Chapter 10

AgricultureVideo

Agriculture Key Issues

• Key Issue 1 - Where did agriculture originate?

• Key Issue 2 - Where are agricultural regions in

less developed countries?

• Key Issue 3 - Where are agricultural regions in

more developed countries?

• Key Issue 4 - Why do farmers face economic

difficulties?

Primarily for direct

consumption by a

local population,

usually small scale

and low tech

Subsistence

Agriculture

Primarily for purpose

of selling products for

money, often

monocultures for

economies of scale

Commercial

Agriculture

Key Issue 1 - Where did agriculture originate?

Large-area farms or

ranches

Low inputs of labor &

low output per acre

Extensive Land Use

Small-area farms or

ranches

High inputs of labor &

high output per acre

Intensive Land Use

Rice paddies, southeast ChinaCattle ranch, northeast Colorado

Large amount of human

work is applied per unit

of output

Labor-Intensive

Agriculture

Large amount of capital

(equipment and buildings used to

produce other goods) is applied

per unit of output

Capital-Intensive

Agriculture

Top picture – Labor-intensive corn raising in

central Mexico.

Bottom picture – Corn exported from capital-

intensive U.S. farms to the Mexican market

Subsistence – predominantly low-income regions

Intensive subsistence – subtropical monsoon areas

Shifting cultivation – tropical forests & savannas

Nomadic herding – semiarid and arid lands

Commercial – predominantly high-income regions

Crop farming – more humid climates

Livestock ranching - drylands

Two Types of Cultivation

• Seed Agriculture

– Reproduction of plants

through annual

introduction of seeds,

which result from

sexual fertilization.

• Vegetative Planting

– Which is the

reproduction of plants

by direct cloning from

existing plants such as

cutting stems and

dividing roots.

Probable culture-hearths of agriculture

Invention of farming & domestication of livestock (8,000–

14,000 years ago) + diffusion from several source regions =

shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies

First Agricultural Revolution

Second Agricultural Revolution

•Technological changes (starting 1600s in Western Europe;

spread by 1800s to North America)

•Began with new methods: crop rotation, better horse

collars

•Later innovations: replace human labor with machines,

supplement natural fertilizers & pesticides with chemical

Beginnings of

commercialization

of agriculture

(production of

surplus for trade);

enabled widespread

urbanization

Third Agricultural Revolution - Green Revolution

Since 1960s

- hybridized grains for better yields

- greater reliance on synthetic fertilizers

- genetically engineered crops

- vertical integration of ownership (e.g., Cargill, ConAgra, ADM)

- globalization of production

A partial list of ConAgra’s brands

Swiss Miss Hunt’s

Van Camp’s Marie Callender’s

Wesson Hebrew National

Slim Jim Egg Beaters

Rosarita Chef Boyardee

ReddiWip Pam

Peter Pan Orville Redenbacher’s

Healthy Choice Banquet

Third Agricultural Revolution

Benefits

Reduced uncertainties in

agriculture

Greater global exchange

of ag products

Increased yields

Costs

Increased dependence on

fossil fuels

Reliance on chemical

inputs

Less global diversity of

food products

Concentration of

pollutants

“Green Revolution” –1960s -1980s

Rice

plant

Green revolution - Rapid diffusion of new

agricultural technology especially new high

yield seeds and fertilizers

Rice - staple food for 2.5 billion Asians -

provides 2/3 of calories for Asians with rice-

based diets

Green Rev – Raised yields

* Improved rice strains

* Greater use of fertilizer

* Increase use of irrigation

Asia’s rice production grew at annual rates of

3.0% until 1980s

Yield growth rate exceeded high pop. growth

rates of the time

Sources: FAO, IRRI (research

organization devoted to

rice) – part of global CGIAR

effort at improving yields of

staple crops worldwide

Key Issue 2: Where are agricultural

regions in less developed countries.Video: What the world eats

Subsistence Agriculture Commercial Agriculture• Mostly in LDCs

• Mostly in MDCs

SUBSISTENCE

AGRICULTURE

Production of food primarily for consumption

by the farmer’s family. Remains widely

practiced in less-developed, peripheral

countries. Practices: Shifting Cultivation, Intensive Subsistence Agriculture, and Pastoralism

Shifting Cultivation

• Farmers rotate the fields

they cultivate to allow the

soil to replenish its

nutrients.

