1. Where are Agricultural Regions in More Developed Countries?
Ch. 10 Agriculture
Where are Agricultural Regions in More Developed Countries?

2. More Developed Countries
6 main types of commercial agriculture in MDC’s
Mixed Crop & Livestock
Dairy Farming
Grain Farming
Livestock Ranching
Mediterranean Agriculture
Commercial gardening & fruit farming
Climate is main determinant as in LDC’s

3. 1) Mixed Crop & Livestock
Common in Eastern Parts of USA, & much of Europe
Integration of crops & livestock
Most of the crops are fed to animals instead of humans
Most of land devoted to crops, but most of income (75%) comes from animal products
Beef, eggs, etc.
Reduces fluctuations in income (seasonal)
Crop rotation
USA- corn* belt (Ohio-Dakotas), soybeans

4. 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

5. 2) Dairy Farming
Most important near urban areas of NE USA, SE Canada, NW Europe
Transportation factor + location “milkshed”
Why you traditionally find dairy farms close to the city
Advancements in modes of transportation have increased the radius of milksheds to 500 km
# of dairy farmers decline (expense) but production up

6. Dairy Production in the U.S.
Fig. 10-9: Milk production is widely dispersed because of its perishability, but cheese production is far more concentrated.

7. 3) Grain Farming
Distinguished from mixed crop and livestock farming, because crops are grown primarily for human consumption.
Farms sell their output to manufacturers of food products, such as breakfast cereals and bread.
Characteristics of a Typical Grain Farm
Heavily mechanized
Oriented to consumer preferences

8. Grain Farming Where: worldwide, but U.S. and Russia predominant
Winter wheat: Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma
Spring wheat: Dakotas, Montana, southern Canada (“bread basket”) .

9. 4) Livestock Ranching
Commercial grazing of livestock over extensive area in semi-arid or arid land
US Popular culture (Texas)
Declined in importance in 1880s; range wars
Other ranching occurs in Spain/Portugal, Argentina, S Brazil & Uruguay
Sheep over cattle in Middle East, N.Z. & South Africa

10. Environmental Impacts
Deforestation in South America
One of the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions
Loss of biodiversity
Water pollution

11. FIGURE 10-44 MEAT PRODUCTION China is now the world’s largest meat producer.

12. 5) Mediterranean Agriculture
Every site practicing this form of agriculture borders a sea, and most are on west coasts of continents.
Prevailing sea winds provide moisture and moderate the winter temperatures.
Farmers derive a smaller percentage of income from animal products.
Most crops are grown for human consumption.
Horticulture, which is the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and tree crops form the commercial base.
Along the Mediterranean Sea, olives and grapes are two most important cash crops.
Approximately half of the land here is used to grow cereals.

13. Cont’d….
Where: areas surrounding the Mediterranean, California, Oregon, Chile, South Africa, Australia
Climate has summer dry season. Landscape is mountainous.
Crops: olives, grapes, nuts, fruits and vegetables; winter wheat
California: high quality land is being lost to suburbanization; initially offset by irrigation

14. 6) Commercial Gardening & Fruit Farming (Truck farming)
Dominates US Southeast (high humidity)
Most sold to processors (canning/freezing)
Highly efficient, large scale operations, low labour costs (migrant workers)
High use of machinery
Apples, Asparagus, Cherries, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Mushrooms (high profit)
Specialization

15. What is a “cash crop”
A cash crop is an agricultural crop which is grown in LDCs for sale to return a profit
Usually crops which attract demand in MDCs, and hence have some export value
A “Bad” thing?!?!

16. Guess the Cash Crop??
Cocoa/chocolate

17. Coffee

18. Cotton

19. Opium

20. Rubber

21. Sugar cane

22. Tea

23. Tobacco

24. Plantation Farming
Form of commercial agriculture found in in Tropics & Sub-tropics
Found in LDC’s, but owned & operated by Europeans or N. Americans + sold there
Large farms that specialize in 1 or 2 crops
Cotton, sugarcane, coffee, rubber, tobacco, cocoa, jute, bananas, tea, coconuts, palm oil
Import workers & provide them with necessities
Civil war; significance to US South

25. Focus on Coffee Considered one of the ‘luxury crops’
1st domesticated in present day Ethiopia, today thrives in Middle & South America (70%)
US buys more than ½ of all coffee sold, Western Europe imports most of rest
One of best examples of colonial legacy’s impact on present-day agricultural practices
Early 18th century- virtually unknown, now 2nd most valuable traded commodity in world
There are approximately 25 million farmers and coffee workers
Foreign owned plantations, low wages

26. Illegal Cash Crops Important cash crops, not easily mapped
High demand; particularly in core
Periphery farmers find it more profitable to cultivate poppy, coca, marijuana
Increased through the 1980s & 1990s
Coca- *Columbia, Peru, Bolivia
Poppy- SE & SW Asia (+90% Afghanistan & Myanmar)
USA – Role of Mexico