39. The Von Thünen Model

This model was developed by a german scholar/farmer named Johann Heinrich Thunen. He developed this model to understand the spatial relationship(s) among a CBD, surronding areas, transportation costs, and to understand the distirbution adn intensity of agriculture. This model/theory was developed before the Bid-Rent theory and also involved underlying assumptions.

Applications to HIstoric patterns of agriculture

  • Several underlying assumptions were made

    • 1. no trade connections to the outside world

    • 2. only one centrally located market

    • 3. soil and climate are uniform

    • 4. terrain = falt with no rivers

    • 5. all farmers are the same distance from the market + have equal access to it

    • 6. all farmers = want to maximize their profits

  • based on agriculture in north Germany

  • layers go:

    • CBD

    • Dairy: need to be located close to the markets due to product perishability

    • Forest/lumber: located further out as it can be transported over longer distances without risk of spoilage

    • Grains/field crops: grown at even greater distances from the market, as they have a longer shelf life

    • Ranching: located at the outermost ring because it requires extensive land for grazing and can be less affected by proximity to urban centers

    • Wilderness: often untouched land that serves as a buffer zone, providing habitats for wildlife and preserving ecological balance; not suitable for agriculture

  • later revised his model to add a river

    • easy water acess and rich soil found in valleys are useful for growing pastures and feed cows

    • hence, as the city grows, dairy farmers will buy and that it further from the city

  • grain farms use to be located in hinterlands, but were soon pushed further from CBDs (atleast in new york)

Von Thunen Model in the context of the Contemporary world

  • the model still gas value, but the places od districts/rings can and will change

  • the addition of specialty crops also affect eh configuration of the Von Thunen model

  • on the global scale, CBDs are located in areas with intensive farming

  • it is not realistic anymore to assume that developed countries only have one CBD

  • researchers still use the model (though it may not be accurate) as a reference to observe spatial patterns in agriculture and to predict such patterns

    • they also often apply the model at different scales

  • think of it as a vestigial framework for current spatial patterns

OVERALL

  1. The model was created to understand agricultural land as it relates to transportation costs to markets

  2. There are 6 assumptions that make the model true

  3. The model has 4 zones

  4. It shows variation at different scales

  5. Main limitation is its inability to recognize specialty farming that does not fit in the 4 zones