• Farmers clear land for

planting through slash-

and-burn practices.

• Farmers grow crops on

a cleared field for only

a few years until soil

nutrients are depleted

• Then leave it fallow.

Pastoral Nomadism

• Pastoral Nomadism– A form of subsistence agriculture

based on herding animals.

• Pastoral nomads depend primarily on animals rather than crops for survival. The animals provide milk, and their skins and hair are used for clothing and tents. They eat mostly grain because animals are a measure of power and prestige. They practice Transhumance.

• Transhumance – The seasonal migration of

livestock between mountainous and lowland pastures.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

• Intensive subsistence

agriculture– A form of subsistence

agriculture from which farmers

must expend a relatively large

amount of effort to produce the

maximum feasible yield from a

parcel of land

– Practiced in densely populated

areas in LDC’s

– Most of the work is done by

hand or with animals rather

than with machines – many

workers!

– Rice Video

Rice Production

• Rice is the most important crop in the large population concentrations of East and Southeast Asia.

• Asian farmers grow 90% of the world’s rice.

• Growing rice is a labor intensive operation.

Key Issue 3: Where are agricultural

regions in more developed countries

• The 7 methods of farming typically found in MDC’s are:

– Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

– Dairy Farming

– Grain Farming

– Livestock Ranching

– Mediterranean agriculture

– Commercial gardening and fruit farming

– Plantation farming

Johann Heinrich Von Thünen• Developed an agricultural

model to explain the locations and costs of agriculture in and around a CBD

• He used mathematics to explain the cost of farming in multiple environments

• R = Y(p − c) − YFm

– R = rent

– p = production costs

– Y = yield

– c = market price

– F = transportation costs

– m = distance to market

Von Thunen: Land Use and Agriculture

• Fallow

– the practice of farming land,

harvesting, tilling (but not planting),

and repeating the cycle

– Half the field is fallowed, the other

half is planted

• CBD

– central business district (town, city,

hearth)

• Three-Field Farming

– Only one third of the field is

fallowed, while the other two parts

are harvested in Spring and Autumn

• Bid rent

– how much someone is willing to pay

for a particular piece of land

Von Thunen Applications

• By analyzing the consumer costs,

production, and geographic

limitations, Von Thunen’s model

could help landowners and

agriculturalists determine

adequate rent for land and

potential profits

• This model is outdated and was

created assuming all land was

similar, climate was fixed, no

roads existed, and technology

would not improve

• This model has been modified to

take physical features into

account

William Alonso

• William Alonso used

Von Thunen’s model

to evaluate the cost

of land in an

agricultural region

(or industrial center)

• The farther away

from the CBD, the

less money people

were willing to pay

due to the limited

access to the CBD

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming– Mixed crop and livestock farming is common in the U.S. west of

the Appalachians and in much of Europe from France to Russia.

– integration of crops and livestock. Most of the crops are fed to

animals rather than humans.

– nearly all of the land is used for crop growing, but more than

75% the profits come from the sale of animal products

– Crop rotation is actively used in mixed farming

– two of the most frequent are corn and soybean

– In U.S. 80% of grain production is fed to pigs and cattle!

– Highly inefficient use of natural resources

• Pounds of grain to make 1 lb. beef: 10

• Gallons of water to make 1 1b wheat: 25

• Gallons of water to make 1 1b. beef: 2500

• Corn / Soybeans

Dairy Farming• Dairy farming is the most important type of

commercial ag. practiced on farms near the northeast U.S., southeast Canada, and northwest Europe.

• Over 90% of cows milk is produced in Developed countries.

• Dairy farms must be nearer their market areas than other products because their product spoils quickly.

• Milkshed – (MILK)

– The area surrounding a city from which

milk is supplied

– Improvements in transportation have

increased the range of dairy farms, but they

are mainly still located near large urban

areas.

– Those dairy farms that are farther from the

cities tend to sell their product to processors

who make butter, cheese, etc, because these

products keep longer than milk.

Grain FarmingGrain farming is typically done in the

Great Plains states of the U.S. • Wheat is an important crop because it is

highly exportable and is a source of economic and political strength for its largest producers (US, Russia & Canada)

• The U.S. is by far the world’s largest producer of grain.

