AGRICULTURAL LAND USE Agriculture – the deliberate tending of crops and livestock in order to produce food and fiber Less than 2% of Americans are farmers > Agricultural production is at an all-time high There isn’t a shortage of food in the world, it is an infrastructure problem. >Mechanization and farm consolidation has forced small farmers off the land

What occurred during times of drought? Prior to the Agricultural Revolution, nomadic tribes depended on migratory animals, wild fruit and berries. What occurred during times of drought? Hunting and gathering were the prevailing forms of “agriculture.” Populations stayed low due to a limited carrying capacity. There are fewer than 250,000 hunters and gatherers in the world today in areas like the Kalahari Desert in Africa and Australia.

FIRST AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION – Plants/Seeds 10,000-12,000 years ago, closely aligned with the declining Ice Age, accompanied by a modest population explosion With the advent of agriculture, sedentary agriculture was possible. People could stay in one place and small settlements formed.

ANIMAL DOMESTICATION No firm date as to when domestication occurred Goats, pigs, and sheep rapidly incorporated into captivity SE Asia – pigs, water buffalo, chickens S Asia – cattle, elephant Middle East (SW Asia)– goat, sheep, camel Inner Asia – yak, horse, goat, sheep, reindeer Mesoamerica – llama, alpaca, pig, turkey ***Different species in different areas*** The type of animals found in regions had a major affect on the development of that region.

*The key contribution of agriculture Allowed people to settle permanently in one location with the assurance that food would be available Once a food source was secured and a surplus occurred, specialization of labor could occur, cities and civilizations could develop.

“Hearths” of agriculture began to develop and people became more sophisticated in means of planting foods. Vegetative planting involves cloning the original plant by cutting stems and planting or dividing roots. Geographer Carl Sauer believes this began in southeast Asia and involving domesticating plants like banana trees, palms and yams. It is also thought this could have occurred independently in west Africa and the Peru/Columbia regions.

Seed agriculture originated in more than one hearth. Sauer identified three hearths, Ethiopia, western India and northern China. Seed agriculture diffused quickly to the Middle East (Southwest Asia) where important advances were made with crops like barley and wheat. It is also thought that the farmers of the Middle East were the first to use animals to plow the soil to plant the crops.

Shifting cultivation interpreted as slash-and-burn Usually takes place in tropical climates. After a few years the soil is depleted and the farmer moves to a new field and start the process over. When used too much or by too many, this will eventually leach the soil causing erosion and destroying the soil. In small settings, this is a crop rotation method which allows soil to replenish.

A large percentage of the world’s population (Asia and Africa in particular) still practice intensive subsistence farming. Growing just enough to eat with little left over. Every available inch of land is used for crops in “intensive” subsistence farming. Terracing to grow crops on the side of a mountain

Extensive farming also refers to herding and ranching. “Extensive” farming refers to the large amount of land necessary to produce crops or food. Extensive subsistence farming refers to shifting cultivation since it requires a large amount of land. Extensive farming also refers to herding and ranching.

Commercial farming – producing agricultural products for sale, not for consumption by the farmer. This has led to today’s “factory farming” methods. Very efficient, not particularly humane.

Mediterranean agriculture refers to a particular dry climate with warm days and cool nights. The soil is usually poor and limits what can be grown. This climate is also found in Southern California and South Africa.