Human Geo 9.1 - 9.2 Questions Flashcards
What do variations in food consumption result from a combination of (3 things)?
- Level of development: People in developed countries consume more food and from different sources than developing countries.
- Physical conditions: Climate influences where things are grown and consumed in developing countries. In developed countries , food is shipped.
- Cultural preferences: Some food preferences/ avoidances are often expressions of culture.
How many kcals per day do Americans consume? Where is the threat of famine especially severe?
Americans consume the most kcal (3,800). This is one reason that we are so obese. Many Americans also eat food laden with pesticides. The threat of famine is severe in the Horn of Africa & the Sahel (limited agriculture). With rapid pop growth, farmers overplanted, and herd size increased beyond the capacity of the land to support animals (which used up the resources).
What has the greatest challenge to world food security been in the 21st century?
Food prices. People spend 40% of their income in sub-Saharan Africa on food, & prices have doubled. Fierce competition among supermarkets lowers prices. High food prices have stimulated record-high prices for agricultural land. Adjusting for inflation, the price of Iowa farmland increased greatly from 2000 to 2018.
What can record high food prices be attibuted to? (4)
- Poor weather (especially in crop-growing regions of North America & the South Pacific).
- Higher demand, especially in China & India
- Smaller productivity growth, especially without major new miracle breakthroughs
- Use of crops as biofuels instead of food, especially in Latin America
What is protein?
Nutrient needed for growth & body maintenance. Primary protein source is a big difference between developed (meat products, a large part of the intake) and developing regions (small part of intake, mostly from grain).
Before agriculture, how did all humans obtain food?
Through hunting/gathering. They lived in small groups (less than 50) so as not to exhaust resources.
-They traveled frequently, with new home bases/camps, depending on the movement of game and seasonal plant growth. Groups kept the peace by steering clear of each other’s territory, and collected food often. The men hunted/fished, and the women collected berries, nuts, & roots. Today, 1/4 million people still hunt/gather.
Scientists disagree on the factors contributing to the agricultural revolution, but it is most likely a combination of which 2 factors?
- Environmental factors: First domestication of crops/animals coincided with climate change (end of ice age, which lead to huge redistribution of life).
- Cultural factors: A preference for living in a fixed place rather than as nomads led hunters/gatherers to build settlements & store surplus vegetation there. Hunters observed that, over time, damaged food (from gathering vegetation) produced new plants, and eventually learned to use water, manure, soil to grow plants. Over 1000s of years, plant cultivation went from experiment to process.
What hearths did agriculture originate in? (asia part)
- Southwest Asia: Earliest crops (10,000 years ago): barley, wheat, lentil, & olive. They domesticated most farm animals 8,000-9,000 years ago, & dogs 12,000 years ago.
- East Asia: Rice was domesticated here 10,000 years ago, along the Yangtze River in eastern China. Millet was cultivated along Yellow River at an early date.
- Central/South Asia: Chickens diffused from South Asia 4,000 years ago, & horses were domesticated in Central Asia, diffusing with the Indo-European language.
What are 2 agricultural hearths outside of Asia?
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Sorghum was domesticated in Central Africa 8,000 years ago. Yams were earlier. Millet/Rice were domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa independently of the East Asia hearth.
- Latin America: Mexico (beans/cotton) & Peru (potato): 2 important hearths of domestication, emerging, 4,000-5,000 years ago. Corn, the most important crop contribution of the Americas, emerged in 2 hearths independently at the same time, and diffused out & south.
In developing countries, what type of farmers are most people?
Subsistence farmers (35%). 1% are farmers in North America, but they produce a LOT of food, and 10% of US jobs are in the food industry. The amount of farmers in developed countries declined dramatically in the 20th, due to push (lack of opportunity to earn a decent income) and pull (higher-paying jobs in urban areas) factors.
Traditionally, how was farming equipment made?
From wood, but machinery was made in factories starting in the late 18th. First all-iron plow was made in the 1770s. Experiments can make new fertilizers, herbicides, hybrid plants, animal breeds, & farming practices, leading to higher productivity. Access to other scientific information has let farmers make smarter decisions regarding agricultural practices.
How have GPS and other electronics helped commercial farmers?
GPS helps determine the precise coordinates for seeds and spreading fertilizers, and monitors cattle/tractors on ranches. They measure crop progress with satellites and use yield monitors attached to combines to determine amount of bushels being harvested.
What are typical farm sizes in commercial farming?
Farms are large & expensive in commercial agriculture (441 acres in the US, but 2.5 acres in South Asia). Size depends on mechanization (combines/pickers perform most efficiently at large scales). Commercial agriculture is dominated by a few large farms (in the US, the largest 3% of farms produce 42% of the country’s agriculture), and they expand by renting nearby fields.
How has the amount of land devoted to agriculture in the US changed from 1900 to now?
It increased by 13% from 1900 to 2000 (due to irrigation and reclamation) as the number of farmers has decreased. In the 21st century, the US has been losing farmland, mainly due to the expansion of urban areas.
