© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
T3/20/12
The Origins of Agriculture
(Ch. 10.1 – pp. 306-314)
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
I. Origins of Agriculture– Agriculture = deliberate modification of Earth’s
surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals
– Cultivate = “to care for”– Crop = any plant cultivated by people
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
I. Origins of Agriculture (cont.)
– A. Hunter-gatherers• earliest groups of people
– small nomadic tribes (~50 ppl.)– division of labor by gender
• Perhaps 250,000 remaining today (less than 0.005%)– Spinifex (Pila Nguru) - Great Victorian Desert in Australia– Sentinelese - Andaman Islands in India– Bushmen - Kalihari Desert in Botswana & Namibia
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
I. Origins of Agriculture (cont.)
– B. Invention of agriculture• earliest roots are unclear
– probably around 10,000 years ago, depending on hearth
• diffused from many hearths - Columbian Exchange– see map 10-2
• domestication of animals– also differs by place & region– see map 10-3
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Crop Hearths
Figure 10-2
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Animal Hearths
Figure 10-3
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture– Subsistence = produced mainly for the farm
family’s survival• Most common in LDCs
– Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm
• Most common in MDCs
– Derwent Whittlesley• research in 1936• 11 regions
– climate vs. culture– careful to avoid environmental determinism– culture plays strong role (i.e., pork in Middle East)
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Agriculture and Climate
9
10
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture– Five characteristics distinguish commercial from
subsistence agriculture• A. Purpose of farming
– personal vs. mass consumption
• B. Percentage of farmers in the labor force– usually higher in LDC’s, but more land in MDC’s
• C. Use of machinery – begins in late 18th C. – continues to have impact on efficiency
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture– Five characteristics (cont.)
• D. Farm size– average farms are large in MDC’s– 5% of farms make up 75% of U.S. production– still 98% of commercial farms are family owned & operated– steady loss of prime agricultural land due to urban sprawl
• E. Relationship of farming to other businesses– development of agribusiness– farmers only 2% of workers in U.S., but 20% of labor force
works in food production
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Agricultural Workers
Figure 10-5
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Area of Farmland Per Tractor
Figure 10-6