Agriculture and Rural Land Use

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Agriculture and Rural Land Use

• Unit V

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Introduction

• Nomads
• HUNTERS AND GATHERERS
• AGRICULTURE
• The process of growing plants or raising of
  animals to produce food for sustenance or sale at
  the marketplace
• Farming practices differ in MDCs vs. LDCs
• In Asia, most people are SUBSISTANCE FARMERS
• Growing only enough food to feed their family
• In MDCs, COMMERCIAL FARMING dominates
• Farms produce food to be sold in groceries and
  markets, not just for the farmers themselves

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Classifying Agricultural Regions

• LDCs subsistence agriculture
• MDCs commercial agriculture
• Subsistence vs. commercial agriculture
• Subsistence agriculture is the production of food
  primarily for consumption by the farmers family
• Commercial agriculture is the production of food
  primarily for sale off the farm

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Key Questions

• Where did agriculture originate? How and where
  did it spread?
• What are the characteristics of the worlds
  agriculture regions? How do these regions
  function?
• How has agricultural change affected the
  environment and peoples quality of life?
• How does diet, energy use, and varying agrarian
  technology relate to agricultures origination?
• What are different types of extensive and
  intensive agricultural practices? What are
  settlement patterns and landscapes related to
  each agriculture type?

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Cont

• What are land survey systems, environmental
  conditions, and cultural values linked to each
  agriculture type?
• Why do different agricultural practices exist
  where they do?
• What is the von Thunen model?
• What is the status of food supplies throughout
  the world? Can humans increase the food supply
  and reduce starvation and malnourishment?

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Origin of Agriculture

• An evolution of knowledge over thousands of years
• As humans constantly touched and handled plants
  while gathering food, innovations occurred and
  diffused from multiple hearths (places of origin)
• According to CARL SAUER humans first learned how
  to grow plants through VEGETATIVE PLANTING
• Cutting off a stem of another plant or by
  dividing up roots of a plant

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Cont

• It is believed women were responsible for
  discovering vegetative planting because of their
  sociological position as gatherers and medicinal
  healers
• Later humans make the leap to
• SEED AGRICULTURE
• Farming is through planting seeds rather than
  simply planting part of the parent plant
• Leads to higher crop YIELDS because there are so
  many seeds

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Agricultural Hearths

• Carl Sauers theory of a vegetative hearth argues
  that vegetative farming knowledge first
  originated in SE ASIA
• Climate and terrain there would have supported
  the growth of root plant that are easily divided,
  such as taro, yam, banana, and palm
• From the hearth, it diffused north and east to
  China and to Japan, and then west toward SW Asia,
  Africa, and the Mediterranean

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Other vegetative hearths

• Others emerged through INDEPENDENT INNOVATION
• NW South America
• West Africa

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First Agricultural Revolution

• Sometimes called the NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION
• Brings SEED AGRICULTURE and the use of
  animals/DOMESTICATION in the farming process
• About 12000 years ago
• Replaced nomadic hunting
• Human groups able to stay in one place
• Leads to
• population growth
• Build communities
• Produce more food
• Increased CARRYING CAPACITY
• Development of civilization/culture

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SEED AGRICULTURAL HEARTHS

• Western India
• Diffusion to SW Asia
• Crop innovation Wheat and Barley
• SW Asia (Tigris/Euphrates rivers)
• Diffusion to Europe N. Africa NW India/Indus
  river area
• Crop innovation Integrated seed agriculture with
  domestication of herd animals such as sheep,
  cattle, and goats

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Cont

• N. China
• Diffusion to S. Asia and SE Asia
• Crop innovation Millet
• Ethiopia
• Diffusion to NONE
• Crop innovation Millet
• S. Mexico
• Diffusion to Western Hemisphere
• Crop innovation Squash and Corn
• N. Peru
• Diffusion to Western Hemisphere
• Crop innovation Squash, cotton, beans

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Second Agricultural Revolution

