Unit 5: Agriculture Flashcards
What is agriculture
Deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.
What is a crop
Any plant cultivated by people
Developing countries to US percent of the world’s farmers
Dev: 97%
US: 2%
How does the US feed its people without a lot of farmers
The advanced technology used allows them to produce enough food for people in the US at a very high standard, as well as food for many people elsewhere in the world.
What are the characteristics of a hunter-gatherer society
-small groups
• Men hunted/fished, women gathered
• Direction and frequency of migration depended on movement of game and seasonal growth of plants
• Limited material culture bc no permanent settlements
• Strong ties to land, but nomaadic and mobile.
How many hunter-gatherers are there today and where do they live
There are a quarter million ppl (.005%) that are still hunter gatherers. Isolated groups that live in the periphery of world settlement.
What was the agricultural revolution
The time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering
How did environment contribute to agricultural revolution
• Climate change over 10,000 years ago.
• Marked end of the last ice age, resulted in a massive
redistribution of humans, other animals and plants at that
time.
How did culture contribute to agricultural revolution
- People wanted to live in a fixed place so they built permanent settlements and to store surplus vegetation.
- People started to put cut plants on the ground and pour water over it (farming)
Animal hearths
- Southwest Asia
- Central Asia
Crop hearths
- Southwestern Asia
- East Asia
- Sub-saharan Africa
- Latin America
Where did vegetative platning originate
In southeast Asia
What is subsistence agriculture and where is it found
Found in developing countries. The production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer’s family
What is commercial agriculture and where is it found
Found in developed countries. The production of food primarily for sale off the farm.
What are the main features that separates commercial and subsistence agriculture
Percentage of farmers in the labor force, the use of machinery, the farm size
Subsistence agriculture (mostly LDCs): % Farmers in Labor force
44%
Subsistence agriculture (mostly LDCs): Use of Machinery
Subsistence farmers do much or the work with hand tools and animal power
Subsistence agriculture (mostly LDCs): Farm size
Small
Commercial agriculture (mostly MDCs): % Farmers in Labor force
.5%
Commercial agriculture (mostly MDCs): Use of Machinery
Rely on machinery to perform work rather than people or animals
Commercial agriculture (mostly MDCs): Farm size
-Large
How does this impact food consumption: Level of development
• Ppl in developed countries tend to consume more food from different sources than do people in developing countries
How does this impact food consumption: Physical conditions
- Climate is important in influencing what can most easily be grown and therefore consumed in developing countries
- In developing countries, food is shipped long distances to locations with different climates
How does this impact food consumption: Cultural preferences
Some food preferences and avoidances are shown without regard for physical and economic factors.
Most humans get their calories from by eating
Cereal grain, or simply cereal, which is a grass that yields grain for food. Grain is the seed from a cereal grass.
What three cereal grains make up 90% of all grain production and 40% of all dietary energy consumed
- wheat
- Rice
- Maize (corn in North America)
What is food security
The UN defines it as physical, social, and economic access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
How much of the world doesn’t have food security
1/8
What is the average kcal consumption worldwide
2900kcal
Who has the world’s biggest food consumption rate
United states
What is undernourishment
• Dietary energy consumption that is continuously below the minimum requirement for maintaining a healthy life and carrying out light physical activity
How much of the world suffers from undernourishment and where
870 million people are undernourished and 99 percent of the, come from people living in developing countries: India, China, Sub-Saharan Africa, South
How many agricultural regions are there
11
What are two examples of how climate impacts culture
Southwest Asia and North Africa have dry climates, so pastoral nomadism is the agriculture type
Sub-sharan Africa: shifting cultivation with a tropical climate
What is pastoral nomadism
• A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding of domesticated animals
What type of climate is pastoral nomadism found
Dry climates
What regions of the world do pastoral nomadism
Southwest Asia, North Africa, Central Asia
What do the pastoral nomads use their animals for
Milk, clothing, tents. They consume mostly grain rather than meat
How do pastoral nomads get grain
They raise crops or get it From sedentary subsistence farmers in exchange for animal products
What factors contribute to the choice of animals used in pastoral nomadism
The relative prestige of animals and the ability of the species to adapt to a particular climate and vegetation
What is territoriality with pastoral nomads
Strong sense of territoriality. Will not invade others’ territory unless war
What is transhumance
• Seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pasture areas
How have changes in technology threatened the pastoral nomad’s way of life
Pastoral nomadism is a declining form of agriculture and is partly a victims of modern technology. They used to be
important role as carriers of goods and information across the sparsely inhabited Drylands. With new technology, the nomadic population can control nomads more effectively
In what way do modern government currently threaten pastoral nomads
They are trying to resettle nomads in China, Kazakhstan, several countries of Southwest Asia (Israel, Saudi Arabia,
Syria). Nomads are reluctant to move. Gov’t wants them to move so they can use the land for something else.
