Chapter 10 - AgricultureVarious sources

Agriculture – Intro

Agricultural practices = one of the most fundamental differences between MDCs and LDCs

Big Questions….Where is agriculture distributed across the

earth?How does farming vary around the globe?Why does farming vary across the globe?

Key Issue 1 – origins of Agriculture

Agriculture – the deliberate modification of earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain

Cultivate – to care for

History

Hunters and gatherers

Agriculture – accidental

Vegetative planting

Seed planting -

Key issue 1

Key issue 1 – origin of first vegetative planting

Key Issue 1 – location of first Seed Agriculture

First Agricultural Revolution

AG Diffusion: spread by relocation -migration & colonialism (Columbian Exchange)Today diff is hierarchical – starts in research centers of MDCs moves to smaller farms or LDCsDiff can be bad/accidental (ex: kudzu = the vine that ate the South)

AG diffusion – accidental - kudzu

AG Diffusion – Columbian Exchange –relocation diff

Began in W. Eur in 1600s –transformed W. Eur and N. AmericaIntensified AG by promoting higher yields per acre and per farmerUsed crop rotation, fertilizers, improved collars for draft animalsFarmers create surplus, people can live in cities and buy AG products at marketMove from rural to urban

2nd AG revolution – cont’d

Late 1700s = Industrial Revolution – mechanization

Tractors, reapers, threshers replaced human labor

Better transportation – RR, steamboats, refrigerated cars, etc. allows farmers to ship food products further to urban markets

2nd Agricultural revolution – cont’d –Industrial Revolution

Transportation

Revolutions – increase

market area for

farmers’ produce

3rd Agricultural Revolution = Green Revolution –1960s Norman Borlaug and the Green Rev http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9-HTtgFOk

MDCs transfer technology to LDCs Main practices:

Artificial fertilizer

Irrigation

Insecticides and pesticides

Mechanical machinery

Crossbreeding/hybridization (naturally not in a lab)

….all produce higher yields

3rd Revolution / Green Revolution

Multinational Corp encourage LDCs to focus on specialty crops – monoculture for export instead of producing food for local consumption

Was successful in some LDCs but detrimental in others (new tech devastated land, bad for env, unsustainable farming, and changes in social and culture structures

Green Revolution

Green Rev = higher yields

Today and the Future…..High tech AG and Agribusiness Computerized irrigation, remote sensing, long-

term weather predictions, GMO’s

GMOs: genetically modified foods – genes altered in a lab for disease resistance, increased productivity, increased nutritional value

http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=38183&CategoryID=11628

GMOs

Pro - USA Biotechnology/ Monsanto

More rigorous testing than any previous food

Efficient, cheap food

High Yield – feed developing food

Anti - Europe Green Peace, Earth Liberation

Front

Frankenfood

Pro Organic

Questions long-term health of GMOs

GMOs

Today and Future….

Agribusiness: multinational giant corporations dominate much of world’s AG market

demise of family farm – Mellencamp’s Rain on Scarecrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joNzRzZhR2Y

AG is BIG, expensive business (control land, tech, machinery, shipping, packaging, etc.)

Globalization of AG: free trade, WTO

Geog looks at WHAT crops are produced around the globe….affected by…….

Environment: (Environmental Determinism)…rice needs lots of water, grapes need cool wet winters and hot dry summers, etc. Possibilism…green houses, irrigation

Culture: rice in Asia, corn in MX, wheat in US/Eur, no pork in Middle East, etc.

