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Agricultural Revolutions. Agribusiness and Agri-food Systems. 1. The Agricultural Revolution. 1 st Agricultural Revolution (12 000 ys ago): Development of seed agriculture Use of plow and draft animals Plant and animal domestication.
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Agricultural Revolutions Agribusiness and Agri-food Systems
1. The Agricultural Revolution • 1st Agricultural Revolution (12 000 ys ago): • Development of seed agriculture • Use of plow and draft animals • Plant and animal domestication
2nd Agricultural Revolution (~ Industrial Rev. or mid 18th C) • Improvement in livestock and crop yields • Planting clover and legumes • Metal implements • Replacement of ox by horse • New inputs in agricultural production
3rd Agricultural Revolution (~20thC): • Modernization and mechanization • Chemical farming (Green Revolution) • Food manufacturing plow Pesticide sprayer
Capitalist agricultural ‘revolution’ • Food became a commodity • increased state intervention • Decrease in agricultural labor • Wealth concentration
The Green Revolution • HYVs (high-yielding varieties) • Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, energy • Genetically-engineered crops • Profit potential for TNCs (E.G. Monsanto Corp.) • Concerns over ‘intellectual property rights’ to plant genomes, indigenous knowledge bases
2. Agri-business and Agri-food systems • Agri-business: ... “an integrated, corporate system, involving all aspects of agriculture, from food production, to processing and distribution” (Knox & Agnew 2003, p. 36) • production • transport • financing • regulation and • Marketing
Model of Agricultural Location • Von Thünen’s Model: Land-use rings with different farm products Based on: • demand, • operating costs, • transport cost, • land rent prices.