Pastoral nomads will be increasingly confined to areas that cannot be irrigated or that lack valuable raw materials
In what climate does shifting cultivation predominate
Tropical, or A, climate regions, that have relatively high temperatures and abundant rainfall
Where is shifting cultivation found
Tropical train forests of Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southwest Asia
What are the two distinctive features of shifting cultivation and explain them
Farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning the debris (shifting cultivation is aka slash and burn agriculture)
• Farmers grow crops in a cleared field only a few years until soil nutrients are depleted, and then leave it fallow (with nothing planted) for many years so the soil can recover
What is a potash
The only fertilizer available for shifting cultivation farmers-is potash (potassium) from burning the debris when the site is cleared
How long are swiddens used
3 years or less
What factors contribute to the choice of crops used in shifting cultivation
- Local custom and taste
* - maize (corn) in Southeast Asia, manioc (cassava), in South America millet and sorghum in Africa
What percentage of the world’s land area is devoted to shifting cultivation
1/4
What percentage of the wordl’s people work shifting cultivation
-Less than 5 percent
Why is shifting cultivation being replaced
It is being replaces by logging, cattle ranching, and the cultivation of cash crops.
-Doing that is a better development strategy than shifting cultivation
Developing countries see it as an inefficient way to grow crops bc it can only support a small population in an area without causing environmental damage
Pros of shifting cultivation
- Clear forests for development
- Best for environment
Cons of shifting cultivation
-Doesn’t yield enough crops per land area
-Not an effective development strategy.
-May upset the traditional local diversity of culture
in the tropics
What is meant by intensive
• Implies that farmers must work intensively to subsist on a parcel of land
-Greater amounts of capital and paid labor relative to the space
What are the characteristics of an intensive subsistence farm
-Near densely populated areas with access to local markets
-Inputs; Often labor-intensive production on small plots
EX: Farmers who grow a wides variety of crops like corn, cassava, millet, or yams and raise some livestock
What are the characteristics of an intensive commercial farm
-Near urban centers or transportation hubs
Inputs: Large amounts of labor and machinery, often on large amounts of land
EX: Truck farming and dairy farming
What are the characteristics of an extensive commercial farm
-Near transportation centers with access to processing centers
Inputs; Minimal amount of labor and machinery on a large expanse of land
EX: Livestock ranching, grain farming
What are the characteristics of an extensive subsistence farm
-Sparsely populated areas with access to local markets
Inputs: Minimal amount of machinery, but sometimes labor intensive work on a large plot of land that might be owned communally
EX: Pastoral nomadism and shifting cultivation
What is extensive farming
Uses fewer inputs of capital and paid labor relative to the amount of space being used
What is wet rice
Refers to rice landed on dry land in a nursery and then moved as seedlings to flooded field to promote growth
What is a sawah and what is a paddy
Sawah: flooded rice field name in Austronesian language
Paddy: what the North Americans call a sawah. Paddy is the Malay word for wet rice
What is double-cropping
Land used even more intensely in parts of Asia by obtaining two harvests per year from one field
EX: getting corn and wheat from your field
Where is double-cropping possible and not possible
Common in places that have warm winters. Not possible in areas that have dry winters
In areas of intensive subsistence agriculture where wet rice is not dominant, what is the major crop
Wheat followed by barley.
