Agriculture

1. Agriculture Let it Snow! Let it Snow! We’ll learn Agriculture anyway. Debra Troxell, NBCT

2. 1st Agricultural Revolution • The 1st Ag. Rev. (aka Neolithic Revolution) is when farming began – around 10,000 BC • On the following map, look at where the 1st Ag. Rev. began – What other map have we’ve seen that has a similar spatial distribution?

3. Agricultural Hearths – 1st Agricultural Revolution What other map have we’ve seen that has a similar spatial distribution?

4. 1st Agricultural Revolution • The development of agriculture is similar to the development of early civilizations. • Same map, different question – Look at what was domesticated in each area. You do NOT have to know every list. But pick a few from each area. • At this point stereotyping works well – Where is rice developed, beans, grapes…?

5. Agricultural Hearths – 1st Agricultural Revolution Know a few examples from each area – Stereotyping works well (no not all the time, just with this map)

6. Agricultural Hearths • Why does stereotyping work well with this activity? Think geographically. • What does the crop grown have to do with the geography? If rice grew well in Asia in 10,000 BC, will rice still grow well now? • Why is rice and tea associated with Asian food? Beans and chili peppers with Latin America? Grapes and olives around the Mediterranean?

7. Types of Planting • Seed planting – you plant seeds • Vegetative planting – you plant the vegetable – Have you ever forgotten about a bag of potatoes? You find them growing long white things? Well if you plant a potato, it grows long white things which will grow more potatoes. (I don’t really know exactly how it works, but you knew that didn’t you.)

9. Types of Planting • I don’t think you’ll be asked for which types of planting began where. Just know the difference and that vegetative planting was earlier.

10. How did Agriculture begin? • My mom didn’t grocery shop regularly – so one day I’m at home foraging for food. I found a potato. I contemplated the potato with a far away look in my eye. “I shall plant this potato so in 6 weeks I shall have more potatoes” I declared. NO. I cut up, fried and ate my last potato. • Did agriculture begin because population pressure threatened the food supply?

11. Carl Sauer’s beliefs on domestication • Domestication probably did not develop in response to hunger • Starving people must spend every waking hour searching for food • Started by people who had enough food to remain settled in one place • Did not occur in grasslands or river floodplains because of thick sod and periodic flooding • Must have started in regions where many different kinds of wild plants grew • Started in hilly district areas, where climates change with differing sun exposure and altitude • Vegetative Planting 1st (transplanting part of actual plant) then Seed Planting

12. Assignment • Read the “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race” article and answer the questions. • Guess on the average height of modern people first, then you can google it.

13. Diffusion along Trade Routes • Farming Techniques diffused along trade routes as well as foods

14. Subsistence Agriculture • Remember subsistence means barely sufficient to survive • Found in LDC’s • Commercial Agriculture • Found in MDC’s • Distinguishing features • Purpose of farming • # of farmers in the labor force • Use of machinery • Farm size • Relationship of farming to other businesses Rubenstein p. 330-333

15. Distinguishing features • Purpose of farming • Subsistence: to feed the family (think the Power of Place Guatemala where the family barely grew enough corn for the family) • Commercial: to sell • # of farmers in the labor force • Subsistence: a high percentage of the country is engaged in the primary sector of the economy (remember the maps showing primary sector economy and parts of Africa were 70%+ primary) • Commercial: very few (US has less than 10% farmers) Rubenstein p. 330-333

16. Distinguishing features • Use of machinery • Subsistence: almost no machinery because the farms are small and the people are poor • Commercial: completely mechanized • Farm size • Subsistence: small family farms of 2 – 10 acres • Commercial: large farms of maybe 100 acres • Relationship of farming to other businesses • Commercial: part of a large integrated network of businesses Rubenstein p. 330-333

17. Arable Land • Arable – land that is farm-able • Would you expect MDCs to have a lot of arable or not much? Why? • LDCs? Why? • Do MDCs or LDCs typically have more arable land?

18. Arable Land by Country

19. Arable Land • It doesn’t really correlate. • The US and western Europe do have a lot of arable land but Monaco, Switzerland and Norway do not. • Nigeria, China, and Brazil have quite a bit. • But look back at the rest of Africa…

21. Percent of Labor Force engaged in Agriculture Rub. Map 331

22. Is there a correlation with mechanization (tractors) and the percentage of people engaged in the primary sector of the economy?

23. The higher % of primary sector labor force, then less mechanization. Because subsistence ag. is characterized by small, poor farms. Rub. Map 331

24. World Regions of Primarily Subsistence Agriculture On this map, India and China are not shaded because farmers sell some produce at markets; in equatorial Africa and South America, subsistence farming allows little excess and thus little produce sold at markets.

26. Assignment • Use your textbook – Agriculture chapter, key issue 2 – to complete the Agriculture Regions chart.

27. LDC: Shifting Cultivation • Characterized by • Slash and burn agriculture • Using field for only a few years • Cleared land called Swidden or ladang, milpa, chena or kaingin • Crops • SE Asia: rice • S America: maize & cassava • Africa: millet & sorghum

29. Why is Shifting cultivation expected to diminish in the 21st century?

30. LDC: Pastoral Nomadism • A form of subsistence agricultural • Located in semiarid lands of: N. Africa, Middle East, Central Asia • Only 15 million people are pastoral nomads but use 20% of Earth’s land area • Transhumance: herders

31. LDC: Intensive Subsistence Agriculture w/wet rice • Intensive: farmers more work more intensively to subsist • Areas of high population density resulting in less land available/farmer • Some are wet rice areas • Some have double cropping (2 harvests/yr)

33. LDC: Intensive Subsistence Agriculture wet rice not dominant • Areas with low precipitation • Crops: wheat, barley, legumes, etc. • Crop rotation • Common in China

34. LDC: Plantation Farming • A large farm that specializes in one or two crops: cotton, sugarcane, coffee, rubber & tobacco • Usually in subtropics • Usually in areas of low population density – must import workers

35. LDC: Plantation Farming • Rubber Trees • Area 700 miles on each side of equator • A video about how to get the rubber from the tree • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB5wdmbcI3o • Optional: A children’s song about Rubber Trees • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOOTF8vu6ps

36. Coffee Production & Consumption

37. Tea

38. Sugarcane

41. MDC: Mixed Crop & Livestock • Most common form of commercial ag in US • Most crops are fed to animals rather than for human consumption – corn or soybeans common • Uses crop rotation Rub. Map 343

43. MDC: Dairy Farming • Once only in MDC’s, now more common in S & E Asia – • India is the #1 producer • Must be close to market – milkshed • Improved transportation and refrigeration have increased milkshed radius Rub. Map p. 344

45. Milk • Most of the world does not drink cow’s milk. Goat milk is common • In the US, dairy farms were very close to every population center. Milk had to be produced close by, daily delivery was necessary because the milk would spoil quickly (before refrigeration) • What happened in areas in which milk production was greater than milk consumption?

47. Hint!!! • What happened in areas in which milk production was greater than milk consumption?

48. MDC: Grain Farming • Crops grown primarily for human consumption • Grains are: wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, millet, etc. • Stores easily & transported a long distance • N. Am prairies – world’s “breadbasket” Rub. Map 346

50. MDC: Livestock Ranching • Commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive (means large) area • Range wars caused by enclosures – read some background information • http://www.yesenglish.com:9090/yesyoungdo/online/library/ebook/grade5/above/lesson23.pdf • It is long – only read the following sections • Introduction • The Need for Barbed Wire • The Homesteads • Farmers Fence the Plains • Ranchers Object • Fence Wars Rub. Map 348