The Growth of Food Supplies

Two general factors account for the growth of food production:

1. Expansion into new areas.

•grasslands of North and South America, Australia, South Africa.

•since 1850, 9 million km2 more cropland; 3% more from 1980 to 1995.

•much through irrigation.

•no new large areas to expand into.

2. Improvements in production

There are three broad ways this can be account for:

a. Transplanted food crops.

•some crops have thrived better in new areas

•eg., potato has spread around the world, and is still spreading, into India and China

•helped by genetic engineering - faster growing, disease resistant

•also maize and cassava (manioc)

b. Better transportation and storage

•allowed for regional specialization of food production

•allows for moving food from surplus regions to deficit regions; reduces waste

•has also meant that more food has entered world trade

•storage and packaging reduces waste

c. Application of science and technology to agriculture.

•the First Agriculture Revolution

•the Second Agriculture Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.

•the Green Revolution.

•the “New” Green Revolution (biotechnology)

The First Agricultural Revolution

•the scratch plow (a sharpened stick with handles) allowed for the use of animals to

pull it

http://www.jovial.on.ca/vica/Asia/Bhutan/Plough.jpg

•later the plough became more sophisticated, with a knife blade that

allowed farmer to open up more land , cut through roots, etc.

•harnesses for the animals were invented and the horseshoe for better traction

http://www.rootsweb.co

m/~pollubel/store3/farm19.jpg

The Second Agricultural Revolution & the Industrial Revolution

•more machinery - the steam tractor and thresher

http://jhawkins.150m.com/wg-lg/images/

Steam%20Tractors%2003.jpg

http://www.edgeta.org/jacob.gif

http://www.newrockford.com/

activities/threshers/thresh1.jpg

The Green Revolution

•the hybridization of certain crops to maximize yields (more on this later in

the unit.)

The “New” Green Revolution

•wide range of new initiatives (more on this later in the unit.)