KEY ISSUE 1 Where did Agriculture Originate Agriculture

KEY ISSUE 1 Where did Agriculture Originate?

Agriculture is deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.

Origins of agriculture cannot be documented with certainty, because it occurred before recorded history.

Prior to the advent of agriculture, all humans likely obtained needed food through hunting and gathering.

People practicing hunting & gathering usually lived in groups of 50 or less, and relocated regularly along with changing seasons. Geographers believe hunters and gatherers utilized a gendered division of labor

Today, only a quarter million people practice H&G, living on the farthest margins of modern society. A modern example are the BUSHMEN of Namibia/ Botswana

The Agricultural Revolution was when humans first domesticated plants and animals, removing reliance on hunting and gathering. Cave painting of humans with domesticated animals

The Agricultural Revolution allowed humans to • Create permanent settlements • Have greater food security • Host larger populations

Discovery of Agriculture – some disagreement on causes ACCIDENT- Humans noticed by accident that discarded seeds sprouted new plants, and responded EXPERIMENTATION- Humans deliberately experimented with the planting of crops, eventually finding methods that worked It was probably a combination of both!

� 3 Agricultural Revolutions rd ND � 3 � 2 Coincided w/ Industrial Rev’n (Late 1700 s- early 1800 s) new farm implements (like steel plow) lead to much larger farm sizes and less labor. � Began in mid-20 th century with advanced technology and bioengineering. � Further reduced labor demand; far higher farm output. �

Agriculture is believed to have developed in multiple hearts around 9 -10, 000 years ago.

Crop Hearths (early crops, by region) Sub-Saharan Africa: Sorghum, yams, millet, and rice East Asia: Rice and millet

Crop Hearths (early crops by region) Latin America: Beans, cotton, potato; most importantly maize (corn) Southwest Asia: barley, wheat, lentil, and olive

Animal Domestication Southwest Asia is credited with domesticating many of the most important stock animals around 8, 000 years ago, including cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep

DOGS were first domesticated around 12, 000 years ago in SW Asia- predating the agricultural revolution. They may have been used by huntergatherers for hunting and security

HORSES were domesticated in Central Asia, their diffusion largely followed the diffusion of the Indo. European language family. This lends support to Gimbutas’ Nomadic Warrior Hypothesis.

Subsistence v. Commercial

SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer’s kin (not for sale).

COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE is the large-scale production of food for sale off the farm.

Several characteristics distinguish subsistence agriculture from commercial agriculture.

Small-scale and local, subsistence agriculture is practiced primarily in the developing world.

Large-scale, expensive, and technology-intensive, commercial agriculture is primarily practiced in the developed world.

FARMERS IN THE LABOR FORCE In the developing world, farmers constitute ≥ 44% of the labor force, compared to ≤ 5% in most developed countries.

In the USA and Canada, farmers are only 2% of the labor force- but these countries produce enough crops to provide an export surplus.

Farmers in the Labor Force - Global percentages

FARM SIZE Commercial farms are FAR larger than subsistence farms. Farms in the US average 161 hectares (418 acres); in China, they average just 1 hectare (2. 5 acres).

USE OF MACHINERY Commercial farming is dependent on expensive technology, while subsistence farming is accomplished through brute physical force.

KEY ISSUE 2 Why do People Consume Different Foods?

The way the people produce and consume foods provides one of the starkest contrasts between the developed and developing world.

Diet is determined by. Level of Development • People in the developed world eat MORE, from MORE SOURCES Physical Conditions • Determines what can be grown and consumed based on environment Cultural Factors

DIETARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION is the amount of food an individual consumes; this is measured in KCALS, or CALORIES.

Most calories are obtained through the consumption of CEREAL CROPS - grasses that bear edible seeds (GRAINS).

WHEAT, RICE, and MAIZE are the most commonly consumed cereal crops. Regional consumption trends are clear.

VENEZUELA is the only country where most calories are secured through SUGAR CONSUMPTIONthough the country is in a MAJOR FOOD SHORTAGE today.

Disparities exist between how the developed and developing world acquires needed PROTEIN. MEAT CONSUMPTION provides most protein in the developed world. CEREAL GRAINS provide most protein in the developing world.

SOURCES OF PROTEIN

% PROTEIN FROM MEAT

FOOD SECURITY is access to safe and nutritious food required for an active and healthy life. Approximately 1 in 8 people in the

People need to eat 1, 800 KCAL per day to lead a healthy life. In the US, average consumption is 3, 800 per day; in the developing world, it is 2, 400. Many very poor countries hover near the recommended minimum.

Undernourishmen t is dietary energy consumption that is continuously below the minimum requirement for maintaining a healthy life.

The UN estimates that 870 million people suffer from undernourishment- 99% of whom live in the developing world.

Global Distribution of UNDERNOURISHMENT

State/Regional Distribution of UNDERNOURISHMENT