AIM: To what extent does Von Thünen’s model accurately reflect how farmers set up their farms in relation to cities? Do Now: Which crop should be produced closer to a center-city; timber, wheat. (Why?)

Johann Heinrich von Thünen (1783-1850) German agriculturalist best known for his work on the relationship between the costs of commodity transportation and the location of production.

Von Thünen’s Model Developed by Von Thünen to help explain the importance of proximity to market in the choice of crops on commercial farms. Von Thünen first proposed this model in 1826. According to the model, a commercial farmer initially considers which crops to cultivate and which animals to raise based on market location.

Two Major Costs in Farming Cost of the land Cost of transporting the produce to market

Why can’t this be in Brooklyn?

Cost of Land The farmer must identify a crop that can be sold for more than the land cost. Lets say the land costs $1000/hectare a year. The farmer is thinking about growing one of these on the land. He can grow either $1250 of peas/hectare or $1,500 of potatoes/hectare ($0.25/kg x 1000 kg/hectare) ($0.50/kg x 1000 kg/hectare) Which of these crops do you think the farmer should grow?

Why might the farmer be more inclined to grow the peas instead of the potatoes?

Cost of Transportation The distance from a farmers land to the market can affect how much potential profit a crop can produce for a farmer. Lets say Peas cost $15/hectare per mile traveled. Potatoes cost $100/hectare per mile traveled. The market is 4 miles away. How much money per kilogram would the farmer make?

Von Thünen’s Model shows that a commercial farmer must combine two sets of monetary values to determine the most profitable crop The value of the yield per hectare The cost of transporting the yield per hectare

Why do dairy products need to be closer to a central market than grain products?

Dairy Transport

What are some advancements in technology that could allow the rings to grow?

Janet T. Henshall, “Models of Agricultural Activity,” in R. J Janet T. Henshall, “Models of Agricultural Activity,” in R.J. Chorley and P. Haggett (eds.) Socio-Economic Models in Geography. “The classical model of agricultural location outlined by von Thünen in his book Der Isolierte Staat (The Isolated State) is based upon an econometric analysis of the estates in Mecklenburg where von Thünen farmed for forty years from 1810 until his death in 1850… The underlying assumptions made by von Thünen are:

Von Thünen’s Assumptions the existence of an “isolated state,” one central city as the sole market, a uniform plain surrounding the city, only one mode of transport, horse and cart, the plain inhabited by farmers supplying the city, the maximizing of profits with the automatic adjustment to the needs of the central market.

Criticism Von Thünen did not consider site or human factors in his model. It also failed to consider that social customs and government policies influence the attractiveness of plants and animals to a commercial farmer.

Von Thünen modified