Commercial and Subsistence Types of Agriculture Von Thunen Model

Grain farming… intensive or extensive? Why? Labor or capital?

Pg. 349 Vegetable garden… intensive or extensive? Why? Labor or capital?

Vegetation “slashed” and then burned (slash & burn). Soil remains fertile for 2-3 years. Then people move on.  where: tropical rainforests. Amazon, Central and West Africa, Southeast Asia  Crops: upland rice (S.E. Asia), maize and manioc (S. America), millet and sorghum (Africa)‏ Declining at hands of ranching and logging. Shifting Cultivation pg

Pastoral Nomadism pg The breeding and herding of domesticated animals for subsistence.  where: arid and semi-arid areas of N. Africa, Middle East, Central Asia  animals: Camel, Goats, Sheep, Cattle  transhumance: seasonal migrations from highlands to lowlands Most nomads are being pressured into sedentary life as land is used for agriculture or mining. Bedouin Shepherd Somali Nomad and Tent

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture pg The Fields of Bali Wet Rice Dominant  where: S.E. Asia, E. India, S.E. China  very labor intensive production of rice, including transfer to sawah, or paddies  most important source of food in Asia  grown on flat, or terraced land Double cropping (2 crops at once) is used in warm winter areas of S. China and Taiwan Thai Rice Farmers

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming Where: Ohio to Dakotas, centered on Iowa; much of Europe from France to Russia  crops: corn (most common), soybeans  In U.S. 80% of product fed to pigs and cattle  Highly inefficient use of natural resources Highly inefficient use of natural resources  Pounds of grain to make 1 lb. beef: 10  Gallons of water to make 1 1b wheat: 25  Gallons of water to make 1 1b. beef: 2500

Dairy Farming Where: near urban areas in N.E. United States, Southeast Canada, N.W. Europe - Over 90% of cow’s milk is produced in developed countries. Value is added as cheese, yogurt, etc. Dairy Farm, Wisconsin Most important commercial agriculture practiced on farms near large urban areas Expensive: labor intensive, feed cows Is milk a luxury?! Milkshed : historically defined by spoilage threat; refrigerated trucks changed this.

Grain Farming Where: worldwide, but U.S. and Russia predominant Crops: wheat  winter wheat: Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma  spring wheat: Dakotas, Montana, southern Canada Highly mechanized: combines, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, migrate northward in U.S., following the harvest.

Livestock Ranching Where: arid or semi-arid areas of western U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Spain and Portugal. History: initially open range, now sedentary with transportation changes. Environmental effects: 1) overgrazing has damaged much of the world’s arid grasslands (< 1% of U.S. remain!)‏ 2) destruction of the rainforest is motivated by Brazilian desires for fashionable cattle ranches

Mediterranean Agriculture Where: areas surrounding the Mediterranean, California, Oregon, Chile, South Africa, Australia Climate has summer dry season. Landscape is mountainous. Highly valuable crops: olives, grapes, nuts, fruits and vegetables; winter wheat California: high quality land is being lost to suburbanization; initially offset by irrigation Pg. 349

Commercial Gardening and Fruit Farming Where: U.S. Southeast, New England, near cities around the world crops: high profit vegetables and fruits demanded by wealthy urban populations: apples, asparagus, cherries, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. mechanization: such truck farming is highly mechanized and labor costs are further reduced by the use of cheap immigrant (and illegal) labor. distribution: situated near urban markets.

large scale mono-cropping of profitable products not able to be grown in Europe or U.S. where: tropical lowland Periphery crops: cotton, sugar cane, coffee, rubber, cocoa, bananas, tea, coconuts, palm oil. Where are these things mostly sold? Where are they produced? Plantation Farming pg

How does agriculture correlate to development? In terms of % of population that farms? Type of farming? Types of crops/Products produced? Distribution of end product? Anything else you can think of?

Classifying Agricultural Regions Commercial Agriculture Plantation farming Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming Dairy Farming Grain Farming Livestock Ranching Mediterranean Agriculture Truck Farming

Commercial Agriculture Value-Added  Very little of the value of most commercial products comes from the raw materials  “adding value” is the key to high profit margins  (value chain) Roughly 6% of the price of cereal is the cost of the grain.

Classifying Agricultural Regions Subsistence Agriculture Shifting Cultivation Pastoral Nomadism Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

Johann Heinrich von Thünen ( ) prominent nineteenth century economist. Von Thunen’s theories are the beginning of location economics and analysis (1826) Factors: Spoilage, weight and distance Locational Theory : butter and cheese more common than milk with increasing distance from cities and in West. Pg. 350

Play-doh von Thunen!!!! (Five groups) Each group gets FIVE colors of Play-doh. On a blank sheet of paper in the lower right hand corner make a key for each of the 5 rungs of the Von Thunen model (Example: blue=market/urban area, etc. Use the play-doh to create the rungs for VT. Using the nine small agricultural pictures in the envelope, stick each agricultural product in the rung of Von Thunen where it belongs. Discuss as a group WHY you are putting the product there. Is it heavy? Does it spoil quickly? Is it extensive land use? Etc. When you are finished take a picture with your phone.

Von Thunen Model Spoilage Weight Distance Costs!!! $$$$