GEOG 101b Introduction to Human Geography

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GEOG 101b Introduction to Human Geography
Lecture 15 Week 9 RURAL GEOGRAPHY Agricultural
Revolution, Agricultural models, location
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Contents

• The Agricultural Revolution
• Agribusiness and Agri-food systems
• Models of Agricultural Location

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1. The Agricultural Revolution

• 1st Agricultural Revolution (12 000 ys ago)
• Development of seed agriculture
• Use of plow and draft animals
• Plant and animal domestication

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• 2nd Agricultural Revolution ( Industrial Rev. or
  mid 18th C)
• Improvement in livestock and crop yields
• Replacement of ox by horse
• New inputs in agricultural production

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• 3rd Agricultural Revolution (20thC)
• Modernization and mechanization
• Chemical farming (Green Revolution)
• Food manufacturing

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• Neocaloric Revolution (Ernest Schusky)
• Introduction of fossil fuel into food production
  (20th C)
• Measures efficiency of agriculture in terms of
  kilocalories

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• Capitalist agricultural revolution
• Food became a commodity
• increased state intervention
• Decrease in agricultural labor
• Wealth concentration

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The Green Revolution

• HYVs (high-yielding varieties)
• Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, energy
• Genetically-engineered crops
• Profit potential for TNCs (E.G. Monsanto Corp.)
• Concerns over intellectual property rights to
  plant genomes, indigenous knowledge bases

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2. Agri-business and Agri-food systems

• Agri-business
• ... an integrated, corporate system, involving
  all aspects of agriculture, from food production,
  to processing and distribution
• (Knox Agnew 2003, p. 36)
• production
• transport
• financing
• regulation and
• Marketing

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• Agri-food systems
• Seed-to-consumer systems

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Model of Agricultural Location

• Von Thünens Model
• Land-use rings with different farm products
• Based on
• demand,
• operating costs,
• transport cost,
• land rent prices.