chapter 10: agriculture

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 10: Agriculture

The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography


Where Did Agriculture Originate?

• Origins of agriculture– Agriculture = deliberate modification of

Earth’s surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals

– Cultivate = “to care for”– Crop = any plant cultivated by people



• Origins of agriculture– Hunter-gatherers

• Perhaps 250,000 remaining today

– Invention of agriculture• When it began = unclear• Diffused from many hearths


Crop Hearths

Figure 10-2


Animal Hearths

Figure 10-3



• Commercial and subsistence agriculture– Subsistence = produced mainly for the

farm family’s survival• Most common in LDCs

– Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm

• Most common in MDCs


Agriculture and Climate

Figure 10-4



• Commercial and subsistence agriculture– Five characteristics distinguish commercial

from subsistence agriculture• Purpose of farming• Percentage of farmers in the labor force• Use of machinery • Farm size• Relationship of farming to other businesses


Second Agriculture RevolutionSecond Agriculture Revolution• A series of innovations, and techniques used to

improve the output of agricultural surpluses (started before the industrial revolution). eg. – seed drill– new crops-potatoes & corn– advances in livestock breeding– new soil preparation methods & new fertilizers


Agricultural Workers

Figure 10-5


Area of Farmland Per Tractor

Figure 10-6


Where are Agricultural Regions in LDCs?

• Shifting cultivation– Most prevalent in low-latitude, A-type

climates– Two features:

• Land is cleared by slashing and burning debris– Slash-and-burn agriculture

• Land is tended for only a few years at a time

– Types of crops grown vary regionally– Traditionally, land is not owned individually



• Pastoral nomadism (herding domesticated animals)

– Found primarily in arid and semiarid B-type climates

– Animals are seldom eaten• The size of the herd indicates power and prestige

– Type of animal depends on the region• For example, camels are favored in North Africa and

Southwest Asia

– Transhumance practiced by some pastoral nomads



• Intensive subsistence– Found in areas with high population and

agricultural densities• Especially in East, South, and Southeast Asia • To maximize production, little to no land is

wasted

– Intensive with wet rice dominant– Intensive with wet rice not dominant


Rice Production

Figure 10-12



• Plantation farming– Found in Latin America, Africa, and Asia– Products are grown in LDCs but typically

are sold to MDCs– Plantations specialize in one or two cash

crops• Important crops = coffee, sugarcane, cotton,

rubber, and tobacco

– A large labor force is usually needed in sparsely settled regions


Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?

• Mixed crop and livestock farming– Most land = devoted to crops– Most profits = derive from the livestock

• Dairy farming– Regional distribution: the milkshed– Two primary challenges

• Labor-intensive• Expense of winter feed


Corn (Maize) Production

Figure 10-15


Milk Production

Figure 10-17


Where are Agricultural Regions in MDCs?

• Grain farming– The largest commercial producer of grain = the

United States

• Livestock ranching– Practiced in marginal environments

• Mediterranean agriculture– Based on horticulture

• Commercial gardening and fruit farming– Truck farms


Wheat Production

Figure 10-19


Meat Production

Figure 10-21


Von Thünen ModelVon Thünen Model

• Von Thünen Model – What farmers

produce varies by distance from the town, with livestock raising farthest from town.

– Cost of transportation governs use of land.

– First effort to analyze the spatial character of economic activity.


Why Do Farmers Face Economic Difficulties?

• Challenges for commercial farmers– Access to markets is important

• The von Thünen model (1826)– The choice of crop to grow is related to the proximity to

the market

Figure 10-24


Von ThünenVon Thünen• Johann Heinrich von Thünen (1783-1850) wrote

Der Isolierte Staat (The Isolated State) which is the foundation of location theory.

• Noted how crops near Rostock, Germany changed with no change in soil-mapped the pattern

• With terrain, soils and rainfall the same he created the ringed-pattern

• Noted that transportation costs governed land use


Von Thünen Von Thünen ModelModel


Application of Von Thünen ModelApplication of Von Thünen Model

• Geographer Lee Liu studied the spatial pattern of agriculture production in China.Found:

- farmers living in a village farm both lands close to the village and far away intensively

- methods varied spatially – resulting in land improvement (by adding organic material) close to village and land degradation (lots of pesticides and fewer conservation tactics) farther from village.


Third Agriculture RevolutionThird Agriculture Revolution(Green Revolution)(Green Revolution)

• invention of high-yield grains and rice, (goal to reduce hunger).

- increased production of rice

- new varieties in wheat and corn

- reduced famines due to crop failure,

now most famines are due to

political problems

- impact (in terms of hunger) is greatest

where rice is produced



• Challenges for commercial farmers– Overproduction

• Agricultural efficiencies have resulted in overproduction

• Demand has remained relatively constant– As a consequence, incomes for farmers are low

– Sustainable agriculture• Sensitive land management• Integrated crop and livestock



• Challenges for subsistence farmers– Population growth– International trade– Drug crops


Drug Trade

Figure 10-27



• Strategies to increase food supply– Expanding agricultural land

• Desertification

– Increasing productivity • The green revolution

– Identifying new food sources• Cultivating oceans, developing higher-protein

cereals, and improving palatability of foods

– Increasing trade


Agricultural Land and Population

Figure 10-28


Grain Imports and Exports

Figure 10-32


The End.

Up next: Industry

chapter 10: agriculture

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