Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land Use

Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land Use

5.1: Introduction to Agriculture

• Definition of Agriculture:

  • “Deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.”

  • Human activities alter landscapes for the purpose of raising crops or livestock—either for consumption or economic purposes.

5.2: Factors Impacting Agriculture Type

• The Physical Environment:

  • Climate: Influences agricultural output determined by bioclimatic zones, including amounts of precipitation.

  • Bioclimate: The interaction of climate and living entities.

  • Space/Landforms: Determines if land is arable or non-arable (e.g., mountainous regions, deserts).

  • Soil/Nutrients:

  • Natural nutrient availability in soil and requirements for nutrient supplementation.

• Additional Factors Impacting Type of Agriculture:

  • Water/Precipitation: Involves irrigation techniques and watering practices.

  • Environmental Possibilism: The idea that while the physical environment can impact societal development, technology can mitigate these natural limitations.

  • Note: Modifications can impact environmental sustainability.

5.3: Types of Agriculture

5.3.1: Intensive vs. Extensive Agriculture

• Intensive Agriculture:

  • Requires a large amount of labor and/or capital with smaller plots of land.

  • Generally found near high population densities.

  • Examples: Market Gardening, Plantation Agriculture, Mixed Crop & Livestock, Mediterranean.

• Extensive Agriculture:

  • Uses fewer inputs of labor and/or capital with large plots of land.

  • Commonly in areas away from major population centers.

  • Examples: Shifting Cultivation, Livestock Ranching, Nomadic Herding, Commercial Grain Farming.

5.3.2: Intensive Agriculture Types

• Monocropping (Monoculture):

  • Cultivation of one or two crops rotated seasonally (e.g., corn, wheat, cotton).

  • Benefits: Specialization of a single crop.

  • Downsides: Nutrient depletion in soil; increased pressure on farmers.

• Plantation Agriculture:

  • Climate: Tropical.

  • Locations: Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Southeast Asia.

  • Crops: Commodity and specialty crops (e.g., cacao, coffee, rubber, sugarcane).

  • Intensive and Commercial; typically relies on cheap labor.

• Market Gardening (Commercial Gardening):

  • Climate: Warm Mid-Latitude.

  • Locations: Southeastern US, California, Southeastern Australia.

  • Crops: Fresh fruits and vegetables for local consumption and processors.

  • Intensive and Commercial; relies on migrant labor and machinery.

• Mixed Crop & Livestock:

  • Climate: Cold & Warm Mid-Latitude.

  • Locations: Midwestern United States, Canada, Central Europe.

  • Crops: Corn and grains fed to livestock.

  • Intensive and Commercial; significant income from livestock sale.

• Mediterranean Agriculture:

  • Climate: Mild winters and hot dry summers.

  • Locations: Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Pacific Coast of the US.

  • Crops: Grapes, olives, dates.

  • Intensive and Commercial with labor-intensive orchards.

5.3.3: Extensive Agriculture Types

• Shifting Cultivation:

  • Climate: Tropical.

  • Locations: Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia.

  • Crops: Rice, maize, millet, sorghum.

  • Extensive and Subsistence; includes slash-and-burn techniques.

• Nomadic Herding/Pastoral Nomadism/Transhumance:

  • Climate: Drylands/Desert.

  • Locations: Northern Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia.

  • Livestock: Cattle, camels, reindeer.

  • Extensive and Subsistence; movement of herds for grazing.

• Livestock Ranching:

  • Climate: Drylands/Desert.

  • Locations: Western North America, Southeastern South America, Central Asia.

  • Livestock: Cattle, goats, sheep.

  • Extensive and Commercial; typically leads to feedlots and slaughter.

• Commercial Grain Farming:

  • Climate: Mid-Latitudes, conditions too dry for other methods.

  • Locations: United States, Canada, Europe, Russia.

  • Crops: Primarily wheat.

  • Extensive and Commercial; output for food manufacturers.

5.3.4: Dairy Farming

• Dairy Farming:

  • Climate: Mid-Latitudes.

  • Locations: Northern United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, China, India, Brazil.

  • Intensive and Commercial; reliant on machinery for high production rates of milk.

5.4: Settlement Patterns and Survey Methods

5.4.1: Rural Survey Methods

• Metes and Bounds:

  • Originated from Great Britain to North America; uses landmarks for boundaries resulting in irregular plots.

• Long Lot:

  • Originated from France & Spain to North America; involves long strips of land for equal access to water and transportation.

