Untitled Flashcards Set

Summary of Unit 5: Agriculture

This unit covers agriculture and rural land use patterns, including factors influencing farming, types of agriculture, major revolutions in agriculture, economic forces, environmental effects, and contemporary challenges.

📌 5.1 Introduction to Agriculture

Factors Influencing Agriculture

1. Physical Environment (Climate, Landforms, Soil)

   • Köppen Climate System categorizes climates affecting crop distribution.

   • Arable vs. Non-Arable Land – Determines what can be farmed.

2. Types of Agriculture

   • Intensive Farming – High labor/capital, small land area (e.g., market gardening, plantation farming, mixed crop & livestock).

   • Extensive Farming – Low labor/capital, large land area (e.g., ranching, shifting cultivation, pastoral nomadism).

Climate-Based Agricultural Types

• Tropical: Shifting cultivation, plantations.

• Drylands: Pastoral nomadism, livestock ranching.

• Temperate: Mixed crop & livestock, commercial grain, dairy, Mediterranean.

📌 5.2 Settlement Patterns & Survey Methods

Rural Settlement Patterns

• Clustered – Homes close together, shared land/resources.

• Dispersed – Isolated farms, independent land ownership.

• Linear – Settlements along transportation routes or rivers.

Survey Methods

• Metes & Bounds – Based on natural landmarks.

• Long Lot – Land divided into strips along rivers (France, Spain).

• Township & Range – Rectangular grid system (USA).

📌 5.3 Agricultural Origins & Diffusion

Hearths of Agriculture

• Fertile Crescent – Wheat, barley, lentils, cattle, sheep.

• Southeast Asia – Rice, sugarcane, bananas.

• East Asia – Soybeans, walnuts.

• Sub-Saharan Africa – Sorghum, yams, coffee.

• Mesoamerica – Maize, beans, potatoes, llamas.

Diffusion of Agriculture

1. Contagious Diffusion – Spread to nearby regions (Fertile Crescent → Europe).

2. Relocation Diffusion – Migrants bring farming practices (Columbian Exchange).

3. Stimulus Diffusion – Adaptation of crops to new climates.

📌 5.4 The Second Agricultural Revolution

• Occurred in 1750s (Great Britain).

• Causes: Industrial Revolution, new machinery (seed drill, steel plow), Enclosure Movement (privatization of land).

• Effects: Higher crop yields → food surplus → urbanization → factory labor force.

📌 5.5 The Green Revolution (1950s-60s)

Key Features

• Introduction of High-Yield Crops (HYC).

• Widespread use of GMOs, fertilizers, pesticides.

• Expansion of irrigation and mechanized farming.

Impacts

✅ Increased food production, reduced hunger.
✅ Countries like India & Mexico became food self-sufficient.
❌ Soil degradation, water depletion, pollution.
❌ Limited success in Africa due to poor infrastructure and diverse climates.

📌 5.6 & 5.7 Economic & Spatial Organization of Agriculture

Economic Forces

• Subsistence Farming – Small-scale, for local consumption (common in developing countries).

• Commercial Farming – Large-scale, profit-driven, uses technology.

• Monoculture & Monocropping – Single-crop farming, efficient but harms soil.

• Agribusiness – Large-scale corporate farming, reduces small farms.

Commodity Chains

• Connects production → processing → distribution → retail → consumption.

• Example: Coffee supply chain (grown in Brazil, processed in Italy, consumed in the USA).

Bid-Rent Theory

• Land closer to markets is more expensive, so intensive farming occurs there.

• Further from markets, land is cheaper, so extensive farming dominates.

📌 5.8 Von Thünen Model

Core Idea:

• Land use is based on distance from the market and transportation costs.

Model Rings:

1. Center: Market (urban area).

2. 1st Ring: Dairy & Market Gardening (perishable goods).

3. 2nd Ring: Forest (wood is heavy).

4. 3rd Ring: Grain & Field Crops (less perishable).

5. 4th Ring: Livestock Ranching (requires a lot of land).

Limitations

• Ignores modern technology, refrigeration, global trade, and government policies.

📌 5.9 The Global Agricultural System

Key Concepts

• Global Supply Chains – Countries rely on agricultural imports and exports.

• Commodity Dependence – Some countries depend on a few agricultural exports (e.g., coffee in Ethiopia, bananas in Ecuador).

Challenges

• Trade barriers, political conflicts, transportation issues.

📌 5.10 Consequences of Agricultural Practices

Environmental Issues:

1. Deforestation – Clearing rainforests for farming (Amazon, Indonesia).

2. Desertification – Overuse of soil in arid areas.

3. Soil Salinization – Salt buildup from irrigation (e.g., Aral Sea disaster).

4. Pollution – Fertilizer and pesticide runoff into water sources.

Cultural Landscape Changes:

• Draining Wetlands (e.g., Netherlands) for farmland.

