AGRICULTURE ZONES AND HISTORY Flashcards
Facts to know
- 1 in 7 people are chronically hungry
- 46 milion ha used for ag in Australia
how long has indigenous agriculture been sustainable
60,000 years
what did indigenous people eat
- hunted, gathered, fished
- food animals = kangaroo, wallaby etc
- witchetty grubs
- wild plants
what are the nyungar seasons
- birak (dec-jan)
- Bunuru (Feb-Mar)
- Djeran (April-May)
- Makuru (June-July)
- Djila (Aug-sept)
- Kambarang (Oct-Nov)
why has indigenous agriculture been so sustainable
- low input/low output system
- support relatively low populations
- depend on carrying capacity of the land
define agriculture
practice of crop and animal production on organised land units
constraints of agriculture
- climate - temp, rainfall
- location - latitude
- soils - fertility, structure, pH
What are agricultural zones?
different regions of the landscape where different types of agriculture are practiced
what are the approaches to identifying ag zones?
- basic climate-based approach - classifying regions on climate
- crop/animal production system - classified on products
- farming systems - defined based on system
how does the farming systems model work to define ag zones?
defined based on:
1. available natural resources - climate, soil, water
2. Farm size and tenure basis
3. dominant farm activities and household livelihood patterns
define farming system
populations of farms that have similar resource bases, enterprise patterns, household livelihood and constraints, and strategies to deal with constraints
What are the seven farming systems
- irrigated - food, variable farm sizes
- rain-fed agriculture in humid high potential areas - dominant or mixed crop system, commercial horticulture
- rain-fed ag in steep highland regions - mixed crop - livestock production
- (most common) rainfed small-scale in dry or cold areas - mixed crop - pastoral systems
- large scale commercial farming systems - variety of ecologies with diverse production patterns
- coastal artisanal fishing and mixed farming
- urban-based farming - horticulture and intensive animal production
What influences the development of farming systems
- natural resources
- science and tech
- globalisation + market development
- information and human resources
- population pressures
what internal factors influenced evolution of farming systems
- household goals
- resource bases
- technologies adopted
what external factors influenced evolution of farming systems
- market development
- shifts in demand for produce
- ag policies
- availability of tech and knowledge
- economics
What are the 3 main agricultural zones in Aus
- high rainfall zone
- wheat-sheep zone
- pastoral zone
qualities of high rainfall ag zone
- > 500mm rain per year
- coastal, south-west WA, NSW, Tas
- sloping land, surface water available
- south = winter dominant rainfall pattern
- north = NSW = summer
- constraints = low temp or low moisture
What are the 2 high rainfall zone sectors
- sheep - beef and cropping
- 6-9 month season - dairy sector
- 300 to 1000 cows milked per farm
- irrigated or rain-fed pastures
- high pasture yields
- mild temps
- long growing seasons = productive
Qualities of wheat-sheep zone
- 33% of Aus output
- 5-9 month season
- cereal crop appropriate
- 50-75% mixed farms of sheep and cereals
- 200-600mm per year
Qualities of pastoral zone
- arid with low rainfall
- native pastures - low stock rates, but large land area
- high cost of transport, risky
- North pastoral zone (beef) has low carrying capacity
- South pastoral zone (beef + sheep) - 25% land area, 10% ag production, large property, native grasses
what other activities occur in ag zones
- sugar cane
- irrigation (0.5% land area = 70% water)
- horticulture
- pigs
- poultry
define domestication, cultivation and farming
domestication - bringing plants or animals under human control by morphological and genetic changes
cultivation - intentional of soil for sowing of wild domesticated plants
farming - use of domesticated plants or animals for food + other resources
what did our ancestors eat?
