Agriculture AP Human Geography

Definition Agriculture – raising of animals or the growing of crops to obtain food for primary consumption by the farm family or for sale off the farm

Some Historical Perspective In the beginning, there were Hunters and Gatherers Not the best system: Extensive land use, but not intensively No real permanent settlements Unpredictable and hard This still exists in some parts of the world

Agricultural Revolutions First Agricultural Revolution – allowed humans to become more sedentary and avail themselves of a more reliable source of food Animal Domestic– process of taming wild animals for human benefit Focus on Subsistence Agriculture

Agricultural Revolutions Second Agricultural Revolution – occurred during Industrial Revolution – used technology as a means to increase production and distribution of products Focus shifts to Commercial Agriculture

Agricultural Revolutions Third Agricultural Revolution – latter half of 20th cent, corresponded with exponential population growth occurring around the world Sometimes called GREEN REVOLUTION – involves use of biotechnology (genetic engineering) – altering genetic material of plants and animals Double cropping – growing two crops per year to double the harvest Triple cropping – allows even more people to be fed

Agricultural Revolutions Continentality – area’s temp is affected by its location relative to nearest large body of water. This will affect what can be grown and how often

Variations of Farming Subsistence Farming – produce food they need to survive on a daily basis Shifting Cultivation – moving farm fields after several years in search of more productive soil after depleting nutrients in original field Slash and Burn agriculture – leaves barren soil behind and moves on to the next area and clears it by burning – puts nitrogen in soil

Variations of Farming Crop Rotation – planting of different types of crops each year to replenish the soil with nutrients used up by previous crop Pastoral Nomadism – moving animals on a seasonal basis to areas that have the necessary resources to meet the needs of the herd

Variations on Subsistence Agriculture Extensive Subsistence Agriculture – includes pastoral nomadism and shifting cultivation Needs a lot of land (extensive) criticized for causing soil erosion, water degradation, and other environmental problems is more productive

Variations on Subsistence Agriculture Intensive Subsistence Agriculture – more intense style of subsistence farming more work is needed to obtain the same level of production Usually done in areas that it is harder to continue to farm

Commercial Farming Vocabulary Mediterranean Ag – dry summer, cool moist winter – grapes, dates, olives Dairy Farming – highly mechanized, milking cows Specialized Fruit Production – orchards Grain Farming – mass planting and harvesting of grain crops The Staple Grains - wheat, barley, millet: A large % of world population depends on these for survival

Commercial Farming Vocabulary Plantation Agriculture – more prevalent in less developed countries, production of one crop sold to more developed countries (produces “Banana Republics”) Dependency: Interaction between Core Countries (or MDCs) that are dependent on the periphery for raw materials and the Periphery that produces those raw materials

Found in More Developed Countries Mixed Livestock and Crop Production – cows grown for meat and other products . Cows are fed with crops (corn and soybeans) grown on the same farm.

Found in More Developed Countries Livestock Ranching –done on the fringes of productive farmland , so it requires huge areas of land (like the Midwest). It involves the feeding of livestock done by allowing animals to roam fields without assistance of farmer. “put them out to pasture”

Types of Commercial Farming Truck Farms – farm where farmers produce fruits for market Farmers will bring in produce to City Market on the weekends. Sales will take place there, but the farm is somewhere else. Suitcase Farms – no one resides there permanently ; mostly staffed by migrant workers

Types of Commercial Farming Agribusiness – mass production of agricultural products Examples: Mansanto, Ocean Spray, John Deere Agricultural industrialization – increased mechanization of the farming process to increase productivity and profits (started to occur during the Industrial Revolution)

Von Thünen's Model of Land Use Johann Heinrich von Thünen– Farmers will chose what crops are grown in direct relation to how far the farm is from the market. In order of distance (closest farms up first): Market-Gardening Activities – various heavy, bulky products (melons, veggies) – need to be close to market because they will spoil and it costs too much to transport

Von Thünen's Model of Land Use 2. Dairy Farming – produced close to market, cost of transportation for cooling 3. Livestock Farming – Fattening adds weight to animals and farmers do this to increase sale price, Feedlots specialize in cattle or hogs—these animals are not put to pasture

Von Thünen's Model of Land Use 4. Commercial Grain Farming – selling of wheat, corn, millet, other grains Combines – separate seed from shaft of plant Food chain – grain sent to market in trailers, sold to producer who makes product (bread), product sold to wholesaler, sells to grocery store, individuals can buy it 5. Livestock Ranching – uses most land per farm of any other zones

Von Thünen's Model of Land Use 6. Nonagricultural Land Use – isn’t really a zone of agriculture because distance to market is so far that farmer cannot productively or profitably sell his goods

Trends in US Agriculture Early American Agriculture Practices – hunting/gathering (Native American groups)

Trends in US Agriculture Effect of Early Settlements and Westward Migration on Agriculture– Colonization from Europeans brought cattle and the use of seed agriculture Metes and Bounds – used in Great Britain and brought over for the 13 colonies, this is a more informal way of measuring by using the land’s physical features to describe who owns what Township and Range – terms that began to be used as westward expansion occurred into the Northwest Territory Sections – Midwest square mile tracts (acres) Long Lots – used by French settlers in Louisiana

Trends in US Agriculture American Agriculture in 20th Cent – based on ideas of Manifest Destiny (God’s will to move westward across US). Resulted in: Environmental Modification – introduction of manmade chemicals and practices to an area Desertification – overgrazing led to encroaching deserts within arid regions (the Southwest and Dust Bowl areas)

Trends in US Agriculture Future Aquaculture – farming of fish for sale off farm—raised in ponds or pastures Creative Destruction – removal of what nature originally produced in a particular location to grow what is desired (Cultural Landscape)

World Crop Regions US – Corn For livestock and human consumption and ethanol fuel South America – Sugar Cane fuel Eastern Europe/Russia – Wheat Africa – Sorghum or Millet Both are high calorie energy sources Asia – Rice