Food and Agriculture Ch. 10

Origins of Agriculture Agriculture is the deliberate modification of earth’s surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals Exact Invention of agriculture is unclear, but it likely diffused from many hearths

The First Agricultural Revolution Geographer Carl Sauer suggests that SE Asia and South Asia may have been where the first tropical plant domestication occurred, more than 14,000 years ago Seed crops marked the first agricultural revolution, which likely first took place in the Fertile Crescent

Domestication of Animals Some believe this happened before plant cultivation, but others argue that it began 8,000 years ago, well after crop agriculture Domesticated animals could be used as beasts of burden, a source of meat, and providers of milk Most important domesticated animals in the world: cow, sheep, goat, pig, and horse

The Second Agricultural Revolution Moved agriculture beyond subsistence to generate the kinds of surpluses needed to feed thousands of people working in factories Great Britain’s Enclosure act encouraged field consolidation into large, single-owner holdings New technologies like Jethro Tull’s seed drill and Cyrus McCormick’s mechanical reaper transformed farming There were advances in breeding livestock Innovations in machinery that happened in the Industrial Revolution (late 1800s and early 1900s) helped sustain the second Agricultural Revolution

The Third Agricultural Revolution Called the GREEN REVOLUTION Since the 1930s, agricultural scientists experimented with technologically manipulated seed varieties to increase crop yields The Green Revolution brought new high-yield varieties of wheat and corn from the US to other parts of the world, like South and SE Asia The Green revolution has been criticized since many crops are genetically modified and there are higher inputs of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

New Genetically Modified Foods GMOs are found in 75 percent of all processed foods in the US Many of the poorer countries of the world don’t have access to the necessary capital and technology There is ideological resistance to genetically engineered foods

Commercial and Subsistence Agriculture Subsistence = produced mainly for the farm family’s survival Most common in LDCs Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm Most common in MDCs

Commercial and Subsistence Agriculture Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture: Purpose of farming Percentage of farmers in labor force Use of Machinery Farm Size Relationship of farming to other businesses

Subsistence Agriculture Shifting cultivation Intercropping and Agroforestry Pastoralism Transhumance Wet Rice Farming Smallholder crop and livestock farming

Commercial Agriculture Agribusiness Plantation agriculture Cash Crops Dual Society and Dual Economy Commercial Gardening and Mediterranean Agriculture Truck Farming Commercial Dairy Farming Factory Farm Feedlots Commercial Grain Farming Livestock Ranching Extensive Agriculture

Diet Consumption of food varies around the world primarily for two reasons: Level of Development Physical Conditions Developing regions typically differ most in their primary sources of protein consumed

Nutrition and Hunger UN estimates that 850 million people are undernourished 99% are located in developing countries

Shifting Cultivation Most prevalent in low-latitude, A-type climates Two Features: Land is cleared by slash-and-burn agriculture Land Is tended for only a few years at a time Types of crops grown vary regionally Most often occurs in tropical rainforest regions – SE Asia, Central Africa, Brazil

Intensive Subsistence Found in areas with high population and agricultural densities Especially in East, South, and Southeast Asia To maximize production, little to no land is wasted

Types Of Agriculture in MDCs Mixed Crop and Livestock Dairying Grain Ranching Mediterranean Commercial Gardening

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming Livestock fed with crops grown on same farm, ¾ of income is from sale of animal products Involves crop rotation, which helps maintain fertility of land Common products are corn and soybeans

Dairy Farming Primarily in NE Us, SE Canada, NW Europe 60% of the world’s milk comes from these areas Must be close to their market area because it’s highly perishable

Grain farming and Livestock The largest commercial producer of grain is the US (KS, CO, OK, MT, WA, ND, SD) Livestock Ranching Practiced in marginal environments (US, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia

Plantation Farming Usually involves the production of one crop Common in many tropical areas, like Latin America, Africa, and Asia Examples: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, tea, cocoa, cotton, rubber, palm oil, etc.

**Von ThüNEN Model** As one moved away from the town, one commodity or crop gave way to another The greater the distance to the market, the higher the transport costs that had to be added to the cost of producing a crop or commodity This model was the first effort to analyze the spatial character of economic activity

Challenges for Commercial Farmers Overproduction Agriculture efficiencies have resulted in overproduction Demand has remained relatively constant Sustainable agriculture Sensitive land management Integrated crop and livestock

Challenges for Commercial Farmers Population Growth Boserup thesis – population growth compels subsistence farmers to consider new farming approaches that produce enough food to take care of more people International Trade To be successful, LDCs need to grow crops people in MDCs want (coffee, tea, cocoa) Drug Crops South America – cocaine, marijuana Afghanistan, Myanmar, Laos – Opium, heroin

Strategies to increase food supply Expanding agricultural land Desertification - the Sahel Increasing Productivity The green revolution (1970s-80s) Introduction of higher-yield seeds and use of fertilizers Identifying New Food Sources Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein cereals, and improving palatability of foods Increasing Trade