© T. M. Whitmore

Last Time•East Asia- continued

Korea-continuedTaiwan

Environment, settlement, history, & economy

•South AsiaGeophysical Environmental regions

© T. M. Whitmore

Today

•Geophysical Environmental regions

•Climate — key to life in S Asia

•Environmental problems & hazards

•Agriculture

© T. M. Whitmore

Climate•Review: Climatic regions

Dry and semi-arid in WRainfall variable with elevation,

aspect, and locationHot tropical and semi-tropical

•Seasonal progression of temperatures •The “monsoon” is the summer rainfall

regime in most of S Asia and SE Asiaa system of alternating-direction

winds

Calicut

© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

© T. M. Whitmore

Environmental hazards

•Failed monsoon

•Tropical cyclones (like our hurricanes)

•Deforestation

•Desertification

•Salinization

Pakistan– salinization © 2005 The Great Mirror

© T. M. Whitmore

Agriculture I•High population density and high

physiological population density => importance of agriculture

•South Asia is very rural ~ 70%•Two major staples: rice and wheat•Also important

CottonPeanuts, lentils, chick peas (pulses)MilletsJuteTea

rice

wheat

Drier land crops

Bangledesh ag – clod breaking© 2005 The Great Mirror

Bangledesh ag – dry season© 2005 The Great Mirror

© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

N India – irrigated (dwarf HYV) wheat© 2005 The Great Mirror

N India – animal power© 2005 The Great Mirror

© T. M. Whitmore

Agriculture II: Green Revolution•Begins in 1950s in Mexico with

Rockefeller foundation funds research to increase wheat yields

•Basic idea reproduced world wide: potato institute in Lima, Rice in Philippines, tropical ag generally in Nigeria, etc.

•Term coined by U.S. Agency for International Development director William Gaud (March 1968)

•Norman Borlaug: father of Green Revolution

© T. M. Whitmore

How does it work? •The “green revolution” consists of

several things — “the package”1) Dwarf, high yielding hybrid seeds (HYV)Response to fertilizerPhoto period insensitiveDwarf (less lodging; denser planting)

Genetic uniformity and so potential disease susceptibility

© T. M. Whitmore

How does it work? (continued)•“The package” continued

1) Dwarf, high yielding hybrid seeds (HYV)

2) Irrigation3) Chemical Fertilizers (NPK)

Nitrogen (N often in ammonia form); Potassium (K commonly in a form called potash); Phosphorus (P)

4) Herbicides and pesticides 5) Often uses agricultural

machinery

Pakistan – irrigated (dwarf HYV) wheat© 2005 The Great Mirror

Pakistan – irrigation technology© 2005 The Great Mirror

E India –mechanized rice harvest© 2005 The Great Mirror

© T. M. Whitmore

How does it work? (continued)•Lacking the “package: (hybrid seeds,

water, fertilizer, and chemicals) yields/ha are often NO better than

traditional• Infrastructure:

Roads, markets, banking and finance, rural credit, agricultural extension, research capacity, national integration and policy making

Necessary to develop and sustain the technological package

© T. M. Whitmore

Problems with green revolution

•Not much gain without entire package

•Impacts on large and small holders

•Chemical pollution

•Soil damage

•Genetic loss

•Erosion

© T. M. Whitmore

Agriculture III

•Cattle — Sacred in Hindu India: >200 million head

© John Wiley & Sons

N India –”Persian” wheel irrigation© 2005 The Great Mirror

© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall

N India – dung curing for fuel© 2005 The Great Mirror

© Michel Guntern