AP Human

5.1 Introduction to Agriculture

Core Ideas

  • Agriculture = deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and raising animals.

  • Distinguish subsistence vs. commercial agriculture.

  • Distinguish intensive vs. extensive production.

Key Terms

  • Subsistence farming

  • Commercial agriculture

  • Intensive agriculture

  • Extensive agriculture

  • Agribusiness

Case Studies

  • Subsistence rice farming in rural Vietnam

  • Commercial wheat farming in Kansas

  • Poultry production in Arkansas

  • Sheep ranching in New Zealand

Skills Focus

Be able to:

  • Compare land use intensity

  • Evaluate capital vs. labor inputs

  • Identify patterns in images

5.2 Settlement Patterns and Survey Methods

Rural Settlement Patterns

  • Clustered

  • Dispersed

  • Linear

Why the U.S. Has Dispersed Farmsteads

  • Government land policies (Homestead Act)

  • Political stability

  • Private land ownership

NOT due to physical barriers.

Land Survey Systems

Township & Range

4

  • Rectangular grid

  • Western U.S.

  • Geometric

  • Efficient subdivision

Metes & Bounds

  • Irregular

  • Eastern U.S.

  • Based on landmarks

Long Lots (Additional Example)

  • Narrow plots along rivers

  • Found in Louisiana (French influence)

Skill Focus

Be able to interpret aerial images and identify survey patterns.

5.3 Agricultural Origins and Diffusion

Neolithic Revolution

Hearth Regions

  • Fertile Crescent

  • East Asia

  • Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Mesoamerica

  • Andes

Diffusion Patterns

  • Early: Contagious diffusion (neighbor spread)

  • Later: Relocation diffusion (colonialism, trade routes)

Example:

  • Maize diffusing from Mesoamerica into North America

  • European colonialism spreading livestock globally

5.4 The Second Agricultural Revolution

Second Agricultural Revolution

4

Innovations

  • Mechanization

  • Crop rotation

  • Selective breeding

Impacts

  • Increased food production

  • Urbanization

  • Population growth

  • Industrial labor force expansion

Skill Tip:
If question connects machines → productivity → factory labor → this revolution.

5.5 The Green Revolution

Green Revolution

Introduced

  • High-yield seeds

  • Fertilizers

  • Irrigation systems

  • Pesticides

Regional Variation

  • Successful in parts of India & Mexico

  • Less successful in Sub-Saharan Africa (capital constraints)

Consequences

  • Increased yields

  • Environmental damage

  • Income inequality

  • Dependency on global markets

Additional Case Study:

  • Norman Borlaug’s wheat varieties in Mexico

Skill Tip:
Be ready to evaluate why success varies geographically.

5.6 Agricultural Production Regions

Understand regional patterns:

  • Dairy near urban centers

  • Grain in large inland plains

  • Ranching in arid regions

  • Mediterranean agriculture in Southern Europe & California

Be able to:

  • Match crop types to climate

  • Identify production from maps

5.7 Rural Land-Use Models

Von Thunen Model

4

Core Concept

Land value decreases as distance from market increases.

Pattern (Generalized)

  1. Dairy / perishable crops

  2. Forest

  3. Grain

  4. Ranching

Key Logic

  • Perishable goods = close to market

  • Bulk/land-intensive goods = farther away

Skill Tip:
Understand WHY placement occurs — not just memorizing rings.

5.8 Bid-Rent Theory

Bid-Rent Theory

Explains:

  • Competing land uses

  • Concentric land value patterns

  • Urban expansion

Application:

  • Suburbanization replacing farmland

  • Urban sprawl effects

Be able to:

  • Interpret land value gradients

  • Explain spatial patterns economically

5.9 Environmental Impacts of Agriculture

Feedlots

  • Water pollution

  • Manure runoff

  • Methane emissions

Irrigation

  • Soil salinization in arid climates

  • Aquifer depletion (Ogallala Aquifer example)

Palm Oil Expansion

  • Deforestation in Indonesia & Malaysia

  • Habitat loss

  • Corporate profit vs environmental degradation

Skill:
Evaluate benefits vs environmental costs.

5.10 Global Food Distribution

Commodity Chains

  • Production → processing → transport → retail

  • Global interdependence

Impacts:

  • Larger farms

  • Corporate consolidation

  • Economies of scale

  • Vulnerability to market shifts

Example:

  • Coffee production in Ethiopia

  • Cocoa production in Ivory Coast

Be able to:

  • Explain impact on producers vs consumers.

