Agricultural Revolutions Agribusiness and Agri-food Systems

1. The Agricultural Revolution 1 st Agricultural Revolution ( ys ago): –Development of seed agriculture –Use of plow and draft animals –Plant and animal domestication

2 nd Agricultural Revolution (~ Industrial Rev. or mid 18th C) –Improvement in livestock and crop yields –Planting clover and legumes –Metal implements –Replacement of ox by horse –New inputs in agricultural production

3 rd Agricultural Revolution (~20thC): –Modernization and mechanization –Chemical farming (Green Revolution) –Food manufacturing Pesticide sprayer plow

Capitalist agricultural ‘revolution’ –Food became a commodity increased state intervention –Decrease in agricultural labor –Wealth concentration

The Green Revolution HYVs (high-yielding varieties) Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, energy Genetically-engineered crops Profit potential for TNCs (E.G. Monsanto Corp.) –Concerns over ‘intellectual property rights’ to plant genomes, indigenous knowledge bases

2. Agri-business and Agri-food systems Agri-business:... “an integrated, corporate system, involving all aspects of agriculture, from food production, to processing and distribution ” (Knox & Agnew 2003, p. 36) –production –transport –financing –regulation and –Marketing

Model of Agricultural Location Von Thünen’s Model: Land-use rings with different farm products Based on: –demand, –operating costs, –transport cost, –land rent prices.