Agriculture and Rural Land Use

Unit V

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

Classifying Agricultural Regions

LDCs = subsistence agricultureMDCs = commercial agriculture• Subsistence vs. commercial agriculture

– Subsistence agriculture is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer’s family

– Commercial agriculture is the production of food primarily for sale off the farm

Practice Purpose Labor force Machinery Farm size Off farm contact

Subsistence agriculture

LDCs

Personal consumption

On average 55% of workforce engaged in

farming

Human and animal powered

toolsVery small Occasional surplus sold

Commercial agriculture

MDCs

Grow crops and raise animals

primarily for sale off the farm for

profit

On average 5% of workforce

engaged in farming

Mechanized farm machines, computer

technology and science

Large [US average in 2008 =

418 acres]

agribusiness – farms one part of a large food production industry

including food processing, packaging, sorting, distributing, and

retailing

Key Questions

• Where did agriculture originate? How and where did it spread?

• What are the characteristics of the world’s 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 agriculture’s origination?

• What are different types of extensive and intensive agricultural practices? What are settlement patterns and landscapes related to each agriculture type?

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?

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

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

Agricultural Hearths

• Carl Sauer’s 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

Other vegetative hearths

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

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

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

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

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

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 England’s 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

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

Major Agricultural Production Regions

Subsistence Agriculture

• Practiced in LDCs• 3 Types

– Shifting cultivation– Intensive subsistence – Pastoralism

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

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

Cont…

• Use A LOT of land– 25% of earth’s 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

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

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

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

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

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

COMMERCIAL FARMING

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

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

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

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

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

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 Russia’s “breadbasket”• US world’s largest producer• Wheat is leading export crop• US and Canada produce ½ of the world’s 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

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

Rural Land Decisions on Farm Locations

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

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

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

Economic Factors

• Land rent– The price a farmer must pay for each acre of land

– A farm’s 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

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 city’s marketplace

• EXPLAINS and PREDICTS– Agricultural land use patterns

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

Explanation

• Land rent and Transportation costs explain pattern

• Closer to city more expensive• More perishable crops are closer

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

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

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

Modern Commercial Agriculture

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

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

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

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

Cont…

• In LDCs farmers are forced to sell their land• LDCs rely on exports too much and don’t

supply their own people• Profits in LDC farms not reinvested

Green Revolution• 1940s-1990• Developed hybrid high yield seeds• Dramatically improves output• Started out with US research into improving Mexico’s

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

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

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

FAST FACT

• The US produces nearly 63 percent of the world’s genetically modified crops

• 33% of US corn and 55% of US cotton is genetically modified

• Biotech research is designing bananas containing vaccines against hepatitis

Controversies/Benefits of Genetically Modified foods

• Benefits– Taste– Reduce malnutrition– Increase yields– Improved resistance to disease, pests, and

herbicides– New products and growing techniques