Vocabulary Cash Crops crops grown for money more

Vocabulary • Cash Crops – crops grown for money; more specifically refers to more specialized crops located mainly in or near the tropics (e. g. , sugar, cotton, rubber, bananas, oranges, . . . ) • Agribusiness – A company which specializes in the integration of all steps of the food process industry • Ridge Tillage – System of planting crops on ridge tops, in order to reduce farm production costs and promote greater soil conservation. • Thresh – To beat out grain from stalks by trampling it. • Chaff – husks of grain separated from the seed by threshing

Vocabulary • Commercial Agriculture – agriculture specializing in the sale of cash crops • Subsistence Agriculture – The practice of growing enough to survive (LDCs) • Sustainable Agriculture – agricultural practices that can be maintained • Intensive Sustainable Agriculture - A form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land. • Extensive Agriculture - yields a large amount of output per acre through less intensive farming (uses a large amount of land)

Agriculture • In LDCs – farm products are consumed on or near the farm that they are produced • In MDCs – farmers sell what they produce • Elements of agriculture – climate, soil, topography, culture

Where did Agriculture Originate? • Origins of Agriculture • Location of agricultural hearths • Classifying agricultural regions

First Agricultural Revolution • 1 st crop and animal domestication (S. W. Asia) • Developed the 1 st permanent settlements

Origins of Agriculture • Agriculture – deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain • Hunters and Gatherers – Groups of <50 people – Contemporary H&G • 250, 000 people today are hunters and gatherers • Arctic, Australia, South America and Africa

Invention of Agriculture 2 types of cultivation • Vegetative planting – the reproduction of plants by direct cloning from existing plants • Seed Agriculture – reproduction of plants through annual planting of seeds that result from sexual fertilization

Location of Agricultural Hearths • Vegetative planting – Southeast Asia • Fishing people and therefore more sedentary • 1 st were roots (yams, bananas, palm) – Diffused northward and eastward to China and Japan and Westward through India and SW Asia, Africa, Mediterranean – Livestock – dog, pig, chicken • Other hearths were S. America and West Africa • Hearths = West Africa, Northwest South America, S. E. Asia - India

• Location of Agriculture Seed Agriculture – Eastern Hemisphere • Western India, northern China, Ethiopia – SW Asia (S. E. Turkey); domesticated wheat and barley, cattle, sheep, and goats (used for labor, milk, skins, meat) – Diffusion of seed agriculture • Southwest Asia across Europe and through N. Africa – Greece, Crete, Cyprus show early evidence » Diffuse north through the Danube River basin to Baltic and North Seas • Eastward from SW Asia to NW India and Indus River plain • Northern China millet to S. Asia and SE Asia – Western Hemisphere • Southern Mexico and Northern Peru – S. Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras; Squash and Maize (corn) • Hearths = Southern Mexico, N. E. Africa, N. China, N. E. India

2 nd Agricultural Revolution • Increase technology, crop rotation • Population increase and migration to cities • Development of commercial agriculture

Classifying Agricultural Regions • LDC – subsistence farming – Production of food primarily for the family • MDC – commercial agriculture • Production of food primarily for the sale from the farm • 5 ways to distinguish between the 2 – – – Purpose of farming Percentage of farmers in the labor force Use of machinery Farm size Relationship of farming to other businesses

Purpose of Farming • Subsistence – produce for their own consumption • Commercial – grow crops and raise animals for sale off the farm • Agricultural products are sold to food-processing companies • % in MDCs is very low • Majority of population is involved in subsistence farming

Use of Machinery % farm size • Benefits of machinery – Transportation – Scientific developments – Electronics – GPS • Farm Size – Large for commercial agriculture – Most are family owned – Very expensive business

Relationship of Farming to Other Businesses • Commercial farming = agribusiness – Integrated into a large food production industry – Farmers – 2% of labor force, 20% of labor force works in food production • Manufacturing, production, distribution of all types of materials

Mapping Agricultural Regions • Derwent Whittlesey – 11 regions; 5 LDC 6 MDC • Separated by climate; drylands and tropics

3 rd Agricultural Revolution • The Green Revolution • Use of genetically modified crops, chemical fertilizers • Intensive mechanization in MDCs • Agriculture becomes a combination of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector activity

Vocabulary • Green Revolution – diffusion and use of new agricultural practices, especially biotechnology • Horticulture – the growing of fruits, vegetables and flowers • Plantation – a large farm specializing in one or two cash crops for trade with MDCs • Paddy –a Malay (from Malaysia) word used to describe flooded fields where rice grows • Pasture – land used for grazing

