Agriculture and Rural Land Use

Agriculture

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

The Three Agricultural Revolutions

• First: allowed humans to become more sedentary and avail themselves of a more reliable source of food

• Second: Used the technology provided by the industrial revolution as a means to increase production and distribution.

• Third: involves altering the genetic material of plants and animals

First Agricultural Revolution • From hunting and gathering society to planting of seeds and

domestication of animals. • Following of herds in a migratory pattern lead to the discovery of

seeds discarded the year before eventually would sprout re-growth. This took hundreds, thousands of years after observation to harness in a way that was viable and sustainable.

• Very laborious and on a small scale.• Herds would return in migratory patterns but people became

sedentary. • As food sources became reliable population grew.• Animal domestication changed the worlds diet as wild animals

were tamed.

First Agricultural Revolution

From

to

Second Agricultural Revolution • From 1750 to 1900 in more developed world.• Technology allowed for the increase in production and distribution

of products.• Fields could be double or triple in size with same amount of labor.• Populations increased on local and global scales• Less developed countries are still in this era. • Examples include technological inventions of the cotton gin,

forerunner, combine.• Transportation for distribution became more reliable, food less

likely to spoil• Pushed population into stage 3.• People left farm for urban areas.

Second Agricultural Revolution

From

To

Third Agricultural Revolution • 1960s+• Sometimes referred to as the Green Revolution. Uses

biotechnology, genetic engineering. • Takes place in labs and tested on farm fields.• Plant and animal hybrids that maximize growth and production. • Increased use of fertilizers and chemicals.• Industrial farming.• Climate is no longer barrier to plant production. • Rice is greatest example of genetic engineering as it feeds the

most people in Asia. • Double-cropping, two crops per year and Triple-cropping, three

crops per year is now possible in the poorest areas of Asia.

Third Cont.

• Created a global agricultural market. • Wheat grown in North Dakota is shipped to

Asia.• Corporate farms are where MDC’s get their

food. • Enough food is produced to feed the world

but there are barriers in distribution.

Third Agricultural Revolution

From

To

Origin of Agriculture: Vegetative Planting

• Southeast Asia – Diverse climate and topography – Fishing communities lend themselves to a more sedentary

lifestyle allowing for experimentation in vegetative planting– Root plants were predicted to be the first type of

domesticated planting. i.e taro and yam and tree crops i.e banana and palm

– Livestock such as dog, chicken, pig, (llama, sheep) – Moved east and north. – Other hearths include Central America/NW South America

and West Africa

Origin of Agriculture:Seed Agriculture

• Reproduction of plants through annual planting of seeds

• Three hearths: western India, northern China and Ethiopia

• Wheat and Barley were the dominate seed.• Often seed agriculture would include the

integration of livestock

Plant and LivestockRegional Classification

• Central Asia: – Plants: Rice, Millet– Livestock: sheep and goat

• East Asia:– Plants: Taro, bananas, and palm– Livestock: dogs, pigs, and chicken

Plant and Livestock Regional Classification

• Mexico– Plants: squash and maize– Livestock: llama, alpaca, and turkey

• Peru– Plants: squash, beans and cotton– Livestock: llama, alpaca, and turkey

• Central Africa– Plants: millet, sorghum, palm oil, yam, and coffee– Livestock: cattle, sheep and goat

Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture

• Subsistence: – Found in developing countries– Purpose: consumption by and for farmers family.

• Commercial:– Found in developed countries– Purpose: Profit

Climate and Topography

• Climate and topography are the most important factors in food diversity around the world.

Whittlesey’s Agricultural Regions

Sub. V. Com.

• Differences between Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture – Purpose– Percentage of farmers in labor force– Use of machinery – Farm size– Agribusiness

Purpose of Farming

• LDC- personal consumption, some extra is sold to the government but goal is to eat.

• MDC- grow for profit. Produce is sold off the farm. Sold to companies not persons.

% of Farmers

• LDC- 55%• MDC-5%• When a country develops the percentage of

farmers decreases.

Use of Machinery

• LDC- hand tools and animal power. • MDC- Highly scientific. Fertilizer, herbicide,

GPS used to monitor cattle.

Farm Size

• LDC- 1 Hectare of 2.5 acres, 1 acre is about 1.5 city blocks.

Farm Size Continued

• MDC- 175 Hectares (435 Acres)• 4% of commercial farms account for 50% of

products.• ½ of farmers in MDC make less than $10,000 a

year in sales. • Machinery is very expensive. • Fewer farmers but more land• Losing prime agricultural land to expanding

urban areas.

Business within a Business

• Agribusiness—all the businesses and products that stem from farming.

• Seed.• Tractors.• Distribution. • Retail • Sub: Political organizations- Free Trade