• After fall of Rome around 500 CE, farming grew
  into a feudal village structure
• During Middle ages most farmers use SUSTENANCE
  FARMING in an
• OPEN LOT SYSTEM
• One in which there was one large plot of
  community farmland that all villagers worked to
  produce a crop to eat
• As capitalism grew, feudalism diminished and
  villages enclosed their farmland

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Enclosure Movement

• Gave individual farmers their own land marks a
  shift in agriculture from CLUSTERED RURAL
  SETTLEMENTS to DISPERSED RURAL SETTLEMENTS
• Most influential during the 17th and 18th
  centuries during Englands Industrial Revolution
• Growing industry and decline of Feudalism leads
  to URBAN MIGRATION
• Former farmers moving to the cities for work
• Caused a jump in food demand from farms into
  cities
• With demand comes innovation

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2nd agricultural revolution innovation

• Better collar for oxen
• Use of horses instead of oxen
• New fertilizers
• Field drainage
• Irrigation systems
• Storage systems
• ALL INCREASED YIELD and ENCOURAGE POPULATION BOOM

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Major Agricultural Production Regions
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Subsistence Agriculture

• Practiced in LDCs
• 3 Types
• Shifting cultivation
• Intensive subsistence
• Pastoralism

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1. Shifting Cultivation

• EXTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
• Large amts. Of land not as much food
• Farmers rotate the fields they cultivate to allow
  the soil to replenish
• Different than CROP ROTATION
• Found often in the TROPICAL ZONES (rain forest
  regions in Africa, Amazon river basin in S.
  America, and SE Asia)
• Topsoil is thin in these areas means less
  nutrients
• Mainly due to heavy rains that wash it away

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Cont

• SLASH AND BURN
• SWIDDEN
• Cleared land
• Not dependent on technology
• May utilize INTERTILLAGE
• Mixing various seeds on one plot of land
• Each plot will last 2-3 years then they move on
• FALLOW
• The land not being used

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Cont

• Use A LOT of land
• 25 of earths land
• Cannot produce large amounts of food
• Because of this many have tried to switch to
  commercial forms of farming instead
• May have criticisms from local culture

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2. Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

• INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
• Small amts. Of land large amount of food
• Make the most use of land
• But still SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE
• Usually found in highly populated areas
• China, India, SE Asia

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Cont

• Rice is the dominant intensive susbsistence
  agriculture crop in S. China, India, SE Asia, and
  Bangladesh
• Summer rainfall is abundant
• Where winters are too cold for rice grains are
  grown
• Some places may engage in DOUBLE CROPPING

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Pastoralism

• The breeding and herding of animals to produce
  food, shelter, and clothing for survival
• Usually practiced in places with little arable
  land
• Can be sedentary or nomadic
• N. Africa, Central and Southern Africa, Middle
  East, Central Asia

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Cont

• Transhumanence
• The movement of animal herds to cooler highland
  areas in the summer to warmer, lowland areas in
  the winter
• Pastoral farmers usually trade with local farmers
  for food/supplies
• Depend on Trade for survival
• Overall it is declining since the land they use
  is being used for other things

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Mediterranean Agriculture

• Primarily associated with the mediterranean sea
  area and places with hot, dry summers and mild,
  wet winters.
• California, Chile, S. South Africa, South
  Australia
• Wheat, barley, vine and tree crops, grazing
• Olives, grapes, and figs are staple crops
• Can be Intensive or Extensive depending on crop
• Can be Subsistence or Commercial

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COMMERCIAL FARMING

• Mixed crop and Livestock farming
• Ranching
• Dairy
• Large scale grain
• Plantation (mainly practiced in LDCs)

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Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

• Involves growing crops AND raising animals
• Most crops used to feed the animals
• This produces manure fertilizer for sale and
  goods such as eggs
• Most income comes from animal products
• Reduce dependence on seasonal harvests
• Europe and E. North America
• Near Urban areas mainly
• May engage in crop rotation

