Subsistence And Commercial Agriculture Flashcards
What’s commercial agriculture
Production of food primarily for sale off the farm
What’s subsistence agriculture
Production of food for consumption in the farmers family
Who identified agricultural region
Telegrapher deferent whittlesey 1936
Whittlesey identified —- agricultural regions, plus an area where ——
11 and an area where agriculture is nonexistent
Whittseley’s agricultural regions are divided between —- that are important in LDCs and —– that are important in mdcs
5 and 6
Predominant agriculture in Middle East
Pastoral nomadism
Predominant agriculture in
Central Africa
Shifting cultivation
What factors explain agricultural differences
Climate
Cultural preferences
Where are hogs avoided
Muslim regions
Where is wine production not
Low in Africa and Asia because on alcohol avoidance
Five principal features distinguish commercial agriculture from subsistence agriculture
Purpose of farming, Percentage of farmers in labor force Use of machinery Farm size Relationship of farming to other business
Purpose of farming subsistence
Owns consumption with some surplus sold to government or private firms
Purpose of farming commercial
Primarily for sale off farm rather than for own consumption
Sold to food processing companies - General Mills and kraft sign contracts for grain, chickens, cattle, other to be made into products
Percentage of farmers in labor force LDCs
50% in LDCs
Percentage of farmers in labor force mdcs
5%
Percentage of farmers USA
2%
Yet, the percentage of farmers in USA and Canada produce enough for
Themselves and more
When did percentage of farmers decrease in mdcs
20th century
Both ——- and——- factors contributed to the decline of farmers in mdcs
Push and pull
Push factor: farms
Pushed off of farms by lack of opportunity to earn decent income
Pull: farms in mdcs
Pulled to higher pang jobs in urban areas
Why can mdcs produce so much food
Rely on machinery to do work rather than people and animals
1770 first what machinery
First iron plow
what machinery was developedp help farmers
Tractors combines corn pickets
19th century important transportation improvement
Railroads
Twentieth century important transportation improvement
Highways and trucks
Commercial farms use— advantages to increase productivity
Scientific
What science has helped farmers
New fertilizers Herbicides Hybrid plants Animal breeds Farming practices
How does electronics help farmers
GPS
- determine precise coordinates for spreading different types and amounts of fertilizers
- monitor location of cattle
Satellite imagery
- crop progress
Yield monitors
- attached to combines to determine precise number of bushels harvested
Farm size commercial
Large especially in USA and Canada
Us farm average
180 hectares
449acres
Most commercial farms are owned by
Family owned and operated
How do commercial farms expand their holdings
Renting nearby fields
How do commercial pay for farms
Rent banks and repay after output is sold
Amount of farmers —–
Land devoted to agriculture —-
Decreases
Increases
Prime agricultural land
Most productive farmland in USA
Why farmland is decreasing
Urban sprawl
Commercial ties to other business
Strong ties
Agribusiness
The system of commercial farming found in the USA and other mdcs
Why is it called agribusiness
The family farm is not an isolated activity but integrated into a large food producing industry
Agribusiness includes
Tractor manufacturing
Fertilizer production
Seed distribution.
