1. Agriculture
AP Human Geography

2. Essential Questions What are the origins of agriculture?
How do MDC’s and LDC’s differ in terms of agriculture?
What are different types of agriculture?
How do we feed a growing global population?
What impact does commercial agriculture have on the environment?

3. Meaning of Agriculture
Latin agricultura
Ager= field
Cultura= cultivation
Cultivation/ tilling of the field
The intentional growth and processing of animals and plants for food, fibers, and other by-products.
Intentional modification of Earth’s surface through the cultivation of plants or rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.

4. Agriculture

5. Agriculture

6. Hunter/ Gatherer Society
Pre- agriculture
Early humans (“cave men”)
Hunting
Animals, fish
Gathering
Nuts, berries, wild plants, fruits, roots
Life centered around finding food for survival
Small groups moved based on access to food
¼ million people today in remote parts of the world.

7. Hunting and Gathering

8. Origins of Agriculture
Accident?
Multiple hearths 5,000 to 10,000 years ago
1st Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic)
End of H&G, planting of seeds
Southwest Asia (Middle East)
Barley, wheat, olives, cattle, goats, pig, sheep
Africa
Sorghum, yams
East Asia
Rice, millet
Latin America
Beans, potato, cotton, squash, maize (corn)

9. Map of Hearths

10. Other Major Developments
2nd Agricultural Revolution
1800’s in Europe
Same time as Industrial Revolution
Focus on creating food surpluses to feed factory workers.
3rd Agricultural Revolution (GREEN REVOLUTION)
Started in 1930’s in U.S. Midwest
Genetic modification of seeds
Fertilizers
Increased crop yields, less hunger
Environmental hazards/ decreased biodiversity

13. Two Types of Ag Today: Subsistence and Commercial
Food is consumed by farmer’s family, maybe locals.
Survival
Variety of crops
LDC’s
50% farmers
Basic tools and techniques
Many small farms
Food is sold to larger company, who sells to producer.
Profit
Single crop (wheat, corn)
MDC’s
5% farmers
Machinery/ transportation/ fertilizers
A few large farms

14. Commercial Agriculture

15. Subsistence Agriculture

16. Agribusiness The businesses involved in food production.
“Corporate owned farms”
Farmers themselves don’t make lots of $$$ but owners of corporations do.
Companies include: Monsanto, Cargill, John Deere,

17. Shifting Cultivation (Slash and Burn)
Practiced in tropical and sub- tropical climate zones (warm, lots of rain)
Land is cleared of larger trees by cutting and burning….potash fertilizes soil.
Soil is farmed for a few years then a new area is cleared.
Common crops: rice, corn, cassava, yams, sugarcane.
Traditionally, land was owned by village; private ownership is becoming more common.
Deforestation, global warming, erosion.

18. Pastoral Nomadism Subsistence agriculture based on herding animals
Camels, goats, sheep…depends on environment.
Milk, hides, not always meat
Southwest Asia, N. Africa (drier areas)
Very spread out
Nomad= one who wanders/ no home
15 million worldwide
Transhumance- migration of animals between highland (mountains) and lowland (valleys.)

19. Bedouins (SW Asia) and Maasai (Kenya)

20. Intensive Subsistence Agriculture
Found in densely populated areas of East, Southeast, and South Asia.
Small, fragmented plots of land
High agricultural density= waste no land
Careful agricultural practices produce highest yields of crops.
“Get as much as you can from the land”

22. Wet Rice Farming
Seedlings are grown on dry land and transplanted to “sawahs” or “paddys”, which are flooded fields.
Grows best on flat land (valleys) but growth in population has led to terracing.
Small % of land, but most important source of food for Asians.
Time consuming and labor intensive…mostly done by hand.

23. Terracing Terraces are used in farming to cultivate sloped land.
Provides more surface area to grow crops on.
Rice terrace in Philippines 