How are multiple harvests made possible in less milk regions
Through skilled use of crop rotation (practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil.
What is a plantation
A large commercial farm in a developing country that specializes in one or two crops.
Where are plantations located
In the tropics and subtropics (Latin America, Africa, and
Asia)
Who were plantations operated by
Europeans or North
Americans
Who were the plantation workers
Imported and must be provided with food, housing,
and social services
What types of crops were planted on plantations
- Cotton
- Sugarcane
- Coffee
- Rubber
- Tobacco
What is the history of plantation
- Import ant in the south until the civil war and main crop was cotton
- Late eighteenth century needed more cotton bc industrial revolution
- Slaves from Africa did most of the work until slavery was outlawed and then plantations declined in the US
In commercial farming, who are farm products sold to
To food processing companies
What is agribusiness
• The system of commercial farming found in developed countries is called this because the family farm is not an isolated activity but is integrated into a large food production industry
What percent of farmers are involved in food production and services related to agribusiness
Around 20%
Where is mixed crop and livestock farming common
In the United States west of the Appalachians and east of 98 degrees west longitude and in much of France to Russia
What is the relationship between the amount of land devoted to crops vs animals and the income generated by each in mixed crop
Most land given to crops, but most profit from animals
In what different ways is corn used
- Corn consumed by people as oil, margarine, etc
* Most is fed to pigs and cattle
Where is the US Corn belt and what crops are grown there
From Ohio to the Dakotas with Iowa as the center. Called this because half of the cropland is planted with corn.
What is the process of crop rotation
- Farm is divided into fields,
- Each field is planted on a planned cycle, often of several years.
- The crop planted on that field changes from one year to the next, typically going through a cycle of two or more crops
How does crop rotation help maintain the health of the soil
- Helps maintain fertility of the field bc depletes some nutrients, but restores others
- has less fallow time than shifting cultivation and production is greater than shifting cultivation
What is fallow and how does it relate to crop rotation
- Leaving the field uncropped/ empty to restore nutrients
- Crop rotation only needs like a year of fallow as compared to shifting cultivation that needs many years of restore nutrients
What is a rest crop and how does it relate to crop rotation
Used in four fields system. A crop like clover, that helps restore the field. The next year, that field is restored, so it can be used for planting and a different field rests.
What is “truck farming” and where has it spread in the US. Examples of the crops
Commercial gardening and fruit farming. Prominent in southeastern US. Truck-> means bartering or
exchange of commodies. Most fruits and veggies sold to large processors doe canning or freezing
-EX: Apples, asparagus, cherries, lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce
What is a milkshed
Ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied
EX: ten mile radius around the farm
Where does dairy farming take place and how has it changes
Near the large urban areas of north Eastern US, southeastern Canada, and northwestern Europe. Used to be all developed countries, Now also in South and East Asia and it is spreading to developing countries
Why do some regions specialize in “milk products” like cheese and butter rather than fluid milk. Identify the region
New Zealand- largest percapita milk producer. Only sells 5% liquid bc it is too far from North America and Northwestern Europe to sell fresh milk to the farms are too far away from markets to sell the milk fresh.
What problems do dairy farmers face
Economic problems because of declining revenues and rising costs.
