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The Geography of

Agriculture


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The Geography of

Agriculture Agricultures Origins and History

Classifying Agricultural Regions


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Introduction

Importance of agriculture

All humans depend on agriculture for food

Urban-industrial societies depend on thebase of food surplus generated by farmersand herders

Without agriculture there could be nocities, universities, factories, or offices


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Introduction

Agriculturethe principal enterprise ofhumankind through most of recordedhistory

Today remains the most importanteconomic activity in the world

Employs 45percent of the workingpopulation

In some parts of Asia and Africa, over 80percent of labor force is engaged inagriculture


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Agricultural regions

Formal agricultural regions Peoples living in different environments develop

new farming methods

Numerous spatial variations have been created


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History of Agriculture

Hunter-Gatherers

Neolithic Revolution Domestication of Plants and Animals

Diffusion of Agriculture

Agricultural Industrialization

The Green Revolution

Hybrids, scientific application of fertilizer, pesticide,and water

Modern Agribusiness


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Origins of Agriculture


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Agricultural diffusion

The origin and diffusion of plant domestication Agriculture apparently began with plantdomestication

Domesticated plantonedeliberately planted,

protected, and cared for by humans Genetically distinct from wild ancestors because of

deliberate improvement through selective breeding

Tend to be larger than wild species, bearing larger,

more abundant crops For examplewild Indian maize grew on a cob only

0.75 inches long


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Plant domestication and improvement

constituted a process, not an event

Began because of close associationbetween humans and natural vegetationover a period of hundreds or eventhousands of years

Useful plants were protected by humans,which led to deliberate planting


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Carl Sauers beliefs on domestication Domestication probably did not develop in response to

hunger

Starving people must spend every waking hoursearching for food

Started by people who had enough food to remainsettled in one place

Did not occur in grasslands or river floodplains becauseof thick sod and periodic flooding

Must have started in regions where many different kindsof wild plants grew

Started in hilly district areas, where climates changewith differing sun exposure and altitude


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Most geographers now believe agriculturearose in at least three regions of greatbiodiversity

1. The Fertile Crescent located in the Middle

East Bread grains, grapes, apples, olives; and many

others

Oldest archaeological evidence of crop-

domestication10,000BP

Diffused to Central Africa creating a secondarycenter of domestication adding such crops assorghum, peanuts, yams, coffee, and okra


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2. Second great center developed in

Southeast Asia

Possibly included land now covered byshallow seas

Rice, citrus, taro, bananas, and sugarcane,

plus others Stimulus diffusion yielded a secondary

centernortheastern China


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Corn v maize


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Great biodiversity


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Mesoamerica


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3. Mesoamericathe third great region ofdomestication

Started about 5,000BP

Independent invention, not started bydiffusion

Maize, tomatoes, chili peppers, and squash,

among many others Stimulus diffusion produced a secondary

center in northwestern South America, fromwhich came the white potato and manioc

Cl if i A i lt l


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Classifying AgriculturalRegions

SubsistenceAgriculture

Shifting Cultivation Pastoral Nomadism

Intensive SubsistenceAgriculture

Commercial Agriculture Mixed Crop and

Livestock Farming

Dairy Farming Grain Farming

Livestock Ranching

MediterraneanAgriculture

Truck Farming


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Subsistence Agriculture Regions


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Shifting or swidden Cultivation

--Vegetation slashed and then

burned. Soil remains fertile for 2-3 years.Then people move on.

Where: tropical rainforests. Amazon,Central and West Africa, Southeast Asia

Crops: upland rice (S.E. Asia), maize andmanioc (S. America), millet and sorghum(Africa)

Intercropping: planting taller, strongercrops to shelter lower and more fragileones. Also provides a more varied diet.

Declining at hands of ranching and logging.


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Sorghum is used

for breads, gruel,

beer, and syrup.

Manioc or

Cassava
http://onfoodandwine.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/manioc-1.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Sorghum.jpg


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Pastoral NomadismThe breeding and herding of

domesticated animals forsubsistence.

Where: arid and semi-arid areasof N. Africa, Middle East, Central

Asia Animals: Camel, Goats, Sheep,

Cattle

Transhumance: seasonal

migrations from highlands tolowlands

Most nomads are being pressuredinto sedentary life as land is

used for agriculture or mining.

Bedouin Shepherd

Somali Nomad and Tent

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture


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Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

The Fields of Bali

Wet Rice Dominant Where: S.E. Asia, E. India,

S.E. China

Very labor intensiveproduction of rice,

including transfer tosawah, or paddies

Most important source offood in Asia

grown on flat, orterraced land

Double croppingis used inwarm winter areas of S.

China andTaiwanThai Rice Farmers


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Commercial AgricultureProducts are Value-

AddedVery little of the value

of most commercial

products comes fromthe raw materials

Adding value is thekey to high profit

margins

Roughly 6% of the price of cereal is the cost of the grain.


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Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

Where:Ohio to Dakotas, centered on Iowa;much of Europe from France to Russia

crops: corn (most common), soybeans

In U.S. 80% of product 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
http://www.vegsource.com/how_to_win.htmhttp://www.vegsource.com/how_to_win.htmhttp://www.vegsource.com/how_to_win.htm


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Dairy FarmingWhere: near urban

areas in N.E. UnitedStates, SoutheastCanada, N.W. Europe- Over 90% of cows milk isproduced in developed

countries. Value is added ascheese, yogurt, etc.

Dairy Farm, WisconsinVon Thunens theories are the beginning

of location economics and analysis (1826)

Locational Theory : butter and cheese

more common than milk with increasing

distance from cities and in West.

Milkshed : historically defined by

spoilage threat; refrigerated trucks

changed this.


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Grain Farming

Where: worldwide, but U.S. andRussia predominant

Crops: wheat

Winter wheat: Kansas, Colorado,Oklahoma

Spring wheat: Dakotas, Montana,

southern CanadaHighly mechanized: combines, worth

hundreds of thousands of dollars, migratenorthward in U.S., following the harvest.


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Livestock RanchingWhere: arid or semi-arid areas of western U.S.,

Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Spain and Portugal.

History: initially open range, now sedentary withtransportation changes.

Environmental effects:

1) overgrazing hasdamaged much of the

worlds arid grasslands

(< 1% of U.S. remain!)2) destruction of the

rainforest is motivated

by Brazilian desires for

fashionable cattle

ranches


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Mediterranean AgricultureWhere: areas surrounding the

Mediterranean, California, Oregon, Chile,South Africa, Australia

Climate has summer dry season.

Landscape is mountainous.

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

California: high quality land is being lostto suburbanization; initially offset byirrigation

Comme cial Ga dening


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Commercial Gardeningand Fruit Farming

Where:U.S. Southeast, New England, nearcities around the world

Crops:high profit vegetables and fruitsdemanded by wealthy urban

populations: apples, asparagus, cherries,lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Mechanization:truck farmingis highly

mechanized and labor costs are furtherreduced by the use of cheap immigrant(and illegal) labor.

Distribution:situated near urban

markets.


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Agribusiness:


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Agribusiness:The industrialization of agriculture

Modern commercial farming is very dependenton inputs of chemical fertilizer, pesticides,herbicides.

Oil is required to make fertilizer and pesticides.

It takes 10 calories of energy to create 1 calorieof food in modern agriculture.

Small farmer cant buy needed equipment and

supplies. Fewer than 2% of U.S. population works in

agriculture


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Subsistence v Commercial

Agriculture1. Purpose of Farming

2. Percentage of Farmers in the workforce

3. Use of machinery4. Farm Size

5. Relationship to other businesses

(agribusiness)

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