Agriculture

Agriculture

AP Human Geography

Definition

•
Agriculture
–

raising of animals or the growing
of crops to obtain food for primary
consumption by the farm family or for sale off
the farm

Historical Perspective

•
First Agricultural Revolution
–

allowed humans to become more
sedentary and avail themselves of a more reliable source of food

–
Animal Domestication
–

process of taming wild animals for human
benefit

•
Second Agricultural Revolution
–

occurred during Industrial
Revolution
–

used technology as a means to increase production
and distribution of products

•
Third Agricultural Revolution
–

latter half of 20
th

cent, corresponded
with exponential population growth occurring around the world

–
Sometimes called GREEN REVOLUTION
–

involves use of biotechnology
(genetic engineering)
–

altering genetic material of plants and animals

–
Double cropping
–

growing two crops per year to double the harvest

–
Triple cropping
–

allows even more people to be fed

–
Continentality

–

area’s temp is affected by its location relative to
nearest large body of water

Agricultural Hearths

•
Carl Sauer
–

mapped out agricultural origins of
veg

planting and see
ag

•
Hearths
–

Vegetative Planting & Animal Domestication

–
Veg

Planting means removing part of a plant and putting it in the ground to
grow a new plant

•
Central America/NW South America

•
Western Africa

•
SE Asia

•
Hearths
–

Seed Agriculture

–
Seed Ag means taking seeds from an existing plan and planting them to
produce new plants

•
S. Mexico

•
NE Africa

•
N. China

•
NE India

•
Importance of Trade Routes
–

helped diffuse many products we use today,
colonialism brought to western hemi

Agricultural Regions and Patterns of
Change

•
Subsistence Farming
–

produce food they need to survive on a daily basis

•
Shifting Cultivation
–

moving farm fields after several years in search of more
productive soil after depleting nutrients in original field

•
Slash and burn
ag

–

leaves barren soil behind and moves on to the next area and
clears it by burning
–

puts nitrogen in soil

•
Crop Rotation
–

planting of different types of crops each year to replenish the soil
with nutrients used up by previous crop

•
Pastoral
Nomadism

–

moving animals on a seasonal basis to areas that heave the
necessary resources to meet the needs of the herd

•
Extensive Subsistence Agriculture
–

includes pastoral
nomadism

and shifting
cultivation
–

criticized for causing soil erosion, water degradation, and other
environmental problems but is more productive

•
Intensive Subsistence Agriculture
–

more intense style of subsistence farming
–

more work is needed to obtain the same level of production

•
Rice
Sawahs

–

flooded fields where rice grows

•
Intertillage

–

clearing of rows in the field thru the use of hoes, rakes, and other
manual equipment

Agricultural Regions and Patterns of
Change

•
Commercial Farming
–

farming of products for sale off the farm

–
Mediterranean Ag
–

dry summer, cool moist winter
–

grapes, dates, olives

–
Dairy Farming
–

highly mechanized, milking cows

–
Mixed Livestock and Crop Production
–

cows grown for meat and other products are fed with
crops (corn and soybeans) grown on the same farm

–
Livestock Ranching
–

more developed countries
–

done on land on the fringes of productive
land
–

feeding of livestock is done by allowing animals to roam fields w/o assistance of farmer
–

huge areas of land

–
Specialized Fruit Production
-

orchards

–
Plantation Ag
–

less developed countries, production of one crop sold to more developed
countries

–
Interaction between Core Countries (dependent on Periphery) and Periphery Countries (raw
materials)

–
Truck Farms
–

farm where farmers produce fruits for market

–
Suitcase Farms
–

no one resides permanently
–

migrant workers

–
Agribusiness
–

mass production of
ag

products

–
Agricultural industrialization
–

increased mechanization of the farming process to increase
productivity and profits

–
Grain Farming
–

mass planting and harvesting of grain crops
–

wheat, barley, millet

–
Staple Grains
-

wheat, barley, millet that a large % of world pop depends on for survival

Von
Thunen’s

Model of Agricultural
Land Use

•
Johann Heinrich von
Thunen

–

model
–

crops are grown in direct relation
to their distance from market

–
1. Market
-
Gardening Activities
–

various heavy, bulky products (melons,
veggies)
–

need to be close to market because they will spoil and it costs too
much to transport

–
2. Dairy Farming
–

produced close to market, cost of transportation for cooling

–
3. Livestock Farming
–


•
fattening adds weight to animals to increase sale price,

•
feedlots specialize in cattle or hogs

–
4. Commercial Grain Farming
–

selling of wheat, corn, millet, other grains

•
Combines
–

separate seed from shaft of plant

•
Food chain
–

grain sent to market in trailers, sold to producer who makes product
(bread), product sold to wholesaler, sells to grocery store, individuals can buy it

–
5. Livestock Ranching
–

uses most land per farm of any other zones

–
6. Nonagricultural Land Use
–

isn’t really a zone because distance to market is
so far that farmer cannot productively or profitably sell
ag

products

•
Discussion/Modifications

Economic Systems and Activities

•
Primary
–

subsistence farming using hunting and gathering
techniques or pastoral
nomadism

•
Secondary
–

industrial sectors, factories take raw materials and
produce product

•
Tertiary
–

service sectors
–

people are involved selling commodities

•
Quaternary
–

one cannot hold or physically touch
–

internet, cell
phone service, etc

•
Quinary

–

management decisions of a society, people make
decisions concerning trade of commodities

•
Elevator
-


•
Farm Crisis
–

farmers are too productive, causing supply to exceed
demand for products, lower prices and less revenue for farmers

Trends in US Ag

•
Early American Ag Practices
–

hunting/gathering (Native Am)

•
Effect of Early Settlements and Westward Migration on Ag
–

colonization,
Europeans brought cattle and used seed
ag

–
Metes and Bounds
–

used in Great Britain, measuring uses of land’s physical features to
describe ownership claims

–
Township and Range
–

westward expansion

–
Sections
–

Midwest square mile tracts

–
Long Lots
–

French settlers in Louisiana

•
American Ag in 20
th

Cent
–

manifest destiny
–

God’s will to move westward across
US

–
Environmental Modification
–

intro manmade chemicals and practices to an area

–
Desertification
–

overgrazing led to encroaching deserts w/in arid regions

•
Future

–
Aquaculture
–

farming of fish for sale off farm

–
Creative Destruction
–

removal of what nature originally produced in a particular location to
grow what is desired

World Crop Regions

•
US
–

corn (livestock and humans consumption and
ethanol fuel)

•
South America
–

sugar cane fuel

•
Eastern Europe
–

wheat

•
Africa
–

sorghum or millet (high calorie energy source)

•
Asia
–

rice

•
Planned Economy
–

government controlled economy
(China) dictates to farmers the quantity and type of
agricultural products they can produce