Agriculture

Agriculture Revolution

was the time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

When did the agriculture revolution start

10,000 years ago

agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

aquaculture (aquafarming)

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

Commercial Agriculture

found in more developed countries; production of food primarily for sale off the farm

Crop

any plant gathered from a field as a harvest during a particular season

crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil

dairy farm

specializes in the production of milk and other dairy products

Dessertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

deforestation

Destruction of forests

Fishing

the capture of wild fish and other seafood living in the waters

genetically modified organism (GMO)

A living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.

Grain

Seed of a cereal grass

Green revolution

invention and rapid diffusion of more productive agricultural techniques during the 1970s and 1980s

Where did the Agricultural Revolution begin?

Middle East

intensive subsistence agriculture

A form of subsistence agriculture characteristics of Asia's major population concentrations in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land.

mixed crop and livestock farming

Commercial farming characterized by integration of crops and livestock; most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed directly by humans.

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals.

Where is pastoral nomadism practiced?

Drylands of Southwest Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, and East Asia

Where is mixed crop and livestock farming practiced?

US Midwest and Central Europe

Where is intensive subsistence agriculture practiced? Why there?

East, South, and Southeast Asia because of dense populations

Plantation

A large farm in tropical and subtropical climates that specializes in the production of one or two crops for sale, usually to a more developed country.

Where is plantation farming found?

Tropics and subtropics in Latin America, Africa, and Asia

Ranching

commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area

Where is ranching practiced?

Drylands of Western North America, Southeastern Latin America, Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the South Pacific

shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field to another; each field is used for crops for relatively few years and left fallow for a relatively long period.

slash and burn agriculture

Another name for shifting cultivation, so named because fields are cleared by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris.

Where is shifting cultivation practiced?

Tropical regions of Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia

Subsistence agriculture

found in developing countries, is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer's family

Where is subsistence agriculture practiced?

Africa, Latin America, Asia

Agriculture Hearths

There are six primary hearths of Agriculture, or places where scientists agree most plantings of crops originated. Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. There are also two secondary Agricultural hearths, located in south Asia and Southwest Asia.

Agricultural hearth southwest Asia

Crops domesticated barley, wheat, lentil, and olives - largest number of animals domesticated cattle, goats, pigs, dogs, and sheep

Southwest Asia hearth diffused to

West Europe and Central Asia

Agricultural hearth east Asia

rice and millet

Central and South Asia agriculture hearth

chickens and horses

Agricultural hearth Sub-Suharan Africa

Sorghum, yams, millet, rice

Latin America agricultural hearth

Mexico hearth for beans and Cotten - Peru potatoes - both corn and squash

Gender Roles in Agriculture

Hunter and gathers

hunter-gatherers

men hunt, women gather

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

subsistence agriculture

found in developing countries, is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer's family

Commercial Agriculture

found in more developed countries; production of food primarily for sale off the farm

intensive agriculture

A form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land.

extensive agriculture

a crop or livestock system characterized by low inputs of labor per unit area of land. May be part of either a subsistence or a commercial economy

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.

Von Thunen Model

A model that explains the location of agricultureal activities in a commercial, profit-making economy. A process of spatial competition allocates various farming activities into rings around a central market city, with profit-earning capability the determining force in how far a crop locates from the market

Von Thunen Model first ring

first ring is horiculture (intensive farming) and dairy farms. this is closest to the city. most perishable stuff is closest so they won't go bad before being sold.

Von Thunen Model second ring

timber and firewood (forests) made for fuel and building materials. since it was heavy and expensive to transport, it is close to the city.

Von Thunen Model third ring

ring comprised of extensive field crops. this includes grains and the like. since these last longer and are lighter, transportation is cheap and easier.

Von Thunen Model fourth ring

this ring refers to ranching. animals are raised here because they need space. also self transport.

Von Thunen Model fifth ring

Forestry

agricultural region

A geographic region defined by a distinctive combination of physical and environmental conditions; crop type; settlement patterns; and labor, cultivation, and harvesting practices.

11 agricultural regions

5 developing and 6 developed

5 developing and 6 developed

5 developing

1. Pastoral nomadism

2. Shifting cultivation

3. Intensive subsistence, wet rice dominant

4. Intensive subsistence, crops other than wet rice dominant

5. Plantation

6 developed

1. Mixed crop and livestock

2. Dairying

3. Grain

4. Ranching

5. Mediterranean

6. Commercial gardening

intensive subsistence wet rice dominant

large population concentrations of East Asia and South Asia

intensive subsistence crops other than rice

large population concentration of East Asia and South Asia, where growing rice is difficult

Pastoral Nomadism

The drylands of Southwest Asia and North Africa, Central Asia, and east asia

shifting cultivation

The tropical regions of Latin America, sub Saharan Africa, and southeast asia

Plantation

Found in tropical and subtropical developing countries of Latin America, sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia

mixed crop and livestock

US Midwest and Central Europe

Dairying

near population clusters in the northeastern US, southeastern Canada, and northwestern Europe

Grain

The north central US, south central Canada, and eastern europe

Ranching

The drylands of western North America, southeastern Latin America, Central Asia, sub Saharan Africa, and South Pacific

Mediterranean

lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, western U.S., southern tip of Africa, and Chile

Commercial gardening

southeastern US and southeastern Australia

7 challenges for agriculture

1. Losing land to competing users

2. Improving productivity of existing land

3. Conserving scarce resources

4. Identifying the role of biotechnology

5. Balancing production for international trade and consumption at home

6. Meeting the needs of the undernourished

7. Making greater use of organic farming

organic farming

the use of natural substances rather than chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enrich the soil and grow crops