Agriculture Crystal Gray Shaundra Wood Falandus Davidson

What is agriculture? Def: deliberate modification of earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals for either sustenance or economic gain Types: subsistence and commercial Subsistence Commercial

Subsistence vs. Commercial Subsistence Production of food for their own consumption For LDCs 50% in LDCs Little or no use of machinery Farm size can be as small as less than an acre Little or no association with agribusiness Commercial Production of food for economic gain For MDCs 2-5% in MDCs Heavy use of machinery Average farm size: 180 hectares (449 acres) Majority of farming goes to agribusiness

Agriculture in LDCs Agriculture in MDCs

Agriculture in LDCs Shifting Cultivation (slash-and-burn agriculture) ~ practiced in the world’s humid, low-latitude climate regions ~land is cleared by slashing crops and burning debris) depletes the soil nutrition Pastoral Nomadism ~ based on the herding of domesticated animals ~ Pastoral nomads depend primarily on animals rather than crops for survival ~ some practice transhumance [migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pasture (where animals graze)] Intensive Subsistence ~ ¾ of the world’s population live in LDCs with this type of farming ~ tries to get as much food to provide for their family on a small piece of land ~ extreme in East, South, and Southeast Asia ~ some practice wet rice farming [rice planted on dry land, then seeding are moved to flooded field (sawah)

Agriculture in LDCs (cont.) When wet rice farming is not dominant, other crops are planted, such as, wheat, barley, soybeans, or any other dry crop. Crop rotation – rotating use of different field from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil Plantation Farming- where a large farm specializes in one or two crops.

Agriculture in MDCs Mixed crop and livestock ~ in USA: west of Appalachians | stretched from France to Russia ~ most crops are for animals ~ also implements crop rotation ~ Cereal grains: oats, wheat, rye, barley Dairy farming ~ in NE US, SE Canada, NW Europe, S Asia, and E Asia ~ Milkshed- radius where milk can be supplied w/o spoiling ~ radius increased from 30 to 300 miles (time period: present) ~ can be labor intensive Grain farming ~ primary consumption goes to humans ~ grains: wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, millet, etc. ~US is the largest commercial producer of grain ~ tools: reaper (machine that cuts grain standing in the field) and combine (reaps, threshes, and cleans grain)

Agriculture in MDCs (cont) Livestock ranching [PIC] ~ Ranching is the commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area ~semiarid/arid land: practiced where vegetation is too sparse and the soil is too poor Mediterranean agriculture [PIC] ~ practiced in S Europe, N Africa, and western Asia  places that border the Mediterranean Sea ~also grows crops for human consumption such as fruits and vegetables Commercial gardening and fruit farming [PIC] ~Also called truck farming ~ in SE US ~ farms crops that are in demand in developed societies or sold to large processors

Agricultural Challenges Challenges for commercial farmers - Must be located near the market based on the Von Thunen model - Overproduction of food - Low commodity prices - Some converting to subsistence farming to preserve and enhance environmental quality Ridge tillage – system of planting crops on ridge tops Challenges for subsistence farmers - must feed an increasing # of ppl b/c of rapid population growth - must also grow food for export as well Strategies to increase the food supply -expanding the land area used for agriculture - increasing the productivity of land now used for agriculture -identifying new food sources -increasing exports from other countries