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—