• Township and Range:

  • Invented by Thomas Jefferson; organizes land into rectangles (6 miles x 6 miles), allowing uniform surveys and sales tracking.

5.4.2: Rural Settlement Patterns

• Clustered Settlement:

  • Characteristics include homes grouped closely, farmland surrounding, shared resources, walking access to land, associated with Metes and Bounds survey methods.

• Dispersed Settlement:

  • Features isolated homes and greater land area; influenced by governmental land grants for farming, tied to Township & Range survey methods.

• Linear Settlement:

  • Organized along a line; often linked to transportation systems or physical features like rivers, associated with Long Lot survey methods.

5.5: Agricultural Origins and Diffusion

5.5.1: Agricultural Hearths

• Definition of Agricultural Hearth:

  • The geographic origin where plants and animals are domesticated.

• Key Hearths:

  1. Central America

  2. Andean Highlands

  3. West Africa

  4. East Africa/Nile River Valley

  5. Fertile Crescent

  6. South Asia

  7. Wei-Huang River Valley

  8. Southeast Asia

5.5.2: Historical Diffusion of Agriculture

• Diffusion Types:

  1. Contagious Diffusion: Spread to immediate areas surrounding the hearth.

  2. Immigration & Migration: Resettlement of farmers, bringing crops and animals with them.

  3. Trade Routes: Silk Road connected East and West, leading to agricultural exchanges.

  4. The Columbian Exchange: Goods and ideas exchanged between North America, Europe, and Africa post-Columbus, transforming global agriculture.

5.5.3: The Green Revolution

• Timeline: 1950s-1960s; expansion of agricultural practices from MDCs to LDCs.

• Key Figure: Norman Borlaug; sought improved agricultural techniques to combat mass hunger.

• Characteristics:

  • Creation of high-yielding, disease-resistant crops; rapid growth techniques.

  • Double cropping; increased use of fertilizers, pesticides and machinery.

5.6: Agricultural Regions

5.6.1: Economic Forces Impacting Agriculture

• Subsistence Farming:

  • Cultivated for personal consumption; limited market access and income; mainly manual labor.

  • Common in peripheral nations: rural Africa, parts of Asia and Latin America.

• Commercial Agriculture:

  • Produced for sale on the global market; seeking profit rather than sustenance.

  • Enhanced access to credit allows for modern technologies and efficient infrastructure.

5.6.2: Subsistence vs. Commercial

• Developed Countries:

  • Less than 5% farmers (2% in North America); mainly commercial farmers; significant food surplus.

• Developing Countries:

  • Majority are subsistence farmers; 44% of workers involved in farming.

5.7: Spatial Organization of Agriculture

5.7.1: Bid-Rent Theory

• Value of land dictates its use and distance from the market.

  • Desirable land near markets yields intensive agriculture, while less desirable land leads to extensive farming.

5.7.2: Agribusiness and Commodity Chains

• Agribusiness:

  • Commercial agricultural economy assessing production, processing, and distribution.

• Commodity Chains:

  • Networks connecting producers to consumers, allowing for lower prices through global supply chains.

5.7.3: Von Thunen Model

• Context: Developed by Von Thunen, explaining agricultural land use patterns.

• Assumptions:

  • Uniform environment, no transportation barriers, spatially centralized market.

• Key Ideas:

  • Transportation costs vary with distance; perishability affects crop placement near markets.

5.8: The Global System of Agriculture

5.8.1: Globalization Effects

• Interconnectedness of countries fosters agricultural trade patterns.

• Developed nations benefit through production in LDCs; often leading to exploitation and environmental degradation in LDCs.

5.8.2: Trade Dynamics

• Negative Effects for LDCs:

  • Focused cropping reduces local food supply; environmental impacts from monoculture; dependence on MDCs for stability.

5.9: Environmental Effects of Agriculture

• Pollution: Increased livestock production causes waste leading to contaminated water sources; herbicide/pesticide use adversely impacts ecosystems.

• Soil Salinization: Resulting from insufficient water replenishment; interferes with crop growth.

• Deforestation: Driven by logging, farming, and agricultural needs, particularly in tropical regions, leads to biodiversity loss and ecological disruption.

5.10: Women in Agriculture

5.10.1: Female Roles

• Women's role in agriculture varies with production practices and geographical regions.

• Statistical Trends:

  • Representation in the agricultural labor force has been analyzed over decades showing shifts and regional dependencies.