- meat
- fruits
- fish
- no cereals or dairy
what strategies did ancestors use for food
- scavenging
- knowledge
- refined tools
- fire
when and why did people begin growing food
- domesticated food between 12,000 to 8000 BC in response to climate change, population pressure, improvements in tech and knowledge
where did ag first develop
- eastern US
- Fertile Cresent
- China
- Ethipia
- New Guinea
What are the 8 major plant species food production depends on
wheat, rice, maize, barley, sorghum, millet, oats + rye and cereals
what values do crop plants need to be
- digestible
- not toxic
- nutritious
- easy to prepare
- amenable to cultivation
Explain the crops grown in the Fertile Crescent
- first crops = wheat, barley, peas, lentils and chickpeas
- first grown between 10000 = 8000 BC
- water was available here
- mild climate
- plants/animals suitable for domestication
- abundant plants didnt need modification
- wide range of altitudes available
What are the 6 key characteristics for domesticated species
- herbivores or omnivores
- rapid growth
- easy to breed in captivity
- nice disposition
- calm
- live in herds
what was the neolithic revolution?
- new diet of cereal grains and vegetables, animal products
- people stored food (trade + survival)
- allowed people to culminate into villages as could stay in one spot
- populations grew
what challenges were there for the neolithic revolution
- risk of famine
- malnutrition
- disease
what was required for farming to develop
- strict planting and harvest times
- work schedules
- team work
- physical labour
- controlled distribution of food
what were some early farming innovations
- digging sticks
- animal powered ploughs
- manure fertiliser
- crop rotations
- selective breeding
how did social organisation improve agriculture
- permanent housing = increased populations
- this meant larger workforce
- allowed systems to be made - govt.
- regulated land ownership
how did the traditional three-field crop rotation work?
field 1 - autumn planting of cereal grain
field 2 - spring planting of peas, beans and oats
field 3 - fallow field -> grazing animals
what common system of crop rotation became common in 1800 in Europe?
the norfolk four-course system:
year 1 = wheat
year 2 = turnips, cattle and sheep fed in winter
year 3 = barley, clover, ryegrass
year 4 = clover and ryegrass
What happened n the early 1800’s that caused ag to rise
- population reached 1 billion
- mechanised farm equipment
- animal consumption over cereals
- crop yields became sufficient to also export
What happened in the 1900’s that caused ag to rise
- population reached 2 billion
- traction power meant larger farm, smaller farm numbers
- increased crop yields prioritised bc space was running out
- nitrogen fertiliser used
- pesticides used
what happened in 1960 for agriculture
- The GREEN REVOLUTION
- population reached 3 billion
- industrial methods well established
- chemical use increased
- industrial food-animal production increased
- increased yield
explain the green revolution
- Norman Borlaug started it with wheat research to optimise yield
- increased yields - irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides
- increased tech use
- materials supplied to farmers
- food production was in pace with population growth
compare and contrast traditional and modern food systems
Traditional:
- small scale
- locally based and luxury goods
- high proportion of population involved in agriculture
- within local boundaries
- exchanged controlled by families/social networking
- choice limited
- nutritional inequalities
Modern:
- large scale and specialised
- delocalised/global
- few of population connected
- international/global
- access governed by money and markets
- food always available at a price
- choice available
- nutritional inequalities
what did ag include before the 1800’s?
- plant and animal domestication began
- tools and machinery developed
- crop rotations and legumes for nitrogen
what did ag involve after 1800’s?
- application of genetic breeding
- control of diseases
- management of sol fertility
- better water management
- use of machinery
- farming systems incorporated
- international trade and marketing
when were wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, oats and sugar cane domesticated
wheat = 9000BC, Fertile crescent
rice = 7500BC, China
maize = 3500 BC Mesoamerica
sorghum = 5000 BC, Sahel
oats = 6000 BC, W Europe
Sugar Cane = 7000 BC, New Guinea
When and where were dogs, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, chickens and horses domesticated?
Dog = 14000 years ago, old world?
Sheep = 10, 700 YA “”
Goat = 9000 YA “”
Pig = 9000 YA “”
Cattle = 6500 YA, ‘’’
Chickens = 5,500 YA, India
Horse = 5000 YA, Old world
