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As I Enter 4.8.2013• Farming…What do we know, what are

we going to study, why should we care.• Agenda

– Weekend Recap– This week…T/W/Th (weds for me)– Vocab Quiz– The Meatrix– KI 1

• Homework: KI 1

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Chapter 10: Agriculture

The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography

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Let’s talk about farming!!

• What are the components…when you think of farming, what do you think of?

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Case Study/ Wheat Farmers in Kansas and Pakistan

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Where Did Agriculture Originate?

• Origins of agriculture– Agriculture = deliberate modification of

Earth’s surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals• About 10,000 years ago

– Cultivate = “to care for”– Crop = any plant cultivated by people

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Where Did Agriculture Originate?

• Origins of agriculture– Hunter-gatherers

• Perhaps 250,000 remaining today

– Invention of agriculture• When it began = unclear• Diffused from many hearths

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Crop Hearths

Figure 10-2

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Animal Hearths

Figure 10-3

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Where Did Agriculture Originate?

• Commercial and subsistence agriculture– Subsistence = produced mainly for the

farm family’s survival• Most common in LDCs

– Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm• Most common in MDCs

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Agriculture and Climate

Figure 10-4

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Where Did Agriculture Originate?

• Commercial and subsistence agriculture– Five characteristics distinguish commercial

from subsistence agriculture• Purpose of farming• Percentage of farmers in the labor force• Use of machinery • Farm size• Relationship of farming to other businesses

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Agricultural Workers

Figure 10-5

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Area of Farmland Per Tractor

Figure 10-6

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Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

• Shifting cultivation– Most prevalent in low-latitude, A-type

climates (south America, central west Africa, southeast Asia)

– Two features:• Land is cleared by slashing and burning debris

– Slash-and-burn agriculture

• Land is tended for only a few years at a time

– Types of crops grown vary regionally– Traditionally, land is not owned individually

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Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?• Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated

animals)

– Found primarily in arid and semiarid B-type climates (central Southwest Asia, North Africa)

– Animals are seldom eaten• The size of the herd indicates power and prestige

– Type of animal depends on the region• For example, camels are favored in North Africa

and Southwest Asia

– Transhumance practiced by some pastoral nomads

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Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

• Intensive subsistence– Found in areas with high population and

agricultural densities• Especially in East, South, and Southeast Asia • To maximize production, little to no land is

wasted

– Intensive with wet rice dominant– Intensive with wet rice not dominant

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Rice Production

Figure 10-12

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Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

• Plantation farming– Found in Latin America, Africa, and Asia– Products are grown in LDCs but typically

are sold to MDCs– Plantations specialize in one or two cash

crops• Important crops = coffee, sugarcane, cotton,

rubber, and tobacco

– A large labor force is usually needed in sparsely settled regions

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Stop!

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Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?• Mixed crop and livestock farming

– Most land = devoted to crops to feed animals…

– Most profits = derive from the livestock• Advantages – livestock supply manure,

workload more evenly distributed.

• Dairy farming– Regional distribution: the Milkshed (near markets.)

– Two primary challenges• Labor-intensive• Expense of winter feed

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Corn (Maize) Production

Figure 10-15

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Milk Production

Figure 10-17

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Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?

• Grain farming (wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice)– The largest commercial producer of grain = the

United States

• Livestock ranching– Practiced in marginal environments – too dry for

other forms of agriculture. – If irrigation is possible ranching ends.– Many cattle shipped to feed lots for fattening.

– THE MEATRIX• http://www.themeatrix.com/

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Wheat Production

Figure 10-19

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Meat Production

Figure 10-21

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Where are Agricultural Regions in MDC’s?

• Mediterranean agriculture– Based on horticulture– Crops grown for human consumption – Animals/animal products less important traditionally.

• Commercial gardening and fruit farming– Truck farming (NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUCKS!)

– Perishable produce– Grown near markets

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Agriculture and the Environment• Agriculture is severely constrained by

– Climate– Terrain– Soil

• Can have strong devastating impact on environment.– Slash and Burn– Overgrazing– Desertification– Irrigation

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Agriculture and Economics: Subsistence Agriculture

• Population growth– Must produce more food

• International Trade– Many subsistence farmers do produce

cash crops• Most profitable = Drugs

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Drug Trade

Figure 10-27

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Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

• Challenges for commercial farmers– Access to markets is important

• The von Thünen model (1826)– The choice of crop to grow is related to the proximity to

the market

Figure 10-24

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Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

• Challenges for commercial farmers– Overproduction

• Agricultural efficiencies have resulted in overproduction

• Demand has remained relatively constant– As a consequence, incomes for farmers are low

– Sustainable agriculture• Sensitive land management• Integrated crop and livestock

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Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

• Strategies to increase food supply– Expanding agricultural land

• Desertification

– Increasing productivity • The green revolution

– Identifying new food sources• Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein

cereals, and improving palatability of foods

– Increasing trade

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Agricultural Land and Population

Figure 10-28

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Grain Imports and Exports

Figure 10-32

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The End.

Up next: Industry