1. Friday, April 15 VON THUNEN’S MODEL

2. The Von Thünen model of agricultural land use was created by farmer and amateur economist J.H. Von Thünen of Germany. He believed farmers were ‘economic men.” His model was created before industrialization and is based on 6 limiting assumptions. JOHANN HEINRICH VON THUNEN

3. 1.There is only one market available, self-sufficient with no outside influence. 2.All farmers are market oriented, producing goods for sale. 3.The physical environment is uniform, there are no rivers or mountains. 4.All points are at equal distances from market and have equal access to the market. 5.All farmers act to maximize profits. 6.The dietary preferences of the population are those of Germanic Europeans. 6 ASSUMPTIONS OF MODEL:

4.  The main concept is land rent or land value, which will decrease as one gets farther away from central markets.  Rent is highest in the closest proximity to urban markets. What does this mean? Agricultural products that have intensive land use, have high transportation costs and were in great demand would be located closest to the urban markets. MAIN CONCEPT: LAND USE

5.  Product A is costly to transport but has a high market price and is therefore farmed near the city.  Product B sells for less but has lower transport costs. At a certain distance, B becomes more profitable than A because of its lower transport costs.  Eventually, product C, with still lower transport costs, becomes the most profitable product.  The changing pattern of the most profitable produce is therefore seen as a series of land use rings around the city. LET ME BREAK IT DOWN!

6. Directions: Your group will locate each of the following in the ring that you think will maximize its efficiency. Explain your reasoning for each of your choices. THINK YOU GOT IT? APPLY IT! Place each “product” where you think it would go and explain why. In no particular order, you products and locations are : Intensive agriculture Livestock Ranching City Forest Resources Grain Farming Dairy

7. There are four rings of agricultural activity surrounding the city. Dairying & intensive farming: Since vegetables, fruit, milk and other dairy products must get to market quickly, they would be produced close to the city. Before industrialization (and coal power), wood (forest) 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. Ranching (livestock farming) 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.

8.  Dairying and gardening of fruits and vegetables would be closer to the urban market while..  Timber and firewood for fuel and building materials would be in the second zone.  Mixed farming, commercial grain, and orchards and  Extensive cattle ranching would be located further away. Transportation is cheap: the animals can walk to the city for butchering. SO…

10. THE VON THÜNEN MODEL

11. …applying von Thunen’s basic assumptions …von Thunen’s model with Variations in climate factored in--the north is colder than the South.

12. IT’S ALL ABOUT COST & PROXIMITY R=Y(p-c)-YFm

13. PRO’S AND CONS PROS  Organized typical land organization (what was being practiced)  Perfect world only  Developed for small regional focus w/single market center but is easily applicable at the national or global scale CONS  Assumes all land is uniform (quality)  Doesn’t account for topographical features (hills, rivers, etc.) Cost changes with land or water transportation  Doesn’t consider social customs or government policies and influences