Agriculture and Rural Land Use

Unit 5

Agriculture

• Raising of animals or growing of crops to obtain food for consumption or sale

History of Agriculture

• Hunting and gathering

– Nomads

• Agricultural Revolution

– Planting seeds, returning to that land to cultivate crops

– Animal domestication-taming wild animals for human benefit

History of Agriculture

• 2nd Agricultural Revolution– Technology through

Industrial Rev. bettered the production and distribution of products

• 3rd Agricultural Revolution– Biotechnology

– Genetic engineering

– Takes place in a laboratory and then tested in the field

History of Agriculture

• Double-cropping: growing of two crops per year to double the harvest

• Triple-cropping: growing of three crops per year to double the harvest

Agricultural Hearths

• Carl Sauer- creator of cultural ecology

– Humans had power over their environment and weren’t the product of their environment

– Mapped out agricultural origins of vegetative planting and seed agricultural

Agricultural Hearths

• Vegetative Planting-removing part of a plant and putting it in the ground to grow a new plant.

• Seed Agriculture-taking seeds from existing plants and planting them to produce new plants.

Where Did Agriculture Begin?Vegetative Planting

• Central America and Northwestern South America

– Aztecs, Mayans, Incas

– Manioc, sweet potato, arrowroot

– Turkeys, llamas, alpacas

Where Did Agriculture Begin?Vegetative Planting

• Western Africa

– Yams and palm oil

– Cattle, sheep, goats

Where Did Agriculture Begin?Vegetative Planting

• Southeast Asia

– Root crops, banana and palm trees

– Dogs, pigs, chickens

Where Did Agriculture Begin?Seed Agriculture

• Southern Mexico

– Squash, beans, cotton

• Northeastern Africa

– Coffee

• Northern China

– Millet

• Northeastern India

– Rice

Subsistence Farming• Producing food you need to survive

• Commercial farming or cash crop farming is food you produce to sell

• 3 types of subsistence farming:

– Slash and burn

– Nomadism

– Intensive subsistence agriculture

• Extensive subsistence agriculture-tend to cause issues with soil erosion, water degradation.

Changes in Cultivation

• Shifting cultivation-moving of farm fields after some years in search of better soil.

– Farmer does not try and fix old soil

• Slash-and-burn agriculture-burning vegetation to clear for crops

Changes in Cultivation

• Pastoral Nomadism

– Moving animals on a seasonal basis to areas that have necessary resources to meet the needs of the herd.

Changes in Cultivation

• Intensive subsistence agriculture-more work needed to obtain the same level of production

– Wet rice

• Rice sawahs-flooded fields

– Wheat

– Barley

Changes in Cultivation

• Intertillage-clearing of rows in fields using manual equipment

Livestock Farming and Ranching

• Dairy Farming-type of commercial agriculture

• Mixed livestock with crop production-commercial agriculture

– Cows fed with crops grown on the farm

• Livestock Ranching-commercial agriculture

– MDCs

Other Types of Commercial Agriculture

• Specialized Fruit Production-orchards

• Plantation Agriculture-LDCs, one crop

• Truck Farms-farmers produce fruits for the market

Other Types of Commercial Agriculture

• Suitcase Farms-no one lives on the property, migrant workers

• Agribusiness-mass production of agricultural products

• Agricultural industrialization-increased mechanization of the farming process to increase productivity and profits.

• Grain Farming-mass planting and harvesting of grain crops

– Staple grains: wheat, barley

Johann Heinrich von Thunen Model

• Focus on commercial agriculture

• 6 rings around the market

Ring One: Market-Gardening

• Heavy, bulky products

• Close to the market because:

– Spoil, cost of transport

Ring Two: Dairy Farming

• Must be produced close to market

– Trucks must keep products cold

Ring Three: Livestock Fattening

• Adding weight to animals to raise salesLivestock

Ring Four: Commercial Grain Farming

• Wheat, corn, millet, etc.

• Transportation and production is fast

• Sell product to a produce who makes a product (ex: wheat to bread)

Ring Five: Livestock Ranching

• Need more land for grazing

• Transportation is infrequent

Ring Six: Nonagricultural Land Use

• Farmers cannot produce agricultural products for money due to how far they are from the market.

Issues With The Model?

Examples?

Rural Land Use and History

• Metes and bounds vs. township and range systems

Important Terms To Know:• Environmental Modification-introduction of

manmade chemicals and practices to an area.

• Desertification-enlarging deserts within arid regions (mostly due to overgrazing).

• Aquaculture-commercial farming of fish.

• Creative Destruction-removal of what was naturally occurring in an location

• Planned Economy-government controlled economy, often tells farmers what they can produce, and how much.

AP Terms to Know

• Primary economic activities—

• Secondary economic activities—

• Tertiary economic activities—

• Quaternary activities—

• Quinary activities—