It is labor intensive
Expense of feeding cows in the winter
Number of cows per farm declined
How doe farmers combine companies make use of that fact that wheat matures at different times in the spring and winter wheat belts
The effort to grow wheat is not uniform throughout the year. Some firms have two fields one spring, one winter, and so the workload is distributed throughout the year and the same machinery can be used in the two region s
What are the three regions of large-scale grain production in North Americq
- Spring wheat belt through the Dakotas, Montana, and southern Saskatchewan in Canada
- The winter wheat through Kansas, Colorado’s and Oklahoma
- The Palouse region of Washington state
What two countries account for half of the world’s wheat exports
Canada and America
What are the conditions of the Mediterranean climate and agriculture
Borders a sea and most are on the west coasts of continents. Prevailing sea winds give moisture and moderate winter temperature
Most crops in Mediterranean lands are grown for ____ rather than for ____
Human consumption rather than animal feed
What is horticulture
The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and tree crops form the commercial base
EX: growing roses
What are two most importatnt cash crops of the mediterranean regions
- Olives
- Grapes
What is ranching
Commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area
EX: graze cattle over 10 miles
What type of climate is livestock adapted to and where is ranching practiced
- Semi arid or arid
- Developing countries where vegetation is too sparse and the soil to poor to support crops
Why did cattle ranching expand in the US
During th 1860 because of the demand for beef in the East Coast cities
Why did cattle ranching declien
During the 1880s after it came into conflict with sedentary agriculture. The cattle farmers kept running into crop farmers when they let their cattle out to graze. Cattle ranchers cut down fences and then put up their own. Eventually the crop farmers used barbed
wire. The ranchers then had to buy or lease land to put their cattle there
Where else besides the US does cattle ranching take place today
China is the leading producer of meat, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina,
• Developed countries are now less responsible for meat production
What were the three US and world stages of ranching
- Herding animals over open ranchers in a semi nomadic style
• 2 Fixed farming by dividing open land into ranches
• 3. Many farms convert to growing crops, ranching goes to drier lands and then the ranchers experimented with new methods of breeding, water, and feed
What is ranching a part of
-The meat processing industry
What is a common problem that farmers in both developed and developing regions face
Have difficulty generating enough income to continue farming. Commercial farmers can make a lot of food, but subsistence farmers are barely able to produce enough food to stay alive.
What two issues have influenced/impacted subsistence farming in recent years
- The farmers must feed an increasing number of ppl bc of rapid population growth in developing countries
• 2.
Farmer used to do subsistence, now pressured to grow for commericial bc of international trade approach to development
According to Ester Boserup, what are the two way that subsistence farmers can increase food supply
- New farming methods-> Farm with better methods. Additional labor needed for this comes from population growth. Farmland yields more food per area of land but food per person same.
- Land is left fallow for shorter periods->Expands the amount of land used for growing crops at any given time.
As the population density of an area increases, what happens to the length of time that fields are left fallow
• The more food must be grown, fields will be left fallow for shorter periods of time
How can LDCs generate the funds they need to buy agricultural supplies
Sell crops that are out of season in developed countries or cannot be grown bc of climate
What is the dilemma that is faced by LDCs as they seek to increase the amount of export crops to sells to MDCs
- They make food to sell, but not to eat themsleves
- Money they earn will be to buy food to eat
What two problems have contributed to Africa’s food supply shortage
-Too many cows (animals) and crops for land to support. Cows ate too much plants that are at water
• To make food more affordable for urban residents, government keeps agricultural prices low. Farmers can’t sell for a profit so they don’t have motivation
Maker and consumer of : Cocaine (cocoa leaf)
Grown in Colombia or Peru and Bolivia
• Consumers: developed countries like North America
Maker and consumer of : Heroin (Opium)
- Poppy grown in Afghanistan (Majority), Myanmar/Burma, and Laos
- ,Western Europe where most of the users are.
Maker and consumer of : Marijuana
- Cannibis sativa plant
- Cultivated widely around the world
- Grown in Mexico (US marijuana is)
- Consumer: United States
What countries make drugs and why
-LDCs for export
What four factors have contributed to record high prices of crops
Poor weather (South Pacific and North America)
• Higher demand (China and India)
• Smaller growth in productivity especially without “miracle” breakthroughs
• Use of crops as biofuel, especially in Latin America
Why do commercial farmers suffer from low incomes
They make so much food they face low prices for their output. They are capable of producing much more
food than what is demanded by consumers in developed countries
High supply, lower demand
What things have contributed to farmers suffering low incomes
A surplus of food can be produced because of widespread adoption of efficient agricultural practices. New seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, mechanical equipment, management practices so farmers now have increased yields per area of land.
