1. Agricultural Geography
Key Issue #1: Where did agriculture originate?

2. Origins of Agriculture
Agriculture is deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain. Thus, agriculture originated when humans first domesticated plants and animals for their use.

3. Origins of Agriculture
Hunters and Gatherers – all humans were hunters and gatherers before agriculture
Small groups
Men – hunted
Women – gathered
The groups traveled often
Today, less than .005% of the world’s population survives off of hunting and gathering

4. Hunters and Gatherers

5. Invention of Agriculture
Observation over time: reproduction of plants, water, “fertilizer”
Agriculture evolves over time
Animals may have been domesticated first for religious purposes or as household pets

6. Invention of Agriculture
Two types of agriculture:
Vegetative planting – the reproduction of plants by direct cloning from existing plants, such as cutting roots and dividing plants
Seed Agriculture – came later; the reproduction of plants by the planting of seeds that result from sexual fertilization
This is most used by farmers today

7. Location of Agricultural Hearths
Agriculture developed in multiple, independent hearths from which it diffused
First Vegetative Planting: Sauer believes that it was in Southeast Asia

9. Location of Agricultural Hearths
Seed Agriculture: originated in more than one hearth
The Eastern Hemisphere: 3 Hearths (Western India, Northern China, and Ethiopia)
Diffused to SW Asia – where wheat, barley were domesticated as well as herd animals (cattle, sheep, goats)
Rice – probably developed in SE Asia

10. Location of Agricultural Hearths
Seed Agriculture in the Western Hemisphere:
Southern Mexico – squash, maize (corn)
Northern Peru – Squash, Beans, and Cotton
Animals – Llama, alpaca, and turkeys (herd animals did not come until the Europeans did)
Maize
alpacas

11. Classifying Agricultural Regions
Differences in Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture
Subsistence agriculture, found in PINGs, is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer’s family.
Commercial agriculture, found in PEDs, is the production of food primarily for sale off the farm.

12. Purpose of Farming
In PINGs, people produce food for their own consumption.
In commercial farming – plants and animals are to be sold
Agricultural products are sold to food processing companies such as General Mills and Kraft. Then, it is sold to the people.

13. Percentage of Farmers in the Labor Force
In PEDs, less than 1/10 of the labor force works in agriculture.
In the U.S. and Canada, only 2% work in agriculture, but they produce enough food for the country and extra to sell.
In PINGs, over ½ work in agriculture

14. Use of Machinery In PINGS – hand tools and animal power
In PEDs – machinery
Transportation has aided commercial farmers
Electronics and scientific advances also aid commercial farming

15. Farm Size Subsistence Agriculture – relatively small
Commercial Agriculture – large
In U.S., 98% are family owned
In U.S., 1.4% of all U.S. farms account for 48% of all agricultural sales.
Today in the U.S., there are fewer farmers, but we use more farmland than in 1900.

16. Relationship of Farming to Other Businesses
Agribusiness – the system of farming found in the U.S. and other PEDs; called this because of the relationship between agriculture and business
Although farming makes up only 2% of the labor force, 20% of the labor force is devoted to the food industry (processing, packaging, storing, distributing, and retailing)

17. Agriculture Affects These Industries

18. Mapping Agricultural Regions
Derwent Whittlesey – developed the most widely used maps of agriculture regions in 1936
He identified 11 agriculture regions
5 in PINGs and 6 in PEDs