Transcript Chapter 1

T3/20/12
The Origins of
Agriculture
(Ch. 10.1 – pp. 306-314)
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I. 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
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I. Origins of Agriculture (cont.)
– A. Hunter-gatherers
• earliest groups of people
– small nomadic tribes (~50 ppl.)
– division of labor by gender
• Perhaps 250,000 remaining today (less than 0.005%)
– Spinifex (Pila Nguru) - Great Victorian Desert in Australia
– Sentinelese - Andaman Islands in India
– Bushmen - Kalihari Desert in Botswana & Namibia
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I. Origins of Agriculture (cont.)
– B. Invention of agriculture
• earliest roots are unclear
– probably around 10,000 years ago, depending on hearth
• diffused from many hearths - Columbian Exchange
– see map 10-2
• domestication of animals
– also differs by place & region
– see map 10-3
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Crop Hearths
Figure 10-2
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Animal Hearths
Figure 10-3
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II. Subsistence & Commercial 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
– Derwent Whittlesley
• research in 1936
• 11 regions
– climate vs. culture
– careful to avoid environmental determinism
– culture plays strong role (i.e., pork in Middle East)
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Agriculture and Climate
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II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture
– Five characteristics distinguish commercial from
subsistence agriculture
• A. Purpose of farming
– personal vs. mass consumption
• B. Percentage of farmers in the labor force
– usually higher in LDC’s, but more land in MDC’s
• C. Use of machinery
– begins in late 18th C.
– continues to have impact on efficiency
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II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture
– Five characteristics (cont.)
• D. Farm size
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average farms are large in MDC’s
5% of farms make up 75% of U.S. production
still 98% of commercial farms are family owned & operated
steady loss of prime agricultural land due to urban sprawl
• E. Relationship of farming to other businesses
– development of agribusiness
– farmers only 2% of workers in U.S., but 20% of labor force
works in food production
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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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