• Terrace Farming in mountainous regions (e.g., Andes, China).

📌 5.11 Challenges in Modern Agriculture

Biotechnology & GMOs

• Pros: Higher yields, disease resistance.

• Cons: Health concerns, environmental risks, reliance on corporations (Monsanto).

Urban Farming & Sustainability Trends

• Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) – Local food movements.

• Organic Farming – Avoids synthetic chemicals, but expensive.

Food Security Issues:

• Food Deserts – Areas with limited access to fresh food.

• Food Insecurity – Lack of consistent access to nutritious food.

📌 5.12 Women in Agriculture

Role of Women in Farming

• Women are primary food producers in developing countries but often lack land ownership.

• Green Revolution negatively impacted women (tech and resources went to male farmers).

🔗 How Everything Interconnects:

1. Agricultural origins & diffusion → spread of crops globally.

2. Second Agricultural Revolution → Industrialization & urbanization.

3. Green Revolution → Population growth but environmental issues.

4. Economic & spatial factors → Monoculture, agribusiness, and supply chains.

5. Environmental & social consequences → Sustainability concerns, changing diets, gender roles.

📖 Vocabulary List

• Intensive vs. Extensive Agriculture – Labor/capital vs. land use.

• Subsistence vs. Commercial Farming – Local consumption vs. market-driven.

• Monoculture – Single-crop farming.

• Agribusiness – Corporate-controlled farming.

• Von Thünen Model – Land use based on distance from the market.

• Commodity Chains – Global trade of agricultural products.

• Food Deserts – Lack of access to fresh food.

• Salinization – Salt buildup in soil from irrigation.

• Desertification – Land degradation in arid areas.

• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) – Bioengineered crops.

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Examples of Von Thünen Model Rings

1. Market/Urban Center

   • New York City (used in some models as a central market).

2. 1st Ring: Dairy & Market Gardening (Perishable Items)

   • Dairy farming in Wisconsin (high perishability requires proximity to market)n California & Florida** (perishable fruits and vegetables).

3. 2nd Ring: Forests (Timber & Firewood)

   • Forests in Northern Europe (Germany, Scandinavia) for firewood .

   • Early American seests for timber.

4. 3rd Ring: Grains & Field Crops (Less Perishable)

   • Wheat production in the U.S. Midwest (Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas) .

   • Corn Belt (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, ching & Livestock (Requires Large Land)

   • Cattle ranching in Texas & Argentina (Patagonia) .

   • Sheep ranching in Australia’s Outback.

Examples of Commoditdity Chain

• Grown in Brazil → Processed in Italy → Sold in Starbucks in the USA .

2. Banana Commodity Chain

   • Grown in Ecuador → Shipped to the U.S./Europe → Sold in supermarkets.*

   • Cattle raised in Argentina → Processed in the U.S. → Sold in fast-food chains.

3. Cotton Commodity Chain

   • Grown in India → Processed into fabric in China → Sold as clothing in the U.S..

Examples of Agricultural Commodities

1. Cash Crops

   • Cotton (U.S., India, Egypt) .

   • Tobacco (Southeastern U.S.).

   • Sugarcane (Brazil, Caribbean, India).

2. Grain Crops

   • Wheat (U.S., Russia, C*Corn (U.S. Corn Belt, Argentina).

   • Rice (China, India, Vietnam, Thailand).

3. Livestock Products

   • Beef (Brazil, U.S., Argentina) .
     any)**.

   • Dairy (India, U.S., Europe - especially France, Germany, Netherlands).

Examples of Agricultural Practices

1. **Intensive Farming (H - Market Gardening (California, Florida, Netherlands) .

   • Dairy Farming (Wisconsin, India, New Zealand) .

   • Rice Farming in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, China).

2. Extensive Farming (Low Inputs, Large Land)

   • Sheep Ranching in Australia .

   • the U.S. Great Plains** .

   • **Pastoral Nomadism in M

3. Subsistence Agriculture (For Personal Use, Not Sale)

   • Slash-and-Burn (Amazon Rainforest, Central Africa) .

   • Pastoral Nomadism (Saharan*Commercial Agriculture (For Profit, Large-Scale)

   • Min Latin America .

   • Wheat Farms in the U.S. and Russia .

   • Soybean Production in Brazil and the U.S..

Examples of Agricultural Regions

1. Dairy Belta, Michigan (USA) .

   • **Netherlands & France (Eur - Midwestern USA (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska) .

2. Rice-Producing Regions

   • China, Indst Asia).

3. Mediterranean Agriculturentry), Spain, Italy, Greece, France** .

4. Livestock Ranching Regions

   • Texas & Oklahoma (USA), Argentina (Patagonia), Australia .