Vocabulary • Sawah – an Austronesian word used to describe flooded fields where rice grows • Desertification – The process of turning arable land into arid land • Shifting Cultivation – the practice of farming on one plot of land then relocating to another as the soil becomes depleted • Pastoral Nomadism – a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals (sheep, goats, cows, etc) • Land Rent Theory – the concept that states the greater the area available, the less the land will cost

Where agricultural regions in LDC’s located? • Shifting Cultivation • Pastoral nomadism • Intensive subsistence agriculture • Plantation farming

Ester Boserup’s Rural Land Use Theory • As the population increases, more food must be grown, and farms will achieve a very intensive use of farmland • Population growth influences the types of subsistence farming. • Bigger population = new farming methods • Late 20 th century LDCs population grew and people in cities grew = need to produce more food. • Increase supply of food in 2 ways – New farming methods – Land is left fallow for shorter periods

New Farming Methods • Increase technology – Plows replace axes • Increase production – More weeding, more manure, more terraces, more irrigation • Use labor that came from population growth

Land is left fallow for shorter periods 5 stages • Forest fallow – Use it for 2 years, left fallowed for 20 • Bush fallow – Use it for 8 years, left fallowed for 10 • Short fallow – Use it for 2 years, left fallowed for 2 • Annual Cropping – Used every year and rotated between legumes and roots • Multi-Cropping – Used several times a year and never left fallowed

Shifting Cultivation - Subsistence • Humid Low-Latitude climate regions – High temperatures and abundant rainfall • Amazon in S. A. , Central and W. Africa, S. E. Asia • Very small 5% of people use it but it occupies the largest percentage of the world’s land area ¼ • Live in small villages • 2 main details – Slash and burn agriculture (swidden = cleared area) – Grow crops on fields for only a few years until nutrients is depleted

Pastoral Nomadism - Subsistence • Pastoral = herding of animals • Dry climates; arid & semiarid lands (N. Africa, Middle East, Central Asia) • 15 million people occupy 20% of earth’s land • Transhumance- seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pasture areas

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture • For people who live in LDC’s • East, South, And Southeast Asia • Must produce a large amount of food in a smaller area • Wet rice – planting rice on dry land in a nursery then moving the seedlings to a flooded field to promote growth (sawah, paddy) – Dominant in S. E. China, E. India, & S. E. Asia – Inter tillage; manually clearing rows (rice) • Abundant water is the most important factor when growing rice – Agricultural output in South Asia each year depends on the monsoon rains • To increase crop yields, farmers in China practice double cropping -2 harvest per year from 1 field. Wet rice in the summer and wheat, barley or other dry crops in the winter

Plantation Farming - Commercial • Tropics and subtropics (Latin America, Africa, Asia) • Generally in LDC’s but owned by Europeans or N. A. and grow crops for sale primarily in MDC’s (coreperiphery) e. g. ; cotton, sugar, coffee, rubber, tobacco, cocoa, jute, bananas, tea, coconuts, palm oil • Example of a commodity chain series of links connecting the many places of production and distribution and resulting in a commodity that is then exchanged on the world market – Import workers and provide them with food, housing and social services.

Review: Types of Agriculture Intensive Small amounts of land, get as much as you can from it, very labor intensive. (Crop rotation). Crop Rotation – Dividing a field into different parts Inter tillage – manually clearing rows (rice) Extensive Large amounts of land, get as much as you can from it then move to a new location. (Shifting cultivation). uses most land worldwide Shifting Cultivation – Farm till soil is used up the relocated (slash and burn) – Being eliminated worldwide » Greater use of technology and globalization Pastoral Nomadism – migrating animal herds – Transhumance – relocation Double cropping – obtaining two harvest in one based on the seasons year – Cattle feedlot is a good example of extensive land use Sustainable Agriculture – can be maintained unsustainable

Review: Types of Agriculture Subsistence Commercial grow enough to survive grow for sale Majority of people in the world are involved in this type of agriculture Truck Farming – large scale specialty farming for trade Plantation Agriculture –Mostly practiced in LDC’s Example of Core-Periphery in agricultural trade Exporting of cash crops to MDC’s Combinations Intensive Subsistence Agriculture Intensive Commercial Agriculture Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Extensive Commercial Agriculture

Review Commercial cont. • Agribusiness – Mass production and distribution of agricultural products – Dominant form of agriculture in U. S. , MDC’s – Suitcase farms – Use cheap migrant labor – Use of industrial agriculture – Assembly line mass production concepts in farming – Integrated commodity chains – Control production from growing to selling to the customer • Comparative advantage – produce goods cheaper than small family farms • Family farmers have resorted to organic farming – Appeal to environmental, social, and health concerns of consumers – Allows for higher profits on products – Sell directly to the consumer at farmers markets