How does the US government deal with excess agricultural capacity
- Farmers told don’t make high supply crows
- Government pays farmers when certain commodity prices are low
- Government buys surplus production and sells or donates it
US vs European farm subsisdies
• European subsidies greater than US.
-More subsidies and better pay bc of EU
Why is the von thumen model used by geographers
• To help explain the importance of proximity to market the choice of crops on commercial farms.
Who was Johann Heinrich von Thunem
-Model suggested pattern for types of products farmers make based on where they are to the market
According to the von thunmen Model what two factors do farmers consider when farmers decide what to plant
- Based on market location
* Compare cost of land to cost of transporting products to the market
What are the rings of the Von Thunen model
Center- market 1- Dairy and Horticulture 2- Forest 3-Grain 4- Grazing/livestock
What assumptions does von Thunen’s model make
Farming was an economic activity, a profit (Commercial farming)
Markets were situated in the center
Isotopic: flat and featureless
How could Von Thunen’s model be applied at a global scale
Remote location farmers want to sell to West Europe and North america won’t grow perishable goods
Farms closer to markets tend to select crops with ________ whereas more distant farms are more likely to select crops that can be _______
Higher transportation costs per hector of output
Transported less expensively
What are the strategies to increase to world food supply in places where populations are underfed
- Increase exports from countries with surpluses
- Expanding the land area used for agriculture
- Expanding fishing
- Increasing the productivity of land now used for agriculture
What are the largest countries exporting agricultural products
• Latin America (Brazil and Argentina), North America, Southeast Asia, South Pacific
What countries are the leading importers of food
• Europe, East Asia, former Soviet Union.
What country exports the most grain? Why kind and how much
United States. Corn. Nearly a half of the world’s maize exports
Why is land currently being removed from agricultural use
Farmland is abandoned because of lack of water specially in semi arid regions
• Excessive water threatens other agricultural areas, especially drier lands that get water from
human built- systems
• Urbanization-> urban areas grow in population and land areas farms on the edge are replaced
What is aquaculture/aquafarming
The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions.
EX: farming/ Raising salmon
What percentage of the fish caught in the ocean is difrectly consumed by humans
2/3s
What has been the consequence of overfishing
- Population of large predatory fish like Tuna and swordfish has declined by 90 percent in the 1st half century.
- 1/4 of fish stocks have been overfished and 1/2 fully exploited, leaving only 1/4 underfished
- The total world fish catch has remained relatively constant since the 80s even though population growth
What are the two main practices of the green revolution
The introduction of higher-yield form of wheat
• The expanded use of fertilizers
What has happened because of the green revolution
-Agricultural productivity at a global scale has increased faster than population growth
What are the characteristics of the miracle wheat seed
Matured faster
• Less sensitive to variation in day length
• Responded better to fertilizers
Characteristics of miracle rice seed
- Hardier
* Increased yields
What problems do farmers in LDF have which might prevent from from taking full advantage of the Green revolution
• Farmers can’t afford tractors, irrigation pumps, and other machinery to effectively use the
miracle seeds. They also can’t afford to buy fuel to operate the equipment.
What three crops are often genetically modified
- Soybeans
- Cotton
- Corn
How much of the Major crops in the US are genetically modified
- 3/4s of the professed foods that we eat has GM in it
* 94% soybeans, 90% cotton, 88% corn
Advantages of GM food
Higher yields
• Increased nutrition
• Resistance to pests
• Better tasting
Disadvantages of GM food
- Health problems-> eating a lot may reduce effectiveness of antibiotics, may destroy ecological balance in local agriculture
- Export problems-> Africa exports to Europeans. Europeans don’t like GM and require GM be labeled. Africa may not longer be able to certify their crops are not GM and European customers will stop buying them.
- Increased dependence on the US- US companies manufacture most of the GM seeds. Africans fear US would make sure the crop cannot be replanted after harvest and make them buy new seeds every time they want to plant.