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Ranching

• Commercial grazing, or the raising of animals on
  a plot of land on which they graze
• Usually extensive
• Cattle and Sheep in demand for wool and meat
• Usually practiced in areas too dry to support
  crops
• USA, Argentina, S. Brazil, Uruguay
• Declining in practiced

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Cont

• Many US ranches are being converted to
  fattening ranches on which fixed lot cattle are
  fattened then slaughtered
• Also found in Tropical areas of Latin America and
  N. Mexico
• Too wet to grow crops there
• Decline in ranching due to cost vs. crops

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Dairying

• Growth of milk based products for the marketplace
• Usually close to the marketplace
• Usually small and labor intensive
• CAPITAL INTENSIVE FARMS vs. LABOR INTENSIVE FARMS
• MILKSHED
• Has expanded with technology along with the
  amount a cow can produce

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Large Scale grain farms

• Grains most often grown to be exported to other
  places for consumption
• Canada, US, Argentina, Australia, France,
  England, and Ukraine
• Ukraine once considered Russias breadbasket
• US worlds largest producer
• Wheat is leading export crop
• US and Canada produce ½ of the worlds grain
• Most grain worldwide is grown to feed animals
• Saw expansion during the industrial revolution
• Usually highly mechanized and thus Capital
  Intensive
• McCormick Reaper
• The Combine

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Plantation Farming

• Large farms specializing in one or two crops
• Tropical and subtropical zones in colonized areas
• Coffee, tea, pineapples, palms, coconuts, rubber,
  tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton
• Usually in LDCs but owned by companies in MDCs
• Usually in coastal areas with easy access to
  exports
• Still Labor intensive

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Rural Land Decisions on Farm Locations
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Physical Factors

• Appropriate environment for cultivating varies
  depending on the type of crop
• Farmers can mold the environment
• Environmental determinism vs. possibilism vs.
  cultural determinism
• Farmers evaluate
• SOIL
• Depth, texture, nutrient composition, acidity
• RELIEF
• shape of the field includes slope and altitude
• Might look at sun exposure time
• Flat lands are best sloped are difficult to
  irrigate
• Altitude can affect temperature
• CLIMATE
• TEMP and RAINFALL are most influential factors
• Different crops require different water and temp

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Political-Cultural Factors

• Political and cultural factors also influence
  agricultural decisions
• Ex. Hinduism holds cattle sacred It is taboo in
  Islamic religions to eat pigs
• Ex. Immigrants often carry with them their
  homelands farming practices and food preferences
• Food taboos not always religious although
  nutritious the US does not eat horse

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Cont

• Political decisions also make an impact
• In LDCs governments encourage use of tech
• During Green Revolution (3rd agricultural
  revolution 1960s-1990s) many LDCs tried to
  subsidize the use of efficient seed types that
  were more expensive
• European Union pays farmers to NOT grow crops in
  an attempt to eliminate massive surpluses that
  drive prices down to nothing
• National treasure crops France (grapes)
• France also turns its lower quality grapes into
  biofuel

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Economic Factors

• Land rent
• The price a farmer must pay for each acre of land
• A farms location is related to how much money
  the farmer can make from a crop to pay the rent
• Rent is cheaper farther away from a city
• Therefore extensive farming takes place farther
  away from the city

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Agricultural Location Theory

• Von Thunen 19th century German economist
• Model attempts to explain and predict where and
  why various agricultural activities take place
  around a citys marketplace
• EXPLAINS and PREDICTS
• Agricultural land use patterns

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Von Thunen model

• Contains a Central Marketplace
• Farmland is equally farmable and productive
• Only one form of transportation
• Only variable that could change (according to Von
  Thunen) was distance
• Results in concentric rings of Agricultural
  activities
• Moving outwards from a marketplace results in
  more extensive farming Intensive agriculture
  took place more towards the center

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Explanation

• Land rent and Transportation costs explain
  pattern
• Closer to city more expensive
• More perishable crops are closer

