agricultural production regions

shifting cultivation climate and regions

tropical; latin america, sub-saharan africa, southeast asia

shifting cultivation crops

rice, maize, millet, sorghum

shifting cultivation intensity and commercial/subsistence

extensive subsistence

shifting cultivation

farmers move from one field to another, clearing and fertilizing the land by burning vegetation and working it until it loses fertility

shifting cultivation impact on physical landscape

small clearings with a mix of active, newly abandoned, long abandoned, and newly cleared fields near villages

shifting cultivation environmental impact

• scorched, ashy land

• regrowth of different plants

• destroyed forest

• smoke and air pollution

intercropping

different plants share the same plot, so tall plants shelter small plants, reduces overall losses from diseases, and gives a diverse output

nomadic herding/pastoralism

breeding and rearing domesticated herd animals for meat, milk, and hides by moving them over large open pastures

pastoralism climate/location

arid; northern africa, southwest asia, central asia, east asia

pastoralism livestock

cattle, camels, reindeer, goats, yaks, sheep, horses

nomadism intensity and commercial/subsistence

extensive subsistence

nomadism movement patterns

transhumance (moving from lowlands in the winter to mountains in the summer) or moving horizontally with rainfall for the best pastures

nomadism cultural impact

closely associated with ethnic tribes, so it creates distinctive cultures

nomadism physical landscape impact

encampments are visible when stopping, but little impact otherwise

nomadism environmental consequences

pastoralists now forced off land by big farmers so reduced territory and increased environmental impact → erosion, over-grazing, desertification, topsoil hardening, soil fertility loss

livestock ranching

using lots of land to raise livestock for meat, hides, or wool

livestock ranching climate/location

arid; western north america, southeastern south america, central asia, australia, south africa

livestock ranching livestock

cattle, goats, sheep

livestock ranching intensity and commercial/subsistence

extensive, commercial

livestock ranching physical impact

open ranges with permanent housing and small work/storage buildings

natural landscape managed with modern tech and conservation

grain farming

mechanized system specializing in cereal grains using large farms, machines, agrichemicals, and genetically modified seeds

grain farming climate/location

humid continental; USA, canada, europe, russia, central asia, china, south asia

grain farming crops

wheat, maize, barley, sorghum, millet, oats

grain farming intensity and commercial/subsistence

extensive, commercial

grain farming physical landscape

vast fields of grain with grain belts and suitcase farms

grain belts

large grain storage buildings, often owned by large corporations

suitcase farms

farms where nobody lives, hired migratory crews plant and harvest

market gardening

small scale system with a diverse mix of products

market gardening climate/location

humid continental, marine west coast, mediterranean; southeastern US, california, southeastern australia

market gardening crops

fresh fruits and vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, apples, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, olives

market gardening intensity and commercial/subsistence

intensive commercial

where are most market gardening products sent?

to large processors for canning or freezing

truck farming

large scale market gardening with more space, less biodiversity, oriented to distant markets, and farmer cooperations for economies of scale

market gardening physical landscape

small farms dispersed in villages with diverse fields for local markets near monocropped fields

truck farming physical landscape

open level fields for vegetables or orchard crops mixed with terraces for grapes and olives in hilly areas

plantation

large landholding for capital-intensive, specialized production of a tropical/subtropical crop for global scale

plantation climate and location

tropical; latin america, sub-saharan africa, south and southeast asia

plantation crops

commodity and specialty crops like cacao, rubber, sugarcane, bananas, tobacco, tea, coconuts, and cotton

plantation intensity and commercial/subsistence

intensive (migrant labor) commercial

plantation social impact

workers don’t own plantations, so there’s segregation between rich owners and poor workers

plantation physical landscape

vast areas in coastal regions with linear patterns

mixed crop and livestock

diversified agriculture of cereal grains, root crops, and herd livestock

mixed crop and livestock climate/locations

semiarid river valleys of the middle east, europe, africa, and latin america

mixed crop and livestock products

root crops (cassava, yam, potato), cereal grains (wheat, sorghum, millet, corn, soybeans), cattle, pigs

mixed crop and livestock intensity and commercial/subsistence

intensive commercial

mixed crop and livestock physical landscape

in LDC’s → small, clustered, permanent villages surrounded by communal fields

in MDC’s → farms owned by neighboring families/corporations often with a lot of high-yield corn to feed cattle and pigs

root crops

vegetables grown underground and dug when matured (cassava, potatoes, yams)

cash crops

crops to sell for a profit rather than feeding the family (cotton, flax, hemp, coffee, tobacco)

peasant

small farmers who own fields, use family labor, produce cereal grains to sell and consume, raise herds for plows, meat, hide, and milk, and represent a distinct folk culture

dairy farming

system specializing in breeding, rearing, and using livestock (mainly cows) to produce dairy products

ownership of dairy farms

most farms are small, but most cows belong to large corporations

dairy farming climate/location

all climate zones except tropical and arid (traditional farms); semiarid (feedlot farms); northern US, canada, europe, russia, china, india, brazil

dairy farming intensity and commercial/subsistence

intensive commercial

dairy farming physical landscape

for traditional farms: home, barn, outbuildings, fenced pastures, and fields/silos for feed crops

for commercial feedlot farms: extensive shelters and milking barns (shelters change based on climate), feedlots in suburbs with migrant workers milking and rearing, storage buildings instead of silos

silo

round or square towers to store feed

paddy rice

wet rice cultivation where diked fields are flooded for most of the growing season

paddy rice climate and location

tropical and humid subtropical; asia

paddy rice intensity and commercial/subsistence

intensive subsistence

paddy rice physical landscape

distinct terraces, channels/dikes/reservoirs to control water flow

livestock fattening

system using feedlots to fatten livestock (cattle and pigs) for slaughter and processing

livestock fattening intensity and commercial/subsistence

intensive commercial

livestock fattening climate/location

humid continental and subtropical; midwest, west and central europe

livestock fattening physical landscape

large feedlots with nearby slaughterhouses and corn/soybean fields for feed

intensive agriculture

farming systems that use lots of labor and money relative to the land area (use more tech and agrichemicals)

extensive agriculture

farming systems that need less capital and labor input to successfully yield (work with natural climate)