Human Geo 9.4 Questions Flashcards
Trade in food has increased rapidly in the 21st century. Explain world agricultural imports:
Before WWII, Europe was the major importing region (former colonies supplied food). East Asia & former Soviet Union became net importers in the ’50s, then Southwest Asia/North Africa, then South Asia & sub-Saharan Africa, then Central Asia in 2008. Japan, then UK, then China, then Russia are the leading importers.
Explain world agricultural exports:
The US is the world’s leading exporter of grain (and 1/2 of all maize). Globally, agricultural products move from the Western to the Eastern Hemisphere. Latin America is the leading export, country followed by North America (US % of exports are declining though their amount of exports is increasing), Southeast Asia, & the South Pacific.
How do most developing countries raise funds by selling crops to wealthy consumers in developed countries?
To expand production, subsistence farmers need higher-yield pesticides, seeds, fertilizers, & machinery. Some supplies can be secured by trading food, but for many African/Asian countries, they import them from other countries. But farmers lack the money to buy them from developed countries, so to generate funds, they must produce something they can sell in developed countries.
Give an example and explain more about export/import crops in developing countries:
In Kenya, women do subsistence agriculture (to feed family) and men do the cash crops/making money. The sale of export crops brings developing countries foreign currency, but the more land devoted to export crops, the less for domestic consumption (so sales from exports may be used to feed people, not increase productivity). The US passed 3 laws in 1954 to sell grain at low interest rates and give grants to needy groups of people.
Some Latin American & Asian developing countries have export crops that can be converted to drugs. Explain about Cocaine and Marijuana:
Cocaine is from coca leaf (Colombia, Peru, & Bolivia). Most cocaine eaters & abusers are in developed countries, and the principal shipping route is from Colombia by sea to Central America, then by land from Mexico to US. There are 182 million Marijuana (from Cannabis) users and most in the US is from Mexico. It’s cultivation is NOT expanding.
Some Latin American & Asian developing countries have export crops that can be converted to drugs. Explain about Opioids:
Opioids= drugs derived from opium poppy plant AND synthetic substances manufactured into pain-management medications. 19 million are opiate users. Afghanistan is the source of 90% of opium, and most traffic flows from there through Iran & Balkans to Western Europe. A 2nd route goes through Central Asia to Russia. Cultivation of opium poppies & coca leaf are expanding.
What are past and present views about how to feed the world’s population?
Historically, world food production increased by expanding the amount of land devoted to agriculture (pioneers migrating to sparsely inhabited land). Now, scientists think the further expansion of agricultural land can’t feed the growing population bc pop increases much more rapidly than agricultural land.
Where can the most severe loss of agricultural land to urbanization be observed?
At the edge of the string of cities along US east coast. Loss of 500,000 acres of prime agricultural land as urban areas develop. Most threatened agricultural land: Maryland (where Baltimore & DC have coalesced into a continuous built-up area).
How have Maryland officials used a GIS as part of an overall strategy to minimize sprawl?
A GIS was used to identify which farms to be preserved by making a series of soil quality, economic, & environmental maps that were combined into 1 map. Apparently, 4% of the state’s farmland had prime soils, significant environmental features, and high projected population growth, and 25% had 2 of the 3 factors.
Explain about semiarid lands that can’t support many pastoral nomads:
They are overused due to rapid pop growth (the nutrients in soil become exhausted). The Earth Policy Institute says 5 million acres of world land has been degraded (34% due to overgrazing, 30% deforestation, 28% agricultural use).
How does excessive water use threaten other agricultural areas?
Especially threatens dry lands w/ irrigation, where the underground water level rises and water-logs the roots. 10% of all irrigated land is waterlogged (mostly Asia & South America), and plants may be damaged if there is salty water. Mesopotamia may have collapsed partly due to water-logging and excessive salinity in its farmlands near the Tigris & Euphrates rivers
What is the 1st method by which farmers increase the supply of food through intensificationf of production?
-Suddenly in the late 20th, subsistence farming practices started needing to provide for a rapidly increasing pop AND urban residents who can’t grow their own food. Pop growth compels subsistence farmers to consider new approaches to produce more food. 1) new farming methods are adopted (population provides workers for plows, weeding, manure, terraces, irrigation).
Explain about the 2nd method (land is left fallow for shorter periods)
5 basic stages in the reduction of fallow farmland:
1. Forest fallow: Utilized for 2 years and left fallow for 20.
2. Bush fallow: Utilized for 8 years and left fallow for 10.
3. Short fallow: Utilized for 2 years and left fallow for 2.
4. Annual cropping: Fields are used every year and rotated between roots & legumes.
5. Multi-cropping: Fields are used several times a year & never left fallow.
Describe the invention of 3 “miracle seeds” during the green revolution:
In the ’50s, scientists conducted experiments for a higher-yield form of wheat, and 10 years later, “miracle wheat seed” was ready, and it responded better to fertilizers and matured faster. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, worked to create a miracle rice seed, and they made one in the ’60s. Recently, a high-yield maize seed was developed.
What happened to these “miracle seeds?”
They were diffused rapidly, & wheat production in India doubled until they had a surplus. The green revolution prevented a food crisis in developing regions at that time. To take advantage of the seeds, farmers used more fertilizer/machinery and 3 critical substances to improve fertility were discovered. The green revolution prevented a food crisis in developing regions at that time.