thick natural stands of cereals (barley, einkorn, and emmer wheat) and pulses (pea, chickpea, lentil), which provide a rich source of calories and a balance of nutrients.

Barley Emmer Einkorn

Neolithic Revolution Occurred 12,000 years ago. Primary effects: Urbanization Social stratification Occupational specialization Increased population densities Secondary effects: Endemic diseases Famine Expansionism

Origins of Food Plants and Agriculture