• Winter wheat –– Wheat planted in the fall and harvested in the

early summer.

– Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado;

• Spring wheat –– Wheat planted in the spring and harvested in

the late summer.

– Dakotas, Montana;

• Palouse region of Washington state is also an important area.

Livestock Ranching• Livestock ranching is the commercial

grazing of livestock over an extensive area.

• Where: arid or semi-arid areas of western U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Spain and Portugal.

• History: initially open range, now sedentary with transportation changes.

• Environmental effects:

– Overgrazing has damaged much of the world’s arid

grasslands

– Destruction of the rainforest is motivated by

Brazilian desires for fashionable cattle ranches

– Amazon Deforestation

Mediterranean Agriculture

Where: areas surrounding the Mediterranean, California, Oregon, Chile, South Africa, Australia

• Highly valuable crops: olives, grapes, nuts, fruits and vegetables; winter wheat

• Most of the food grown in this style of farming is for human consumption and is typically of high value.

• Horticulture –

– The growing of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

• California: high quality land is being lost to suburbanization; initially offset by irrigation

Commercial Gardening & Fruit Farming

• Where: U.S. Southeast, New

England, near cities around the world

• Crops: high profit vegetables and

fruits demanded by wealthy urban

populations: apples, asparagus,

cherries, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

• Truck farming

– Commercial gardening and fruit farming,

so named because truck was a Middle

English word meaning bartering or the

exchange of commodities.

– highly mechanized and labor costs are

further reduced by the use of cheap

immigrant (and illegal) labor.

– Apple Farming

Plantation Farming

• Large scale mono-cropping of

profitable products not able to be

grown in Europe or U.S.

– Crops: cotton, sugar cane, coffee, rubber,

cocoa, bananas, tea, coconuts, palm oil.

• Plantation farming is found in the tropics and subtropics.

• Plantation

– A large farm in tropical and subtropical

climates that specializes in the production

of one or two crops for sale, usually to a

more developed country.

– These types are farms are isolated in sparsely settled locations and are thus quite self-sufficient.

Developed Countries Undercut Free Markets in Agriculture

• Farmers in the developed

world are paid an average of

2/3 more than the free market

would provide.

• These subsidies to the world’s

richest farmers directly damage

the agricultural economies of

the poorest nations.

Key Issue 4: Why do Farmers Face

Economic Difficulties?• Economic issues of commercial farmers

– Access to markets

– Overproduction

– Sustainable agriculture

• Economic issues of subsistence farmers

– Population growth

– International trade

• Increasing food supply

Access to Markets • Two economic factors

influence the choice of crops (or livestock) by commercial farmers: – access to markets and

overproduction.

– Because the purpose of commercial farming is to sell produce off the farm, the distance from the farm to the market influences the farmer’s choice of crop to plant.

– Geographers use the von Thünen model to help explain the importance of proximity to market in the choice of crops on commercial farms.

Von Thünen Model

Fig. 10-13: Von Thünen’s model shows how distance from a city or market affects

the choice of agricultural activity in (a) a uniform landscape and (b) one

with a river.

Overproduction in Commercial Farming

• Commercial farmers suffer from low incomes because they produce too much food rather than too little.

• A surplus of food has been produced in part because of widespread adoption of efficient agricultural practices.

• Commercial farmers have dramatically increased the capacity of the land to produce food.

• While the food supply has increased in more developed countries, demand has remained constant, because the market for most products is already saturated.

• Demand is also stagnant for most agricultural products in more developed countries because of low population growth.

U.S. Government Policies

• The U.S. government has three policies to attack the problem of excess productive capacity.

• First, farmers are encouraged to avoid producing crops that are in excess supply.

• The government encourages planting fallow crops.

• Second, the government pays farmers when certain commodity prices are low.

• Third, the government buys surplus production and sells or donates it to foreign governments.

• In addition, low-income Americans receive food stamps in part to stimulate their purchase of additional food.

• The United States spends about $10 billion a year on farm subsidies.

• Government policies point out a fundamental irony in worldwide agricultural patterns.

• In a more developed country such as the United States, farmers are encouraged to grow less food, while less developed countries struggle to increase food production to match the rate of the growth in population.