Rootin’ Tootin’Rootin’ Tootin’Von ThunenVon Thunen
What factors matter What factors matter when you choose to when you choose to farm? Where farm? farm? Where farm?
Why?Why?Physical Factors:
Soil quality
Topography: Sloped or flat lands- easy to irrigate
Climate: (most important)
LET’S LOOK AT GREECE
What do you know What do you know about Greece (P/C)?about Greece (P/C)?
Islands
Hills/Mts.
Mediterranean
What are the other What are the other factors besides factors besides
Physical/climate?Physical/climate?
Cultural FactorsCultural Factors
Culture
Horse meat: nutritious (taboo in U.S.)
Pig/Cow
Algerians and wine
AlgeriaAlgeriaWhere is it? Physical/Climate?
Political FactorsPolitical Factors
Colonization and plantations
Gov finance of types of ag: new tech, certain product
Government and culture (French and wine!)
EU/US and farm subsidies
An agricultural subsidy is money paid to farmers and agribusinesses to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities.
Economic factorsEconomic factors
Cost of land/taxes
Cost of machines
Cost of fertilizer/etc
Distance from market (shipping costs)
Johann Heinrich von Johann Heinrich von ThunenThunen
German alive during 2nd Agricultural Rev.
Saw geographic pattern that seemed to emerge from market outward
creates model that explains and predicts agriculture land use patterns
Von Thunen’s ModelVon Thunen’s Model
The Isolated State (1826)
Isolate certain variables:
All soil, terrain and climate is the same (Isotropic)
Only one market/city
State (country is isolated- no trade)
What mattered then to farmers?
$$$$: Profit$$$$: Profit
Factors that matter to Factors that matter to VT...VT...
Land CostLand CostTransportation CostTransportation Cost
What was his theory?What was his theory?
Concentric Rings of ag. activity surround a city
Each ring is different type of ag.
Pattern is intensive to extensive
Ring 1: Market Ring 1: Market gardening and Dairygardening and DairyWhy near city?
Perishable
Profitable/demand high $
Can afford high rent
Ring 2: Forest Ring 2: Forest (run Forest run)(run Forest run)
Why?
Need for Construction
Need for fuel
Heavy/hard/costly to transport
Ring 3: Various Crops Ring 3: Various Crops and Grainsand Grains
What crops grown closest to Market (within 3)? furthest?
Crops with the highest market price and the highest transportation costs closest (perishable also)
Ring 4: Livestock Ring 4: Livestock RanchingRanching
Why?
Extensive...need lots of land...land is cheaper in Ring 4
After Ring 4: “4’get’aboutit...”
Notice the sharp or flat curves
Let’s mess with Von Let’s mess with Von ThunenThunen
What if a River moved thru the middle of his model? What does a river do?
Cool!Cool!
A Railroad from the SEA Railroad from the SECool Thunen!
Major IntersectionMajor IntersectionWhoa Thunen!
Another Small MarketAnother Small MarketSuburban Thunen!
Von Thunen today: no Von Thunen today: no more forest, But...more forest, But...
VT TodayVT Today
-more intensive; closer to market
-near market: minimal transport costs, but land costs and taxes high
-near market: perishable...milk, fruits
VT TodayVT Today
Von Thunen in RealityVon Thunen in Reality
VT TodayVT Today1) Market gardening (truck farming): specialize in non-tropical fruits, veg. and vines
2) Dairy: we know
3) Livestock fattening/grain: grain for livestock...cattle/pigs
-3/4 of cropland in W. Europe devoted to animals
-90% in Denmark
Although livestock-grain farms work land intensively, the value per unit is less than a truck farm...hence further from city
4) grain: Wheat
-Capital needed: planting and harvesting machinery
5) Livestock ranching
-differs from fattening
-raise young cattle/sheep
-in U.S. gain weight to be shipped to fattening
UruguayUruguay
One City
Here’s how VT would predict
Reality?
Pretty darn close!Pretty darn close!
Chi-ThunenChi-Thunen
megalopolis
Avg sized farm in ND is 1300 acres.
intensive commercial ag. close to the market...
farms may average 40 acres or less.
VT in USAVT in USA# Figure A represents what the agricultural land use would be if the most basic assumptions were applied, namely the market located at New York (or Bosnywash), crops being ranked by comparative rent paying abilities and considering ubiquitous geographical characteristics. Although this representation has some level of concordance with reality, it inaccurately portrays agricultural land use in the United States.
VT in USAVT in USA# Figure B includes one supplementary assumption that considers climate variations, where the north is colder than the south. This constraint has a significant impact on agricultural land use as even if for a location a crop would have a higher rent paying ability, another crop would be grown because climatic conditions forbids it. The resulting agricultural land use has a much higher level of correspondence with reality
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