Agriculture

1. Agriculture AP Human Geography

2. Definition • Agriculture – raising of animals or the growing of crops to obtain food for primary consumption by the farm family or for sale off the farm

3. Historical Perspective • First Agricultural Revolution – allowed humans to become more sedentary and avail themselves of a more reliable source of food • Animal Domestication – process of taming wild animals for human benefit • Second Agricultural Revolution – occurred during Industrial Revolution – used technology as a means to increase production and distribution of products • Third Agricultural Revolution – latter half of 20th cent, corresponded with exponential population growth occurring around the world • Sometimes called GREEN REVOLUTION – involves use of biotechnology (genetic engineering) – altering genetic material of plants and animals • Double cropping – growing two crops per year to double the harvest • Triple cropping – allows even more people to be fed • Continentality – area’s temp is affected by its location relative to nearest large body of water

4. Agricultural Hearths • Carl Sauer – mapped out agricultural origins of veg planting and see ag • Hearths – Vegetative Planting & Animal Domestication • Veg Planting means removing part of a plant and putting it in the ground to grow a new plant • Central America/NW South America • Western Africa • SE Asia • Hearths – Seed Agriculture • Seed Ag means taking seeds from an existing plan and planting them to produce new plants • S. Mexico • NE Africa • N. China • NE India • Importance of Trade Routes – helped diffuse many products we use today, colonialism brought to western hemi

5. Agricultural Regions and Patterns of Change • Subsistence Farming – produce food they need to survive on a daily basis • Shifting Cultivation – moving farm fields after several years in search of more productive soil after depleting nutrients in original field • Slash and burn ag – leaves barren soil behind and moves on to the next area and clears it by burning – puts nitrogen in soil • Crop Rotation – planting of different types of crops each year to replenish the soil with nutrients used up by previous crop • Pastoral Nomadism – moving animals on a seasonal basis to areas that heave the necessary resources to meet the needs of the herd • Extensive Subsistence Agriculture – includes pastoral nomadism and shifting cultivation – criticized for causing soil erosion, water degradation, and other environmental problems but is more productive • Intensive Subsistence Agriculture – more intense style of subsistence farming – more work is needed to obtain the same level of production • Rice Sawahs – flooded fields where rice grows • Intertillage – clearing of rows in the field thru the use of hoes, rakes, and other manual equipment

6. Agricultural Regions and Patterns of Change • Commercial Farming – farming of products for sale off the farm • Mediterranean Ag – dry summer, cool moist winter – grapes, dates, olives • Dairy Farming – highly mechanized, milking cows • Mixed Livestock and Crop Production – cows grown for meat and other products are fed with crops (corn and soybeans) grown on the same farm • Livestock Ranching – more developed countries – done on land on the fringes of productive land – feeding of livestock is done by allowing animals to roam fields w/o assistance of farmer – huge areas of land • Specialized Fruit Production - orchards • Plantation Ag – less developed countries, production of one crop sold to more developed countries • Interaction between Core Countries (dependent on Periphery) and Periphery Countries (raw materials) • Truck Farms – farm where farmers produce fruits for market • Suitcase Farms – no one resides permanently – migrant workers • Agribusiness – mass production of ag products • Agricultural industrialization – increased mechanization of the farming process to increase productivity and profits • Grain Farming – mass planting and harvesting of grain crops – wheat, barley, millet • Staple Grains - wheat, barley, millet that a large % of world pop depends on for survival

7. Von Thunen’s Model of Agricultural Land Use • Johann Heinrich von Thunen – model – crops are grown in direct relation to their distance from market • 1. Market-Gardening Activities – various heavy, bulky products (melons, veggies) – need to be close to market because they will spoil and it costs too much to transport • 2. Dairy Farming – produced close to market, cost of transportation for cooling • 3. Livestock Farming – • fattening adds weight to animals to increase sale price, • feedlots specialize in cattle or hogs • 4. Commercial Grain Farming – selling of wheat, corn, millet, other grains • Combines – separate seed from shaft of plant • Food chain – grain sent to market in trailers, sold to producer who makes product (bread), product sold to wholesaler, sells to grocery store, individuals can buy it • 5. Livestock Ranching – uses most land per farm of any other zones • 6. Nonagricultural Land Use – isn’t really a zone because distance to market is so far that farmer cannot productively or profitably sell ag products • Discussion/Modifications

8. Economic Systems and Activities • Primary – subsistence farming using hunting and gathering techniques or pastoral nomadism • Secondary – industrial sectors, factories take raw materials and produce product • Tertiary – service sectors – people are involved selling commodities • Quaternary – one cannot hold or physically touch – internet, cell phone service, etc • Quinary – management decisions of a society, people make decisions concerning trade of commodities • Elevator - • Farm Crisis – farmers are too productive, causing supply to exceed demand for products, lower prices and less revenue for farmers

9. Trends in US Ag • Early American Ag Practices – hunting/gathering (Native Am) • Effect of Early Settlements and Westward Migration on Ag – colonization, Europeans brought cattle and used seed ag • Metes and Bounds – used in Great Britain, measuring uses of land’s physical features to describe ownership claims • Township and Range – westward expansion • Sections – Midwest square mile tracts • Long Lots – French settlers in Louisiana • American Ag in 20th Cent – manifest destiny – God’s will to move westward across US • Environmental Modification – intro manmade chemicals and practices to an area • Desertification – overgrazing led to encroaching deserts w/in arid regions • Future • Aquaculture – farming of fish for sale off farm • Creative Destruction – removal of what nature originally produced in a particular location to grow what is desired

10. World Crop Regions • US – corn (livestock and humans consumption and ethanol fuel) • South America – sugar cane fuel • Eastern Europe – wheat • Africa – sorghum or millet (high calorie energy source) • Asia – rice • Planned Economy – government controlled economy (China) dictates to farmers the quantity and type of agricultural products they can produce