Transcript Key Process #3 Agriculture in Developing Regions

Key Process #3
Agriculture in Developing Regions
Agriculture in Developing Regions
• Most people in LCD farm to produce food for their
own consumption
• Subsistence- Farming for your own family
Shifting Cultivation
• Vegetation “slashed” and then burned.
Soil remains fertile for 2-3 years. Then
people move on.
 where: tropical rainforests. Amazon,
Central and West Africa, Southeast Asia
 Crops: upland rice (S.E. Asia), maize
and manioc (S. America), millet and
sorghum (Africa)
• Declining at hands of ranching and
logging.
Intensive Subsistence Agriculture
• cultivate small amount of lands very
effectively
– Labor intensive
– Primitive methods
– Terrace Farms or
sawah fields
– Double Cropping
• Corn and Wheat
Intensive subsistence agriculture
• the form of ag used in areas of high density such as East,
South, and Southeast Asia.
• characterized by high efficiency farming practices that yield a
large number of crops per small amount of land.
– The intensive ag in Asia is subdivided into “wet rice
dominant” and “wet rice not dominant”.
– Aside from the obvious difference in what is grown, the
two classifications are quite similar.
• They each use the land intensively, primarily using
human power with some animal and hand tool
assistance.
• crop rotation may be practiced, as well as
– double cropping- obtaining two harvests from one
field in one year.
Intensive Subsistence Agriculture
• Wet Rice Dominant
The Fields of Bali
Thai Rice Farmers
 where: S.E. Asia, E. India, S.E.
China
 very labor intensive
production of rice, including
transfer to sawah, or paddies
 most important source of food
in Asia
 grown on flat, or
terraced land
Double cropping is used in
warm winter areas of S.
China and Taiwan
Pastoral Nomadism
The breeding and herding of
domesticated animals for
subsistence.
Bedouin Shepherd
Somali Nomad and Tent
 where: arid and semi-arid areas of N.
Africa, Middle East, Central Asia
 animals: Camel, Goats, Sheep, Cattle
 transhumance: seasonal migrations
from highlands to lowlands
Most nomads are being pressured into
sedentary life as land is used for
agriculture or mining.
Plantation farming
• found in the tropics and subtropics.
– Plantation- a large farm that specializes in one or
two crops, typically cash crops (cotton, sugarcane,
coffee, rubber, and tobacco, cocoa, bananas, tea,
palm oil, etc.)
– These types are farms are isolated in sparsely
settled locations and are thus quite self-sufficient.
• Often owned by N. Americans or Europeans
• After the outlawing of slavery in the U.S., many of the
plantations were sold or subdivided as the ample source
of cheap labor was no longer an option
Key Issue 3: Where are agricultural regions in
more developed countries
•
The methods of farming typically found in MDC’s are: 6
Methods
1. Mixed crop and livestock farming: common in the U.S.
west of the Appalachians and in much of Europe from
France to Russia.
– integration of crops and livestock. Most of the crops
are fed to animals rather than humans.
– nearly all of the land is used for crop growing, but
more than 75% the profits come from the sale of
animal products
– Crop rotation is actively used in mixed farming
– two of the most frequent are corn and soybeans
Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming
Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming
Where: Ohio to Dakotas, center in Iowa; much of
Europe from France to Russia
 crops: corn (most common), soybeans
 In U.S. 80% of grain production is fed to pigs and cattle!
 Highly inefficient use of natural resource
 Pounds of grain to make 1 lb. beef: 10
 Gallons of water to make 1 1b wheat: 25
 Gallons of water to make 1 1b. beef: 2500
The Meatrix
Dairy Farming
2. Most important type of commercial ag practiced on farms near
the northeast U.S., southeast Canada, and northwest Europe.
– Dairy farms must be nearer their market areas than other
products because their product spoils quickly;
– milkshed- the ring surrounding a city from which milk can
be supplied without spoiling.
• Improvements in transportation have increased the
range of dairy farms, but they are mainly still located
near large urban areas. Those dairy farms that are
farther from the cities tend to sell their product to
processors who make butter, cheese, etc, because these
products keep longer than milk.
• What are some challenges for dairy farmers?
World Milk Production
Milk production reflects wealth, culture, and environment. It is usually high in
MDCs, especially production per capita, and varies considerably in LDCs.
Milk
Production
in MDCs &
LDCs
1960-2005
Milk production has grown
more rapidly in LDCs than in
MDCs since the 1960s.
Grain Farming
3. Typically done in the Great Plains states of the U.S.
• The U.S. is by far the world’s largest producer
of grain.
 the winter wheat area (the crop is planted in
the autumn and develops a strong root
system before growth stops for the winter,
and is harvested in the early summer) like
Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado;
 the spring wheat belt (the crop is planted in
spring and harvested in the late summer) in
the Dakotas, Montana;
 third important area is in the Palouse region
of Washington state.
 Wheat is an important crop because it is
highly exportable and is a source of
economic and political strength for its
largest producers, like the U.S. and Canada.
 India & China largest producers of wheat
World Corn Production
The U.S. accounts for about 40% of world corn (maize) production. China is the 2nd
largest producer. Much of the corn in both countries is used for animal feed.
World Wheat Production
China is the world’s leading wheat producer, but the U.S. is the largest producer of
wheat for sale and the largest exporter.
Mediterranean Agriculture
4. Exists mainly in the lands that border the
Mediterranean Sea in S. Europe, N. Africa, and W.
Asia. It has spread to parts of California, Chile,
South Africa, and Australia as well.
– Land is usually hilly or mountainous w/ hot dry summers
and moderate winters
– Most of the food grown in this style of farming is for
human consumption and is typically of high value such as
olives and grapes
– Horticulture- the growing of fruits, vegetables, and
flowers forms the base of Med. ag.
– CA devoted to citrus fruits, tree nuts, & deciduous fruits
along w/ grapes
Commercial Gardening/Fruit Farming
5. Main farming found in the U.S. southeast.
– Also called truck farming- growing many of the
fruits and vegetables demanded in more developed
societies.
• Apples, asparagus, cherries, lettuce, mushrooms,
tomatoes
– Highly efficient & make use of machinery and
cheap labor in every facet of the process.
Livestock Ranching
6. Commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area.
• In MDC’s it is practiced in lands where the vegetation is too
sparse and the soil too poor to support crops.
• The cattle were taken to market via cattle trails and railways in
the 19th century, but more recently by semi-trucks and interstate
highways.
• Cattle ranching is done in other parts of the world where wide
open lands are available, and are better suited to supporting cows
than crops.
• Sedentary ag w/ use of barbed wire hit hard against ranching
• Today much of the livestock are sent to farms to fatten up or to
local feed lots rather than to meat processors
• Interior of Australia, Spain & Portugal, Pampas of Argentina, S.
Brazil, and Uruguay are other areas where ranching occurs
• China is the largest producer of meat then U.S.
Livestock Ranching
Environmental effects:
1) overgrazing has damaged much of the world’s arid grasslands
(< 1% of U.S. remain!)
2) destruction of the rainforest is motivated by Brazilian desires
for fashionable cattle ranches
Meat Production
Cattle, sheep and goats are the main meat animals raised on ranches.
Labor Force in Agriculture
A large proportion of workers in most LDCs are in agriculture, while only a small
percentage of workers in MDCs are engaged in agriculture.