AP Human Geography - Unit 5

Primary Economy

• Key resources: timber, fisheries, and mineral & energy resources.

Agricultural Activity Classification

• Intensive Agriculture: Requires significant labor input, focused on small land areas or both.

• Extensive Agriculture: Limited labor input and often spread over larger areas.

Early Forms of Agriculture

• Hunting and Gathering Societies: The earliest agricultural practices.

• Transhumance: Seasonal movement to avoid harsh climates and follow animal herds.

• Domestication: Animals like cattle, horses, pigs, donkeys, sheep, goats, reindeer, llamas, alpacas, and water buffaloes were domesticated for agriculture.

Types of Pastoralism

• Pastoralism: Seasonal movement of animals between pastures.

• Nomadic Herding: Communities follow annual grazing cycles across different regions.

• Ranching: Grazing livestock on a large area.

Agricultural Development

• Permanent settlements arose from domesticated plants.

• Multi-Cropping: Planting various crops to ensure food security against failures.

• Monoculture: Common in political civilizations; focused on one staple crop to support large populations.

• Mixed Farming: Combines crops and animals for diverse nutrition and resources.

• Subsistence Agriculture: Intensive mixed farming to meet household needs, promotes permanent settlements.

• Extensive Subsistence Agriculture: Limited labor input per land unit, often in less-populated areas.

Physiologic Density

• Concept: Number of people per unit of arable land.

• Higher in third-world countries; susceptible to famine due to drought or conflict.

Food Preservation Techniques

• Historical methods: drying, pickling, cooking, jar storage.

• Example: Kimchi originated by burying spiced cabbage in clay jars.

Cash-Cropping

• Extensive agriculture exchanging crops for currency, goods or credit for further investments and necessities.

Communism and Agriculture

• Farming collectivized during communism, focusing on collective production.

• Historical context: Peasant uprisings in Eastern Europe against aristocracy; led to communal farms under state control.

• Yield quotas assigned by the government promoted monoculture and limited crop diversity, resulting in low variety and food surplus.

Human Ecology

• Human Ecology: Examines interactions between humans and nature.

• Focuses on sustainable practices integrating forestry, fisheries, and farming.

• Food Chain: Describes integrated inputs needed for crop production and processing.

Farming Practices

• Crop Rotation: Alternating species on the same land to maintain soil health.

• Multi-Cropping: Planting multiple crops either together or in cycles for efficiency and yield.

• Irrigation: Increases land available for cultivation, heavily used in arid areas, yet consumes vast freshwater resources.

• Conservation agriculture: Sustainable management of resource use to maintain crop yield and soil integrity.

Conservation Methods

• No-Tillage: Preserves soil structure and fertility.

• Inter-Planting: Quick-growing crops used alongside slower ones for timing.

• Sustainable Yield: Balances crop production with environmental health.

Non-Food Crops

• Alternative crops cultivated for industrial use, textiles, animal feed, and biofuels (e.g., ethanol from corn).

Shifting Cultivation

• Slash and Burn Agriculture: Practiced in rainforests; involves clearing land followed by nutrient restoration.

• Extensive Pastoralism: Movement of herds among grazing lands, common in arid areas; leads to overgrazing and desertification concerns.

Hearths of Domestication

• Early agricultural areas where domestication began; critical for understanding historical agricultural development.

Agricultural Practices and Cultural Influence

• Affected by cultural beliefs (e.g., religious dietary restrictions) and family history.

• Governments play a role in supporting farmers through safety nets.

Agricultural Revolutions

• First Agricultural Revolution: Introduction of vegetative planting and seed agriculture; domestication of plants and animals.

• Second Agricultural Revolution: Innovations paralleling the Industrial Revolution; mechanization increased productivity; chemical fertilizers developed.

• Green Revolution: Demand for tropical hybrids and chemical inputs led to much larger crops in the Third World; mechanization slow to spread.

• Third Agricultural Revolution: Modernized inclusive farming; extensive monoculture and biotechnology emphasized.

Agricultural Production Trends

• Corporate Agriculture: Large-scale farming operations with significant control techniques; reliance on biotechnology and genetic engineering.

• Fair Trade: Ensures small farmers receive fair price for their goods; tied to quality standards.

• Aquaculture: Growing industry focused on profitable fish farming and sustainable practices.

Specialized Agriculture Trends

• Community-supported agriculture (CSA) connects local farmers to consumers.

• Demand for Mediterranean crops cultivated in various climates due to environmental similarities.

• Organic and non-GMO trends responding to consumer concerns about health and sustainability.

Dairy Production

• Varied practices based on livestock; milk preservation methods evolving with technology.

• Milkshed: Geographic area where fresh milk is distributed.

Women in Agriculture

• Crucial role in agriculture, facing disparities in pay and resource access; women constitute 43% of agricultural labor.

Global Agriculture Economic Impact

• Agriculture contributes significantly to GDP, particularly in developing nations.

• Understanding commodity chains is vital for grasping global supply dynamics.

Von Thünen’s Model of Land Use

• Land use determined by labor intensity and proximity to markets:

  1. Village: Central marketplace and consumption hub.

  2. Intensive Farming: Labor-intensive crops like vegetables.

  3. Village Forest: Managed woodlands for community resource needs.

  4. Extensive Farming: Requires larger land with less cultivation effort.

  5. Grazing Lands: Peripheral regions suited for livestock grazing.