What crops produced where…

Economic: grow crop that makes greatest profit (von Thunen)

HOW crops grown

Subsistence AG (LDCs) V. Commercial AG (MDCs) …see handout

5 features distinguish commercial and subsistence agriculturePurpose of farmingUse of machinery Farm sizeRelationship of farming to other businesses

(agribusiness)

Labor Intensive AG – Subsistence - LDCs

Capital Intensive AG – Commercial -MDCs

Intensive AG – higher yield per acre –terraced rice paddies in China

Extensive Farming

Intensive farming must increase –efficiency to yield more and feed more

Subsistence agriculture - LDCs

Agricultural Regions

Whittlesey identified 11 regions5 important for LDCS6 important for MDCs

AG in LDCs -

Shifting cultivation – deforestation

AG in LDCs -

Pastoral Nomadism

Agriculture in LDC

intensive substance

Crop rotation Rice = intensive crop

Plantation

AG in MDCs – Dairy Farms

AG in MDCs – grain farming

AG in MDCs - Mediterranean

Truck farming

Apples, squash, lettuce, cabbage,

peppers, cucumbers, potatoes,

peaches, tomatoes, green beans

Truck Farming

Problem 1: Access to market Von Thunen’s Model

Farmer in N. Germany Book 1826 The isolated State Commercial Farmers

1. identifies a crop that can be sold for more than land cost

2. distance of farm from central city b/c of cost of transportation

Formula – can farmer make a profit?P= V – (C + T)Profit = commodity value – (production cost + transportation cost)

Von T’s model

Application of Von Thunen Model

1st ring – garden and milk producers

2nd ring – woodlots – timber was cut for construction or fuel

Also weight

3rd ring – various crops and pasture (pigs and poultry)

4th ring – outer ring: Wheat, barley, grains, and livestock (extensive)

Does not consider human and site factors

Does not take government or social customs into account

Contemporary Variables of the Model? Modern transportation more efficient Transportation costs no longer proportional to distance Wood (#2 forestry) no longer needed for fuel Technology has decreased perishability (refrigerated cars,

canning, etc.) AG products used for products other than food No single markets – regional and global markets

Model still relevant today?????

Economic difficulties - MDC

Problem 2: Overproduction

Commercial farmers are poor b/c they produce more than they can sell

MDC supply has gone up but demand has stayed the same

Why???

US Government’s role

Discourage growing foods in excess supply

Subsidies: govn’t pays to produce less –spends @ 10 bill annually

Pays farmers when prices are low

Buys surplus food

Gov Subsidies

Issues for Subsistence Farmers

LDCs need to produce more food – Why?

Strategies?

Subsistence farming and international trade Issues

Need $ to import agricultural supplies

Can’t grow enough to export b/c have to feed

SO, they grow drugs as export crops to make $

The future of farming

Sustainable Agriculture – practices that preserve and enhance environmental quality Land sensitive management

Ridge tillage

Production costs are lower b/c less machinery

Soil conservation

Increased organic matter

More water holding

More earth worms

Decreased chemicals

Good for animals

The future of farming

From extensive to intensive farming

Feed lots

Biotechnology

New food sources:

Cultivate Oceans

Higher protein cereals

Improve palatability of rarely consumed foods

Increase food supply by increasing exports from other countries

Agriculture and environment

Agriculture and environment - resources

Natural resources – substances in environment that are useful to people, is economically and technologically feasible to access, and acceptable to use

Renewable:

Nonrenewable:

Agriculture and environment

Fishing – 20% of human animal protein consumption

3 sources

Inland catch

Fish farms (aquaculture or Blue agriculture)

Marine catch

Use of technology

Problems

Overfishing

Pollution of coastal waters

Tragedy of the commons – open land/resources available to everyone

AG and the Environment Negative impacts on Env

Pesticides (DDT an abbreviation for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) harm wildlife, pollute lakes, rivers, etc.

Erosion – loss of fertile topsoil –

fertile topsoil accumulates slowly

takes hundreds of yrs to rebuild

Salinization: soil in dry area is

irrigated, water evaporates quickly

and leaves salty residue

Urban Sprawl: takes over good

AG land

AG and the Environment

Deforestation: slash and burn in rainforests (debt for nature swap – see article)

Desertification: degradation of land…turns into desert b/c of extensive planting or grazing

Conclusion….greater tech often correlates w/ destruction of environment