What is sustainable agriculture
Agricultural practices that preserve and enhance environment quality
What are the principal practices that distinguish farmers practicing sustainable agriculture from those operating conventionally
Sustainable agriculture typically generates lower revenues than conventional farmers, but they
also have lower costs
What are the advantages of ridge tillage and what is it
A system of planting crops on ridge tops. Protects soil. Used in sustainable agriculture. Promotes
decreased use of chemicals.
What are roundup ready seeds
Used in conventional agriculture. Seeds that are genetically modified to survive when herbicides and insecticides are
sprayed on fields to kill weeds and insects. Hurts soil and water quality. Some weeds are now resistant.
How does chemical use differ between conventional farming methods and sustainable agriculture
Conventional uses chemicals like herbicides and insecticides to prevent weeds and bugs.
Sustainable involves application of limited of any herbicides to control weeds
How does this contribute to sustainable agriculture: Number of livestock
Number and distribution of animals based on landscape and frontage sources. Farmer moves animals to prevent vegetation loss
How does this contribute to sustainable agriculture: Management of extreme weather conditions
Herd size may need to be reduced during drought, but they can buffer the negative impacts of low rain by eating the dead plants.
Properly managed grazing significantly reduces fire hazards by reducing fuel buildup in grass and brushlands.
How does this contribute to sustainable agriculture: Flexible feeding and marketing
Flexibility in feeding and send livestock to market can help cushion farmers from trade and price fluctuations and make more
efficient use of farm labor.
Irrigation
The supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.
Clustered settlement
Close together
Dispersed settlement
Far apart
What is deforestation
the action of clearing a wide area of trees.
What is deforestation
The action of clearing a wide area of trees.
What is a luxury crop
Non-subsitence crops like tea, cacao, coffee, tobacco
Carrying capacity
The amount of people/animals/crops the land can support
Carl Suaer
Cultural landscpe. Culture and environment shapes what we do
Derwent whittlesey
Found the 11 regions
Eat local movement
A movement of people who prefer to eat food which are grown or farmed relatively close to the places of sale and preparation
Plant/animal domestication
Adatpting wild palnts and animals for human use. Must be raised and cared for by humans. They are not wild
Terrace farming
Used on hills or mountains and steps are built into the slopes of hills and mountains
EX: Guiling, China
What is organic farming
-Helps maintian environment health by reducing pollution
-Farming that doesn’t use GMOs, pestices, fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones
EX: organic strawberries
Commodity chain/supply chain
-The sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a raw material/or a resource
Why is the number of farms in the united states shrunk so drastically
-Farmers replaced by machines
In what ways do agricultural practices show differences between developed and undeveloped countries
the mechanized, highly productive American or Canadian farm contrasts with the subsistence farm found in much in the world.
The most “typical” human is an Asian farmer who grows enough food to survive, with little surplus.
What is a swidden
The cleared area is known by a variety of names in different regions, including Swidden. A region or patch of land that the slash and burn farmers
use
How is land owned in a typical village that uses shifting cultivation
-Land owned by the village and chief gives families pieces
Where is intensive subsistence agriculture practice and why there
• In densely populated East, South, and Southeast Asia
Because of their climates and they need a lot of water
How does mixed livestock and crop farming distribute the workload
-Fields don’t need much attention in the winter and Livestock need year-long attention
What is the process of genetic modification
• Humans control selective reproduction of plants and animals in order to produce a larger number of
stronger, hardier survivors. Mixing genetic material of two or more species that would otherwise not mix
in nature
Sustainable agriculutre: Animal confinement
Confining leads to surface and ground water pollution and you need expensive waste management facilities. If animals are not
confined, the manure can contribute to soil fertility, but those nearby won’t like the smell
First agricultural revolution
-Agricultural hearths
-Subsistence harming
-Animal and plant domestication
EX: IL is the biggest producer of soybeans exept they came from East Asia
Colombian exchange
Global movement of plants and animals between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas
Second Agricultural revolution
- Industrial revolution increased food supplies and population growth
- Better mechaines
- Better fertilizers, soils, selective breeding
3rd Agricultural revolution
- Right now
- Subsistence farmers must feed an increasing number of people because of rapid population growth in devleoping countries