5.11 Agricultural Practices and Technology

Mechanization

  • Reduces labor needs

  • Increases yields

  • Favors large farms

GMOs

  • Increase resistance

  • Controversial environmental effects

Intercropping

  • Risk reduction

  • Soil health

  • Used in limited land contexts

5.12 Women in Agriculture

Patterns:

  • Higher % of women in agriculture in less developed countries

  • Often unpaid family labor

  • Subsistence production

Contrast:
In developed countries, fewer women work in agriculture overall due to mechanization.

Skill:
Interpret maps showing female labor participation.

5.13 Challenges in Contemporary Agriculture

Issues

  • Climate change

  • Water scarcity

  • Soil degradation

  • Market volatility

  • Rural depopulation

Case Study:

  • Terracing in Nepal and Peru to reduce erosion

  • Water stress in Niger limiting agricultural expansion

🌾 TYPES OF AGRICULTURE (AP Human Geography Unit 5)

I. Subsistence Agriculture

(Food grown primarily for the farmer’s family)

1⃣ Shifting Cultivation (Slash-and-Burn)

4

Definition:

Farmers clear land by cutting and burning vegetation, farm it for a few years, then move on.

Characteristics:

  • Found in tropical regions

  • Multicropping common

  • Land left fallow after nutrients depleted

  • Low mechanization

  • Labor intensive

Regions:

  • Amazon Basin

  • Central Africa

  • Southeast Asia

AP Tip:

NOT dependent on irrigation.
NOT commercial cash cropping.

2⃣ Pastoral Nomadism

4

Definition:

Raising livestock and moving seasonally to find pasture and water.

Characteristics:

  • Arid/semi-arid climates

  • Low population density

  • Extensive land use

  • Mobility required

Regions:

  • Sahel (Africa)

  • Central Asia

  • Middle East

AP Trap:

This is NOT ranching (ranching is commercial and stationary).

3⃣ Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

Two main types:

A. Wet Rice (Paddy Farming)

4

Characteristics:

  • Very labor intensive

  • Small plots

  • High yield per acre

  • Requires irrigation

  • Double cropping common

Regions:

  • East Asia

  • Southeast Asia

  • South Asia

Why Here?

Dense populations + monsoon climate.

B. Non-Wet Rice Intensive Farming

  • Wheat, barley, millet

  • Found in less humid regions

  • Still small farms

  • Still high labor

II. Commercial Agriculture

(Produced primarily for sale)

4⃣ Commercial Grain Farming

4

Characteristics:

  • Extensive

  • Highly mechanized

  • Large farms

  • Low labor per acre

  • Wheat dominant

Regions:

  • U.S. Great Plains

  • Canada

  • Ukraine

  • Australia

AP Logic:

Low population density + temperate climate + mechanization.

5⃣ Livestock Ranching

4

Characteristics:

  • Extensive

  • Large land area

  • Grazing animals

  • Low labor

Regions:

  • Western U.S.

  • Argentina

  • Brazil

  • Australia

Key Concept:

Meatpacking now centralized near urban markets.

6⃣ Dairy Farming

4

Characteristics:

  • Intensive

  • Located near urban areas

  • Perishable product

  • Requires refrigeration & transport

AP Model Tie-In:

Close to market in Von Thünen model.

7⃣ Mixed Crop & Livestock

  • Crops grown to feed animals

  • Animals provide manure

  • Highly efficient

  • Common in U.S. Midwest & Europe

8⃣ Plantation Agriculture

4

Characteristics:

  • Large estate

  • Single cash crop

  • Export-oriented

  • Often in tropical climates

  • Historically colonial

Crops:

  • Coffee

  • Cocoa

  • Sugar

  • Bananas

  • Palm oil

AP Concept:

Part of global commodity chains.

9⃣ Mediterranean Agriculture

4

Characteristics:

  • Fruits, olives, grapes

  • Dry summer, mild winter

  • Near urban markets

  • High value crops

Regions:

  • Southern Europe

  • Coastal California

  • Chile

  • South Africa

🔟 Truck Farming (Market Gardening)

  • High-value fruits/vegetables

  • Near urban markets

  • Often intensive

  • Requires refrigeration transport

III. Modern Trends in Agriculture

Agribusiness

  • Large corporate farms

  • Economies of scale

  • Mechanized

  • Fewer small farms

Feedlots (CAFOs)

4

  • Intensive

  • Small land area

  • High environmental impact

  • Water pollution risk