Agriculture

1. Agriculture By Oscar Grainger and Sarah Kelly

2. Terms to know • Agriculture: the growth of plants or animals in order to produce food for sale at a marketplace • Subsistence Farming: when a farmer can only grow enough to feed his/her family. (mainly in LDC’s) • Commercial Farming: when a farmer grows food to sell at grocery stores or market places. (mainly in MDC’s) • Shifting Cultivation: rotating fields in order to let soil replenish nutrients. • Pastoralism: subsistence agriculture involving the herding and breeding of animals to produce necessities. • Ranching: raising of animals on a plot of land they graze. • Dairying: growth of milk based products.

3. Origins • Humans first started as hunter gatherers. • Humans first learned to grow plants in southeast Asia, then those ideas diffused North and East. • First Agricultural Revolution: • About 12,000 years ago • Human development using seeds with farms and animals • The use of seeds and animals led to the depletion of hunter gatherers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I • Second Agricultural Revolution: • Feudal village farming grew after the fall of the Roman Empire • In an open-lot system, farmers worked their lands to feed their families. • Capitalism grew leading to the fall of feudalism and village farmlands.

4. Commercial farming • Farmers producing food to sell at the marketplace. • Includes mixed crop, livestock, ranching and grain production. • Most income comes from sale of animals. • Primarily located in MDC’s. • Located in Europe and Northern America. • Use more technology in the fields.

5. Subsistence Farming • Farmers producing food to feed their family. • More than 50% of the world’s farmers are subsistence farmers. • Use more manual labor equipment. • Use shifting cultivation in smaller fields. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wywRw_ORj-Q

6. Shifting Cultivation • Rotating fields in order to let soil replenish nutrients. • Often found in tropical zones such as African Rainforests, Amazon Rainforest, and southeast Asia. • Slash and burn is a common technique used by farmers. (Cutting all plants and burning remains to create a new plot). • Crops used with Shifting Cultivation • Upland rice (Southeast Asia) • Maize (South America) • Manioc (South America) • Millet (Africa • Sorghum (Africa)

7. Von Thunen’s Model • Model explaining where and why different agricultural practices would take place around a city’s marketplace. • Compares cost of land vs. cost of transportation. • Assumed only one central city/marketplace where farmers sell their products.

8. Third Agricultural Revolution • Started in 19th century North America. • Led to the new technologies that increased food supply. • 3 Phases • Chemical farming • Mechanization • Global widespread food production

9. Agribusiness • Combination of food production, processing plants, packagers, fertilizers, and advertisers. • Five Central Sectors • Inputs • Production • Processing • Distribution • Consumption • Four external mediating forces • State • International trade • Physical Environment • Credit/finance

10. Green Revolution • Began in the 1940’s and 1950’s. • Phase of the 3rd agricultural revolution. • Hybrid seeds and fertilizers were invented and increased crop output. • Increased protection against pests and infestations. • Introduction of “miracle wheat seed” in 1970 by Norman Borlaug. • Food production outpaced population growth. • Led to food movements such as Organic foods, and fast food.

11. Genetically Modified Organisms • An organism with modified DNA in a lab instead of cross-pollination. • Legal in the US and considered safe until proven otherwise. • Viewed as unsafe in Europe and European countries won’t accept genetically modified organisms from the US. • Criticized because it may lead to negative effects on human health • Despite the criticism, it’s supported due to the ability to produce in such large numbers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAP6ZtfP9ZQ