AP Human Geography Unit 5- Agriculture Patterns and Processes

AP Human Geography Prep Notes

Chapter Overview

• General concepts of the geography of agriculture.

• Historical perspective on revolutions in global agriculture.

• Contemporary issues within specialized agriculture.

• Presentation of von Thünen's Model in agricultural geography.

Key Concepts

The Links Across Human Geography

• Agriculture is a primary economic activity alongside timber, fisheries, and minerals. Its relevance is underscored by its deep connection to human survival and sustenance, as well as its role in cultural identity.

• Connected to the demographic transition model; agriculture serves as the main mode of economic productivity in developing countries, where it fuels growth and stability.

• In developing nations, agriculture employs a significant majority of the population, often more than half, contributing substantially to GDP and community livelihood.

Intensive Versus Extensive Agriculture

• Intensive Agriculture: Requires high labor input, often existing on smaller plots of land. This method employs techniques such as double cropping and polyculture to maximize yields, often relying on advanced equipment and technologies, including artificial fertilizers and pest control.

• Extensive Agriculture: Involves lower labor input and is typically spread over larger land areas. It utilizes traditional methods which may involve grazing livestock, broad-scale grain production, or shifting cultivation, often with a lower environmental footprint but less efficiency per area compared to intensive farming methods.

Pre-agricultural Society

• Hunting and Gathering Societies: These societies practiced seasonal migrations based on food and water availability, relying on natural resources for sustenance. They exemplified a profound understanding of their environment and the seasonal cycles of nature, with transhuman pastoralism for seasonal relocation being prevalent in various cultures.

Animal Domestication

• Key animals domesticated for meat, milk, and labor include representative species such as cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, and goats. Pastoralism involves seasonal movement between winter and summer pastures and is crucial for societies dependent on livestock. The domestication of dogs played a pivotal role in managing herds, facilitating hunting, and enhancing human safety.

Plant Domestication

• The process of harvesting wild plants laid the groundwork for settled farming practices, marked by a transition from nomadic lifestyles to agriculture-based communities. Seed agriculture developed from the practice of planting harvested seeds, fostering the growth of permanent settlements. Diverse crops evolved not only for food but also for textiles, with plants like flax and cotton becoming critical commercial products.

Subsistence Farming

• Multi-cropping vs. Monoculture: Multi-cropping, the practice of growing multiple crops on the same land, contributes to food security and sustains soil health. In contrast, monoculture, which focuses on single staple crops, enables larger food production but increases vulnerability to pests and diseases.

• Mixed Farming: Combines both plant and animal agriculture, providing diversified nutrition which increases resilience in food production systems.

• Subsistence Agriculture: Aims to meet all household needs with minimal surplus, characterized by low-intensity labor inputs and often prevalent in less populated and economically challenged regions.

Food Preservation

• Knowledge of preservation techniques is critical for sustaining food security in subsistence farming. Common methods include drying, curing, and fermentation, with cultural variations such as kimchi preparation in Korea highlighting local biodiversity and culinary traditions.

Non-Subsistence Agriculture

• Cash-cropping involves the sale of agricultural goods as its primary focus, contrasting with subsistence farming. This sector is typically dominated by powerful agribusinesses, which provide substantial support to large-scale operations while often neglecting small-scale farms.

Agricultural History

• The Agricultural Revolutions:

  • First Agricultural Revolution: Marked the transition from foraging to organized farming, establishing the foundation for modern civilization.

  • Columbian Exchange: Spearheaded a major exchange of crops and livestock between the New and Old Worlds, transforming diets and economies worldwide.

  • Second Agricultural Revolution: Innovations in farming methods and technologies, including selective breeding and crop rotation, vastly increased productivity.

  • Green Revolution: Post-WWII technologies introduced in developing countries significantly improved food security but led to environmental challenges such as soil depletion and pesticide resistance.

Von Thünen's Model

• Central Place Theory: Illustrates land use patterns based on distance from the market center, emphasizing that closer rings involve high labor-intensive crops (like vegetables and dairy) and outer rings are allocated for less labor-intensive uses (like grain and grazing).

• Economic land use is influenced by factors such as labor costs, market proximity, and the perishability of products, dictating agricultural decisions and spatial arrangements.

Modern Agriculture

• Specialized Agriculture: Reflects the growing market segments focused on organic and Non-GMO farming, showcasing consumer trends towards sustainability and ethical production practices.

• Value-Added Agriculture: Enhances farm incomes by processing products into higher value items (e.g., cheeses, wines), appealing to niche markets.

• Aquaculture: A rapidly expanding agricultural sector that involves fish farming, facilitating sustainable seafood production and addressing global food security concerns.

Agribusiness and Corporate Farming

• Large corporations increasingly dominate the agricultural landscape, leading to the decline of smaller family farms. This shift affects local economies and food systems, emphasizing the importance of understanding the global agricultural supply chain, which comprises key steps: Inputs, Production, Processing, Distribution, and Consumption.

• Various political, economic, and environmental factors greatly influence the agricultural supply chain's dynamics and outputs.

Women in Agriculture

• Women represent a significant portion of agricultural labor globally, yet they encounter numerous challenges, including limited land ownership, access to resources, and gender biases in agricultural systems. Initiatives across various regions are underway to enhance women's roles and improve their access to education, resources, and markets within agriculture.

Other Resources

• USDA agency reports provide valuable data and insights for further research and understanding of agricultural trends and statistics.