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Usefulness of Model

• If you only have one variable Transportation
  costs then it is useful
• Unfortunately we have more variables
• He tried to remodel the model later with the
  introduction of a river
• Tried to introduce differing soil qualities later
  
• Overall it shows the INFLUENCE OF DISTANCE in
  human decision making
• Like all models, researchers try to use his model
  to predict future land use

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Settlement Patterns in Villages

• Village
• May vary by culture
• Usually related to function and environment
• In Europe, villages were often clustered on a
  hillside to leave the flatlands for farming and
  village protection
• In lowland areas a linear pattern emerges
  following the river (long lot system in France)
• Many places built with a grid pattern with
  geometric boundaries (USA)
• Throughout Europe, Asia, Africa a round pattern
  space in middle for cattle

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Housing Materials

• WOOD
• Eurasia, US Pacific Coast, N. America, Australia,
  Brazil, Chile
• STONE
• Europe, Egypt, India, W. China, Yucatan, Mexico,
  S/Central Africa, Middle East
• GRASS AND BRUSH
• Low latitude regions African Savanna, E. African
  Highlands, S. Africa, S. American highlands, N.
  Australia
• POLES AND STICKS
• Africa, SE Asia, W. Africa, Amazon Basin
• SUN DRIED BRICKS
• Middle East, Middle and S. America, N. China,
  African Savanna, N. Africa
• OVEN BAKED BRICKS
• Modern, contemporary areas in MDCs

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Modern Commercial Agriculture
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Third Agricultural Revolution

• Green Revolution evolves from the 3rd
  agricultural revolution
• Distributed mechanized farming, chemical
  fertilizers on a global level
• Farming and food processing were at different
  sites

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Industrializing the farm process

• Harvest and ship off for marketing and
  distribution
• Factory system
• AGRIBUSINESS
• The system of food production involving seed
  development to marketing and sale of the food
  products
• Integral to US and Global Economy
• Think about milk before and after the 3rd
  agricultural revolution

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Globalization of the farming process

• Colonialization/ Imperialism led to
  core/periphery regions
• Colonies used to supply
• Neocolonialism/Post colonialism
• Many foods in grocery stores grown in LDCs and
  shipped to MDCs
• TRUCK FARMS- growing a crop to supply a distant
  market

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Human Impact of the Industrialization of
Agriculture

• Local farmers forced to integrate into the larger
  AGRIBUSINESS
• Agriculture companies subcontract with the locals
• Local flower farms forced to close since they
  cannot compete with TRUCK FARMS
• In 1920 in US 1 in 3 lived on a farm
• In 1978 only 1 in 28

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Cont

• In LDCs farmers are forced to sell their land
• LDCs rely on exports too much and dont supply
  their own people
• Profits in LDC farms not reinvested

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Green Revolution

• 1940s-1990
• Developed hybrid high yield seeds
• Dramatically improves output
• Started out with US research into improving
  Mexicos wheat grain production
• Also developed new fertilizers and pesticides to
  protect and nourish new crops
• The miracle of the revolution was diffusion of
  higher yield grains
• Nobel Prize given to Norman Borlaug for work to
  reduce world hunger

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Downside

• Less labor needed
• Higher yield seeds more prone to viruses and pest
  infestation
• Some seeds not farmable in certain areas
• Some argue it has increased economic inequality
  in the periphery
• May cause pollution and soil contamination

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Biotechnology

• Using living organism to produce or change plant
  or animal products
• GENETIC MODIFICATION
• Uses scientific manipulation of crop and animal
  products to improve agricultural products and
  activity
• BIOREVOLUTION
• The extension of scientific innovation to all
  crops and animal products

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FAST FACT

• The US produces nearly 63 percent of the worlds
  genetically modified crops
• 33 of US corn and 55 of US cotton is
  genetically modified
• Biotech research is designing bananas containing
  vaccines against hepatitis

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Controversies/Benefits of Genetically Modified
foods

• Benefits
• Taste
• Reduce malnutrition
• Increase yields
• Improved resistance to disease, pests, and
  herbicides
• New products and growing techniques