Transcript Ch.10-Agriculture - Effingham County Schools

Chapter 10
Agriculture
Key Issue #1
Where Did Agriculture Originate?
Where Did Agriculture Originate?

Origins of agriculture
◦ Agriculture = deliberate modification of
Earth’s surface through the cultivation of
plants and/or rearing of animals
◦ Cultivate = “to care for”
◦ Crop = any plant cultivated by people
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
Crop Hearths
Figure 10-2
Animal Hearths
Figure 10-3
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
Agriculture and Climate
Figure 10-4
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
Agricultural Workers
Figure 10-5
Area of Farmland Per Tractor
Figure 10-6
Key Issue #2
Where Are Agricultural Regions
in Less Developed Countries?
Where are Agricultural
Regions in LDCs?

Shifting cultivation
◦ Most prevalent in low-latitude, A-type
climates
◦ 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
soil erosion a problem
most often occurs in tropical rainforest
regions-SE Asia, Central Africa, Brazil
The slash-and-burn process creates ashes
that provide nutrients to the soil.
 The cleared area is known by many
names, such as swidden, ladang, milpa,
chena, and kaingin.
 This process supports crops 3 yrs or less.
 Crops include maize (corn), manioc
(cassava/tapioca), millet, sorghum, yams,
sugarcane, plantain, sweet potatoes, rice,
papaya, pineapple, mango, cotton, beans,
etc.


Kayapo
◦ extensive subsistence, shifting ag

Mali
◦ Intensive subsistence
◦ sorghum, pearl millet, and maize
Subsistence farmers
Where are Agricultural
Regions in LDCs?

Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated
animals)
◦ Found primarily in arid and semiarid B-type
climates
◦ 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. Sheep and goats are next.
◦ Transhumance practiced by some pastoral
nomads
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
 The flooded field is called a sawah or a paddy
(which actually means “wet rice”).
◦ Intensive with wet rice not dominant
 Crops like wheat or barley, millet, oats,
soybeans, or cash crops like cotton or flax.
Rice Production
Figure 10-12
Corn (Maize) Production
Figure 10-15
Key Issue #3
Where Are Agricultural Regions
in More Developed Countries?
Where are Agricultural
Regions in MDCs?

Mixed crop and livestock farming
◦ Livestock fed with crops grown on same
farm, ¾ of the income is from sale of animal
products
◦ Involves crop rotation which helps maintain
fertility of land, common products are corn &
soybeans
Where are Agricultural
Regions in MDCs?

Dairy farming
◦ Primarily in NE US, SE Canada, NW Europe
◦ 60% of the world’s milk comes from these
areas
◦ Must be close to their market area because
it is highly perishable
Milk Production
Figure 10-17
Where are Agricultural
Regions in MDCs?

Grain farming
◦ The largest commercial producer of grain is
the United States (KS, CO, OK, MT, WA,
Dakotas)

Livestock ranching
◦ Practiced in marginal environments (US,
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia)
Wheat Production
Figure 10-19
Where are Agricultural
Regions in MDCs?

Mediterranean agriculture
◦ Based on horticulture-fruits, veggies, flowers

Commercial gardening and fruit farming
◦ Truck farms (“truck” literally means barter or
exchange)-fruits and veggies sold to
consumers or processors
Where are Agricultural
Regions in MDCs?

Plantation farming
◦ growing crops in subsistence areas for sale
in more developed countries
◦ **often occurs in less developed countries
◦ usually involves the production of one crop
◦ common in many tropical areas , like Latin
America, Africa, & Asia.
◦ Examples: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, tea,
cocoa, cotton, rubber, palm oil, etc.
coffee
tea
sugarcane
2
1
sugarcane
3
cacao
Palm oil
oil palm
bananas
banana
rubber
rubber
coconut
Key Issue #4
Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?
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
Von Thünen Model
Fig. 10-13: Von Thünen’s model shows how distance from a city
or market affects the choice of agricultural activity in
(a) a uniform landscape and (b) one with a river.
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
Why Do Farmers Face Economic
Difficulties?

Challenges for subsistence farmers
◦ Population growth
 Boserup thesis-pop growth compels
subsistence farmers to consider new farming
approaches that produce enough food to take
care of additional people.
◦ Increase food supply by leaving land fallow for
shorter time periods and adopting new methods
◦ International trade
 To be successful, LDCs need to grow crops
people in MDCs want (coffee, tea, cocoa)
◦ Drug crops
 South America-cocaine, marijuana
 Afghanistan, Myanmar, Laos-opium/heroin
Drug Trade
Figure 1027
Why Do Farmers Face Economic
Difficulties?

Strategies to increase food supply
◦ Expanding agricultural land
 Desertification-the Sahel
◦ Increasing productivity
 The green revolution (1970s-80s)
◦ Introduction of higher-yield seeds and use of
fertilizers
◦ Identifying new food sources
 Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein
cereals, and improving palatability of foods
◦ Increasing trade
Agricultural Land and Population
Figure 1028
Grain Imports and Exports
Figure 10-32