Rural Land Use & Von Thünen Model

Nomadic Herding Sahara, Polar Regions (Canada, Russia, US) Inuits Sahara desert

Sheep Ranching in Patagonia Availability of Land Western US, Argentina (Pampas) Sheep Ranching in Patagonia Wyoming

Commercial Grain Farming MDC’S (US Mid-West, Western Europe) Agribusiness Combine Canadian Agribusiness North Dakota

Mediterranean Agriculture Grapes, Olives, Wheat Med. Region, California, Coastal S. Africa

Plantation Agriculture Mostly LDC’s (former Colonies) Owned by Individual or Corporation. Cash Crops (monoculture) Rubber Plantation, Vietnam Tea Plantation, Malaysia

Illegal Drugs Much more money for peasants in LDC’s Colombia: Cocaine Afghanistan: Poppies

Intensive Agriculture Cultivation of small landholdings More than ½ of world’s population Labor intensive Crop yields per acre are usually high Population densities also high Many families are fed primarily with the produce of their individual plots (subsistence farming) Crop yields with high market value including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products

Extensive Agriculture Located farther from the market on less costly land – there is less need to use the land intensively Involves large areas of land and minimal labor input Typified by large wheat farms and livestock ranching Product per land unit and population densities are low Includes nomadic herding and shifting cultivation (swidden or slash-and-burn)

Von Thünen Model

Von Thünen Model John Heinrich Von Thünen 1826: The isolated state Model of concentric rings where agricultural land use is patterned in the form of concentric circles around a market, transportation is a key factor Von Thünen Model Assumptions Flat terrain Constant soils & conditions No barriers to transportation to market

Land value Distance from market

Land value Distance from market

Land value Distance from market

Land value Distance from market

Land value Distance from market

Land value Distance from market

“The Isolated State” 1 – highly perishable; dairy, fruit 2 – forest (fuel & building material) 3 – less perishable; field crops, grains 4 – livestock, ranching (self-transporting) “The Isolated State”

Modifications to Von Thünen Model Modifying the model will alter the details but not change the underlying pattern of the rings Ex: a change in demand and therefore market price of a commodity would merely expand its ring of production

Even though the Von Thünen model was created in a time before factories, highways, and even railroads, it is still an important model in geography. It’s an excellent illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation costs. As one gets closer to a city, the price of land increases. The farmers of the Isolated State balance the cost of transportation, land, and profit and produce the most cost-effective product for market.

Von Thünen Model – Contemporary Variables Modern transportation is more efficient Transportation cost is no longer proportional to distance – why? Firewood is no longer a factor Technology has reduced the significance of perishability Refrigeration Vacuum sealed cans

Is Von Thünen’s model relevant in today’s global economy Is Von Thünen’s model relevant in today’s global economy? Why or why not?