Geography and Agriculture: Van Thunen’s Model

Part One: PowerPoint

When did Johann Heinrich von Thunen publish his

model? In what article was it included?

What was Von Thunen’s Model created for?

What was at the center of Von Thunen’s model? Why?

Why were dairy farms and gardens placed so closely

to the city?

What was the second ring on Von Thunen’s Model?

Why does this ring no longer apply to modern

cities?

For what two reasons was Von Thunen able to place

grain farms so far from the

city on his model?

In regards to price, what happens to land the closer you are to a city? How did this affect Von Thunen’s

placement of livestock on his model?

Choose one of the challenges to Von Thunen’s Model. Why do you feel this is a significant detriment to

his work?

Part Two: Textbook Pages 58-64

What are the most important variables a

farmer must consider when choosing what to farm?

What last variable did Johann Heinrich von

Thunen discover in the 19th

century?

What three assumptions doe Von Thunen’s model

have? Why are these important?

According to Von Thunen, which type of farmer

should be closest to the city? Who should follow

shortly behind?

What is the difference between intensive and extensive agriculture?

What technological innovations are currently

undermining Thunen’s model?

Give two examples of where Thunen’s model is still taking place today?

Which part of Thunen’s model is officially

debunked?

What is the most important crop in the United States? What is HFCS and when

was it created?

How has the replacement of cane sugar with corn

syrup negatively affected the health of Americans?

Why is corn syrup so much cheaper than cane sugar in the United States? What is the only state with ideal conditions to grow sugar

cane?

What is a subsidy? How has the United States used these to increase sugar

production in the USA? Has Canada responded

differently?

Which companies have moved because of high sugar costs in the USA? How is Coke different in

Mexico?

What do American farmers do with the abundance of

corn bushels?

How do government subsidies encourage an

unhealthy diet and make healthy food more costly?

Study the map on Figure 3-27. Is this map a good

representation of information? Why or Why

not?

Part Three: Searching for Von Thünen’s ModelWhat Are You Doing?The Von Thünen model of agricultural function and land use is described in your textbook. The intensity of agricultural activity diminishes with increasing distance from the idealized market centre. We will use the example of Uruguay to examine the applicability of the model.

How Are We Doing This?Using Google Earth, we will explore Uruguay and examine whether it follows Von Thunen’s Model. In order to start

this part of the project you must download the file from the class website. When you are finished, you may wish to turn off the preloaded layers on Google Earth to make this assignment easier to do. Do so by clicking the check mark shown in the picture below. Make sure to leave the “Borders and Labels” layer enabled.

Step One: MeasurementsTo check if the agricultural zoning of Uruguay matched Von Thunen’s model you must measure how far each farm is from the capital of Uruguay (Motevideo). To do so use the ruler tool on Google Earth.

Distance Chart (Record in KM)

Market Gardening Distance 1

Market Gardening Distance 2

Market Gardening Distance 3

Dairy Farming Distance 1

Dairy Farming Distance 2

Commercial Grain Farming Distance 1

Commercial Grain Farming Distance 2

Step Two: Plot SizesVon Thunen’s Model argues that land that is closest to the city must be farmed intensively while land further away can be used more extensively. In other words, due to cost farm plots near the city must be smaller while

farm plots away from the city can afford to be larger. Use the ruler tool to measure the size of a single plot in each classification and record it below.

Farm Plot Size Chart (Record in KM)Area=Length x Width

Marketing Garden Plot Size

Dairy Farm Plot Size

Commercial Grain Farm Plot Size

General Patterns in Farm Plot SizeTo begin this portion, click the camera on the left

entitled “From Grain Production to Market Gardens”

What broad patterns do you observe as you near

the capital city in terms of plot size and

land use?

Step Three: Von Thunun’s Model and UruguayAfter conducting this research on Google Earth, would you agree or disagree that Uruguay still

follows Von Thunen’s Model? Why?