AgricultureDefinition, origins, classificationAgriculture in LDCsAgriculture in MDCs

I. Definition, origins, classificationAgriculture:

Deliberate modification of a portion of earths surface through cultivation of plants or raising animalsTo obtain sustenance (LDCs) or for economic gain (MDCs)

Hunting and gathering:Small groups, fewer than 50 peopleToday, only million people still survive by hunting and gathering

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Invention of agriculture

Accident and deliberate experiment

Two types of cultivation:Vegetative planting: cloning from existing plantsSeed agriculture: came later, planting of seeds, practiced by most farmers today

Hearths: agriculture began in multiple, independent hearths (points of origin) (Carl Sauer)

Vegetative plantingSoutheast AsiaWest AfricaNW South America

Seed agriculture

3 hearths in the Eastern HemisphereWestern IndiaNorthern ChinaEthiopia

2 hearths in Western HemisphereSouthern Mexico/Mesoamerica (squash and corn)Northern Peru

http://people.cas.sc.edu/ajames/Bing_Symp/1956%20Photos/Sauer.jpg

The Fertile CrescentMesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivershttp://online.sfsu.edu/~patters/culinary/media/fertilec.jpg

Advantages of the Fertile Crescent

1. Mediterranean climate2. Numerous edible and productive plants 3. Self pollinate, cross pollinate4. Wide range of elevations5. Numerous large animals6. East-west axis

Classifying agricultural regionsDifference between LDCs (subsistence) and MDCs (commercial)

1. Subsistence agriculture: growing food for consumption by farmers family

2. Commercial agriculture: growing food for sale off the farm (machinery and technology)

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/images/wsci_01_img0012.jpghttp://www.mchsmuseum.com/images/lettuce.jpgSubsistenceCommercial

Today the US is losing farmland

1.2 million acres per year of a total of 1 billion acres

http://blog.kir.com/archives/urban%20sprawl.jpgurban expansion

AgribusinessCommercial farming in the US and other MDCs is called agribusiness

Agribusiness includes processing, packaging, storing, distributing, and retailing; tractor manufacturing, fertilizer production, seed distribution

Farmers are less than 2% of the US labor forceBut 20% of US labor works in food production and service

Many aspects of agribusiness are controlled by large corporations

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II. Agriculture in LDCsShifting cultivation

Humid low-latitude/tropical zones (high temp and rainfall), low population density

2 typesSlash-and-burn: clearing land by cutting vegetation and burning debris (tropical zones)Rotation: using a field for a few years, then leaving it fallow for many years

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Pastoral nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals

Dry climates, where crops cant grow, low population density

Most in arid and semi-arid land in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia (Eastern Hemisphere)

Transhumance: seasonal migration of livestock between mountains (summer) and lowland pastures (winter)

Pasture: land used for grazing, and grass or other plants grown for feeding grazing animals

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Intensive subsistence agriculture

Farmers must work more intensively to subsist on a parcel of land

Farms are smaller, so more pressure for productivity Practiced in densely populated areas (East, South, and Southeast Asia)

Wet rice dominant: mostly in river valleys and deltas, or in flat or terraced fields

Wet rice not dominant: climate prevents farmers from growing wet rice in parts of Asia, where summer precipitation is low and winters are harsh

http://www.thewonderingeye.co.uk/Images/Large/vietnam_mai_chau_paddy_2.jpg

Plantation farming

A form of commercial agriculture in tropics and subtropics (Latin America, Africa, Asia)

Mostly in LDCs, but many owned by people in MDCs, and most products for sale in MDCs

Plantation: a large farm that specializes in one or two crops

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11043440/Coffee___Cardamom_Plantation.jpg

III. Agriculture in MDCsMixed crop and livestockMost crops fed to animals

Crop rotation systems

Farm split into fields, and each field planted on a planned cycle, often several years (1 year fallow and cycle is repeated)Different from shifting agriculture in LDCs because LDCs leave fields fallow for many years and productivity is lower

2-field crop rotation system (Northern Europe, 5th century)Cereal grain planted in Field A for one year, Field B fallow

3-field system (8th century)Field 1 planted with a winter cereal, Field 2 a spring cereal, Field 3 left fallow

4-field system (NW Europe, 18th century)First year: root crop in Field 1, cereal in Field 2, rest crop in Field 3, and cereal in Field 4Second year: cereal in Field 1, rest crop in 2, cereal in 3, and root in 4

Dairy farming

Dairy used to be consumed on farms or in rural villages, but in the 19th century demand from urban residents increased

Dairy farms locate near urban areas: the ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling is known as the milkshed

Before the 1840s, milksheds had a radius of less than 30 milesToday milk can be transported more than 300 miles

http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/geogres/gifs/econgeog/vonthunen1.GIFVon Thunen Model

Grain farming

Grain: the seed from various grasses, like wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, millet, and others

Grain is the major crop on most farms

Different from mixed crop and livestock farming because crops on a grain farm are grown primarily for consumption by humans

Wheat

Benefits:Can be sold for a higher priceHas more uses than other grainsCan be stored easilyCan be transported a long distance

Grown extensively for international trade and the worlds leading export crop

The US and Canada account for half the worlds wheat exports

In North America, large-scale grain production is concentrated in 3 areas:

1. Winter-wheat belt (Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma): planted in fall, harvested in summer

2. Spring-wheat belt (Dakotas, Montana, southern Saskatchewan): planted in spring, harvested in summer

3. Palouse region in Washington state

The result in the US is a staggered harvest, starting in the south and progressing north

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Livestock ranching

Ranching: the commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area (semiarid and arid land in MDCs)

The only European countries involved in cattle ranching are Spain and Portugal

Outside the US: Spain and Portugal, Argentina and Brazil, and Australia

Ranching has gone through stagesHerding of animals over open ranges (seminomadic)Fixed farming by dividing land into ranchesFarms converted to growing crops and ranching confined to drier lands

Mediterranean agriculture

Where?Lands that border the Mediterranean Sea in southern Europe, North Africa, and western AsiaAlso in CA, Chile, South Africa, and AustraliaEvery area borders a seaSea winds provide moisture and moderate the winter, summers are hot and dryLand is hilly and mountainous

Tree crops and horticulture (the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers)Olives, grapes, fruit, vegetables, citrus, tree nuts

Half the land devoted to growing cereals (wheat for pasta and bread)

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