AGRICULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

Created by David Silverman

AGRICULTURAL GEOGRAPHY Agriculture- the practice of farming or cultivating

the land for growing crops or yielding animals. Extensive Agriculture-  anything that includes

widespread/disperse ranching and farming.  This involves large expanses of land with smaller amounts of labor to cultivate a specific agricultural product.  For small population.  

Intensive Cultivation- forcing smaller crops to produce bigger yields.  Needing more product to sustain people and forcing things into high productivity (sometimes unnaturally, large fruit- overfed cattle, etc). For large population.

Subsistence Agriculture Economies Subsistence Agriculture Economies- farmers provide just

enough goods for themselves and the local community

This requires shifting agriculture- changing the nature of the crops to increase soil productivity. A slow process and can takes years for a crop to get back on track

One type of shifting agriculture practices is the use of the slash and burn method.  Burning adds nutrients to soil and always for a shift of crops.

Swidden- is land that has been cleared for farming purposes

Pastoralism- This nomadic livestock lifestyle (on the decline due to the loss of space) includes covering large amounts of space to let the animals be wild.  The animals provide the people with food, clothing, shelter from the wind, and profit.

Commercial and Planned Agriculture Economies

Commercial Agriculture Economies- a competitive market where farmers freely market their goods with the goal of making a profit.  (Like the US- but our government still controls some of the pricing)

Planned Agriculture Economies- communist-controlled countries, where the government controls the products’ prices, destinations, and profits.

Types of Agricultural Capital-intensive Agriculture- this version uses mechanical

tools, machinery, and vehicles to produce large amounts of product.  Very little human labor

Labor-intensive Agriculture- this version uses human hands and labor to do the majority of the work.  Not always due to the lack of technology/money.  EX- strawberries needs to be picked by hand because tools damage the fruit

Esther Boserup Model Esther Boserup- studies the transition from the smaller scale farms and the

effects of population growth. She thought that by leaving fields alone, they would naturally replenish their resources (fallow). She thought that as productivity increased, technology would also increase to make up for the reduced fallow periods.

Boserup created a 5-stage model that shows this progression each stage, the farming intensifies and the soil gets more depleted

Stage One- (Forest-Fallow Cultivation) 20-25 years of letting fields lie fallow after 1-2 years of cultivation.

Stage Two- (Bush-Fallow Cultivation) Farmers cultivate the land for 2-8 years followed by a fallow period of 6-10 years.  

Stage Three- The fallow stage shortened to just 1-2 years between cultivation.

Stage Four- Farmers begin annual cropping, leaving the land to follow only a few months in between.  

Stage Five- The final stage, multi-cropping begins.  Multiple crops in the same plot, alternating as opposed to a fallow period.  

Key Moments in Agricultural History 1st Key Moment- Domestication.  Training plants and animals to

sustain humans.  Moving from hunting gathering to having animals plow the fields.  

2nd Key Moment- Industrial Revolution.   

People moved from rural areas to cities.  New jobs, new markets, new lifestyles

Mechanization replaced human work with machines. Technology improves transportation, timing, efficiency, distance and costs.

3rd Key Moment- Green Revolution-advancements in technology and agriculture got passed along to third world countries (Africa, Asia, & Latin Amer).  A failure… attempt to cure hunger in developing countries lead to screwing up their infrastructure, land, and investing in fertilizers and unnecessary elaborate irrigation systems.  

4th Key Moment- High Tech Agriculture begins and computerized irrigation systems began.

 Genetically modified organisms- changing the genetic make-up of seeds, began.  People attempted to copyright organisms and OWN strains as well.  Some genes are changed to increase productivity, others are changed to act as insect repellent, others are changed for science or commercial purposes.  

5th Key Movement- The development of multinational agribusiness

Monopolies (a few giant corporations) control land, technology, machines, packaging, shipping, and marketing is all taken over by these corporate giants.

Past= horizontal integration (several branches of a company work together to sell their product in… this can also be several commonly owned companies that work together) Mom and Pop shops.

Recently=vertical integration (the same firm controls multiple aspects/phases of the commodity chain.) EX: of vertical integration would be when the same firm owns a seed company, a tractor company, and a fertilizer company… then grabs hold of the entire market

A commodity chain- the processes of the agricultural market from start to finish…Gathering resources, converting into goods, packaging for distribution, and selling.

Types of Commercial Agriculture Commercial Livestock- production can be divided into two

categories

1- Livestock ranching- producing meat.  

Transhumance- the seasonal movement of livestock (mountains to the valley to graze)

2- Dairying- producing milk.

Commercial Grain Farming- producing wheat and corn.  Most grain goes to feeding livestock.

Tropical Plantations- producing sugar and coffee (crops in the tropics).  Local communities don’t benefit and slavery is still active on plantations.  

Aquaculture- fish and other aquatic organisms are cultivated for human consumption.

Johann Heinreich Von Thunen

Johann Heinrich von Thunen -geographer interested in the regional distribution of agriculture.  He noticed that lands the looked the same were being used for totally different agricultural purposes.

von Thunen Model- says rent, or land value, is highest close to central markets.  Products in high demand end up closer to the urban markets (less transportation time/cost) and products in less of a demand end up further away (where rent is lower).  Dairy, veggies, and fruit would be close (because they spoil) and cattle and livestock would be further (because they need more land to graze).  

Feedlots- Small plots of lands used to cram animals are more popular as our growing population demands food. Animals are given steroids because the animals don’t get to move.   This brings up many debates about animal care, quality of meat, and ‘free-range’ alternatives

The two dominant forces of modern agriculture that provide maximum yield are Biotechnology and Agribusiness.  

Biotechnology-  Genetically modified foods give farmers a higher output rate with larger produce.  This increases production and decreases the need for space or time.  The downside? We don’t know how those genetically modified foods will affect people in the long-term and it brings up issues with cloning living things.  

Agribusiness-  Today, agribusiness focuses less on the agriculture or livestock, and more on the food products (aka frozen chicken strips in Publix)  

TNC- transnational corporations- you can see the effects of TNC and the global shift of agriculture food business when you go into a grocery store.  People can find citrus in places where it doesn’t grow, people can buy fruit all year (even when it’s not in season

Agriculture and the Environment Farmers have the tough job of balancing production needs with

quality

Pesticides- environmental concerns about pesticides are a problem.  The runoff affects bodies of water, animals, food sources, and human health.

Top-Soil Loss (erosion)-more of an issue as space and land is in higher demand.  Fragile soil conditions lead to overworked land, landslides, and heavy rains.  That top-soil can take thousands of years to ‘replenish’ itself.  

Salinization- Another soil conservation issue. In dry areas when the water evaporates from the top-soil, it leaves the salt behind- this can ruin the soil, making it infertile.

Desertification- formerly fertile lands become increasingly desert-like and unproductive.

Urban Sprawl- cities expand, fields/orchards turn into malls or parking lots.  

Sustainability- policies/practices by which societies can ensure that the people in the future have the same access to resources.  Making sure that we keep crops, food production, land use alive and well for future generations.

References

This powerpoint presentation was adapted using the information from the Barron’s AP Human Geography 5th edition prep book.

Marsh, Meredith, Peter S Alagona, and Peter S Alagona. Barron's AP Human Geography. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 2014. Print.