1. AGRICULTURE

2. Agricultural Origins and Regions  Hunters and gatherers Small groups, nomadic movement based on game/plants Small groups exist today in the Arctic, Africa, Australia and South America  Invention of agriculture Plant cultivation evolved from accident and experiment Two types Vegetative and Seed

3. Location of agricultural hearths  Vegetative planting Reproduction through cloning, cutting and splitting roots Originated in Southeast Asia to China, Japan, India, S.W. Asia, Africa, and Mediterranean 1 st plants were taro, yam, banana and palm 1 st animals were dog, pig, and chicken  Seed agriculture Planting seeds W. India, N. China and Ethiopia S.W Asia was the 1 st place to integrate seed agriculture and domestication Mexico and Peru developed independently (origin of corn and squash)

4. Seed Agriculture Hearths Fig. 10-2: Seed agriculture also originated in several hearths and diffused from those elsewhere.

5. Classifying agricultural regions Subsistence – Intensive mixed farming that provides for all of the food and material needs of a household.  Practiced in LDC  Personal consumption  Large farmer work force  Use hand tools, little machinery  Small farms Commercial  Practiced in MDC  Produced for sale  Small farmer work force  High level of machinery  Large farms  Large connection to manufacturing sectors

6. Tractors, per Population Fig. 10-4: Tractors per 1,000 people. Use of machinery is extensive in most MDC agriculture, but it is much less common in LDCs.

8. Agriculture in Less Developed Countries  Shifting cultivation  Humid low latitude, Amazon, W. C. Africa, S.E Asia  Characteristics of shifting cultivation Slash and burn and fallow fields Plows and animals barely used Potash (potassium) from burning Rice, corn, cassava, millet, sorghum, yams, sugarcane, plantain and vegetables  Future of shifting cultivation Replaced by logging, cattle ranching and cultivation of cash crops Large scale destruction of rain forest (Bolivia)

9. Pastoral Nomadism  Pastoral nomadism  Characteristics of pastoral nomadism Animals are used for meat, hides and milk Animals are selected by local cultural and physical characteristics Camels, horses, goats, and sheep Movement is tied to territory  Future of pastoral nomadism Offshoot of sedentary agriculture Governments try to resettle groups or provide alternative jobs

10. Intensive subsistence agriculture  Farmers must produce more with less land for more people  Labor intensive and some use of animals, no machines  Intensive subsistence with wet rice dominant  S.E. Asia, China, and E. India  Plowed land is flooded with water and seedlings are transplanted and harvested by hand  Intensive subsistence with wet rice not dominant  Interior India and N.E. China grows wheat instead of rice  Cash crops like cotton, flax, hemp and tobacco are grown  Crop rotation is used to increase yield amount

11. World Rice Production Fig. 10-6: Asian farmers grow over 90% of the world’s rice. India and China alone account for over half of world rice production.

12. Agriculture in Developed Countries  Mixed crop and livestock systems  Integration of crops and livestock (Crops fed to animals)  Reduces seasonal variation in income  Crop rotation for efficient output  Corn and soybeans (corn belt)  Dairy farming  U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand  Dairy farms must be close to the market  Farms farther away produce dairy products like cheese, butter, dry milk or condensed milk  Labor intensive, lack of profitability

13. World Milk Production Fig 10-8: Milk production reflects wealth, culture, and environment. It is usually high in MDCs, especially production per capita, and varies considerably in LDCs.

14. MDC agriculture con’t  Grain farming  Commercial production, easily shipped worldwide  U.S., Canada, Argentina, Australia, France and U.K.  Winter and spring wheat  Livestock ranching  Animals grown for commercial sale  Beef demand rose through the use of railroads and changed ranching and breeds  Chisholm trail was the cattle route used bring to market  The Code of the West led to Range Wars when the government sold land previously used for grazing

15. World Wheat Production Fig. 10-10: China is the world’s leading wheat producer, but the U.S. and Canada account for about half of world wheat exports.

16. MDC agriculture con’t  Mediterranean agriculture  Mediterranean climate (borders a sea, prevailing seas, moisture and mild winters)  Fruits, vegetables, flowers, olive oil, wine, and grapes  Commercial gardening and fruit farming  U.S. southeast because of climate  Consumer goods of agriculture (apples, cherries and lettuce)  Use of migrant workers keep labor cost down  Plantation farming  Located in LDCs but owned by MDC corporations  Cotton, sugarcane, coffee, rubber, tobacco and tea  Crops are processed on site then shipped

17. Economic Issues of Commercial Farmers  Economic issues of commercial farmers  Access to markets-proximity determines crop choice  Overproduction-brings down prices of crops Avoid certain crops, farmer assistance and gov’t buys surplus  Sustainable agriculture- land management and integration Ridge tillage, Round up ready seeds Integration of crops and livestock to get rid of the middle man (farmer grows food to feed livestock instead of purchasing it)

18. Economic issues of subsistence farmers  Population growth and international trade are issues faced by LDCs  Boserup suggests that LDCs need to consider new farming approaches in order to produce enough food for their population  This is achieved through more efficient agriculture (fallow fields, better machinery and more fertilizer)  Increasing food supply  Expand agricultural land  Increase efficiency on current land  Identify new sources of food  Increase exports so there are funds to purchase food

19. Von Thünen Model Fig. 10-13: Von Thünen’s model shows how distance from a city or market affects the choice of agricultural activity in (a) a uniform landscape and (b) one with a river.

20. The von Thunen Model Explained  The von Thünen model of agricultural land use was created by farmer and amateur economist J.H. Von Thünen. His model was created before industrialization and is based on the following limiting assumptions:  The city is located centrally within an " Isolated State " which is self sufficient and has no external influences.  The Isolated State is surrounded by an unoccupied wilderness.  The land of the State is completely flat and has no rivers or mountains to interrupt the terrain.

21.  The soil quality and climate are consistent throughout the State.  Farmers in the Isolated State transport their own goods to market via oxcart, across land, directly to the central city. Therefore, there are no roads.  Farmers act to maximize profits.

22. There are four rings of agricultural activity surrounding the city. Dairying and intensive farming occur in the ring closest to the city. Since vegetables, fruit, milk and other dairy products must get to market quickly, they would be produced close to the city (remember, we don't have refrigerated oxcarts!)

23.  Timber and firewood would be produced for fuel and building materials in the second zone. Before industrialization (and coal power), wood was a very important fuel for heating and cooking. Wood is very heavy and difficult to transport so it is located as close to the city as possible.  The third zone consists of extensive fields crops such as grains for bread. Since grains last longer than dairy products and are much lighter than fuel, reducing transport costs, they can be located further from the city.

24.  Ranching is located in the final ring surrounding the central city. Animals can be raised far from the city because they are self-transporting. Animals can walk to the central city for sale or for butchering.  Beyond the fourth ring lies the unoccupied wilderness, which is too great a distance from the central city for any type of agricultural product.

25.  Even though the Von Thünen model was created in a time before factories, highways, and even railroads, it is still an important model in geography. The Von Thünen model is an excellent illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation costs. As one gets closer to a city, the price of land increases. The farmers of the Isolated State balance the cost of transportation, land, and profit and produce the most cost-effective product for market. Of course, in the real world, things don't happen as they would in a model.