© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 10: Agriculture The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? ** ½ of people in LDCs are farmers vs. 2% in the U.S. LDCs are home to 97% of the world’s farmers Origins of agriculture= uncertain b/c before recorded history –Hunting & gathering first and still practiced today –Agriculture = deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain –Cultivate = “to care for” –Crop = any plant cultivated by people –Agriculture originated in multiple hearths!

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Hunter-gatherers (250,000 remaining today) Invention of agriculture –When it began = unclear (but probably started by accident and through experimentation) –Diffused from many hearths –Southwest Asia= wheat, barley, lentils, and olive- 10,000 years ago –East Asia= rice-10,000 years ago –Central Africa= sorghum- 8,000 years ago –Latin America= beans, cotton, potatoes, CORN- 5,000 years ago –Americas (Mexico & U.S.)= squash & CORN * Southwest Asia= first to cultivate herd animals (cattle, sheep, goats) for farming

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Crop Hearths Figure 10-2

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Animal Hearths Figure 10-3

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Commercial and subsistence agriculture –Subsistence = produced mainly for the farm family’s survival Most common in LDCs –Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm Most common in MDCs –Within LDCs and MDCs, agriculture varies based on dry lands vs. the tropics

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Agriculture and Climate Figure 10-4

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Did Agriculture Originate? Commercial vs. subsistence agriculture –Five characteristics distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture: Purpose of farming (selling for profit vs. consumption) Percentage of farmers in the labor force (MDCs = 5% vs. 50% in LDCs) Use of machinery (machinery vs. using people & animals) Farm size (large farms vs. small family plots) Relationship of farming to other businesses (agribusiness= part of food-production industry vs. family only farming)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Agricultural Workers Figure 10-5

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Area of Farmland Per Tractor Figure 10-6

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? What are the types of farming?? 1) Shifting cultivation –Most prevalent in humid low-latitude, A-type climates (lots of rain and high temperatures) –Two features: Land is cleared by slashing and burning debris –Slash-and-burn agriculture Land is tended for only a few years at a time –Types of crops grown vary regionally –Traditionally, land is not owned individually but by the village –¼ of the world’s land area but less than 5% do

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? 2) Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated animals) –Found primarily in arid and semiarid B-type climates (SW Asia & North Africa) –Animals are seldom eaten (used for milk, carrying stuff, skins if one dies) The size of the herd indicates power and prestige –Type of animal depends on the region For example, camels are favored in North Africa and Southwest Asia –Transhumance practiced by some pastoral nomads (seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland areas)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? 3) Intensive subsistence agriculture –Form that feeds most people in LDCs –Found in areas with high population and agricultural densities Especially in East, South, and Southeast Asia To maximize production, little to no land is wasted Mostly by hand or use animals to help –Intensive with wet rice dominant –Intensive with wet rice not dominant (wheat & barley)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Rice Production Figure 10-12

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs? 4) Plantation farming –Found in tropics and subtropics- Latin America, Africa, and Asia –Products are grown in LDCs but typically are sold to MDCs (and often owned or operated by MDCs) –Plantations specialize in one or two cash crops Important crops = coffee, sugarcane, cotton, rubber, and tobacco –A large labor force is usually needed in sparsely settled regions (and often have to import workers)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? 1) Mixed crop and livestock farming –Most common form in U.S. (Cornbelt) and Europe –Most land = devoted to crops (corn & soybeans) fed to the animals –Most profits = derive from the livestock (beef, milk, eggs) –Use crop rotation! 2) Dairy farming –Most important practiced on farms near urban areas (the milkshed); India # 1 now! –Two primary challenges: Labor-intensive Expense of winter feed (b/c can’t eat grass)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Corn (Maize) Production Figure 10-15

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Milk Production Figure 10-17

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs? 3) Grain farming (seed from grasses like wheat) –The largest commercial producer of grain = the U.S. –For consumption by HUMANS 4) Livestock ranching (cattle ranching) –Practiced in marginal environments (dry, poor soil) –Being overtaken by crop growing –Now just part of the meat-processing industry 5) Mediterranean agriculture (olives & grapes) –Based on horticulture (fruits, veggies, flowers) –For human consumption (and the healthiest!) 6) Commercial gardening and fruit farming –Truck farms -> Southeast U.S.(migrant workers!)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Wheat Production Figure 10-19

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Meat Production Figure 10-21

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face $$Difficulties? Challenges for commercial farmers: Access to markets is important (Where to plant what crops??) The von Thünen model (1826): The choice of crop to grow is related to the proximity to the market (customers/consumers) Compares: –Cost of land vs. cost of transporting products to consumers -Criticisms of his model: 1) assumes all areas look the same 2) Ignores social customs and govt. policies Figure 10-24

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face $$ Difficulties? Challenges for commercial farmers in MDCs: –Overproduction (although LDCs don’t have enough!) Agricultural efficiencies have resulted in overproduction (too much surplus!) Demand has remained relatively constant –As a consequence, incomes for farmers are low –Govt. policies: 1) avoid producing certain crops; 2) pays farmers when certain commodity prices are low; 3) buy surplus to sell or donate to foreign govt. –Alternative :Sustainable agriculture (organic farming)- 1) Sensitive land management (ridge tillage- Iowa); 2) limited use of chemicals; 3) Integrated crop and livestock

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Ridge Tillage

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face $$ Difficulties? Challenges for subsistence farmers in LDCs: –Population growth Growing population in LDCs requires more food for their people, but need to sell food to other countries 1) Must use more modern farming methods (requiring more labor since don’t have machines) 2) Land is left fallow for shorter periods –International trade Must sell some of their crops to buy higher-yield seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, and machinery Irony: Feeding the MDCs to feed their own people. –Drug crops (export crop chosen by some LDCs, especially in Latin America and Asia)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Drug Trade Figure 10-27

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Farmers Face $$ Difficulties? Strategies to increase the world’s food supply: –Expanding agricultural land (in LDCs) Desertification (human actions causing semiarid land degradation); overgrazing, water-logging of land –Increasing productivity The green revolution (invention & rapid diffusion of more productive agricultural techniques during the 1970s and 1980s)- higher-yield seeds & fertilizer –Identifying new food sources Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein cereals, and improving palatability of foods (soybeans & krill) –Increasing trade (between MDC & LDC)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Agricultural Land and Population Figure 10-28

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Grain Imports and Exports Figure 10-32

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. The End. Up next: Industry