Agricultural Climates

Introduction to Agriculture

• Climate determines agricultural distribution by influencing temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and growing seasons.
• Climate change increasingly shifts suitable farming zones.
• Temperate zones feature moderate temperatures and rainfall, with seasonal variation.
• Mixed Crop & Livestock, and commercial Grain Farming are common in temperate zones.
• Mediterranean climates have warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, found 30-45 degrees latitude western coast.
• Mediterranean climates are suited to growing grapes, olives, citrus, figs, dates, etc.
• Tropical climates have high temperatures, abundant rainfall, humidity, and lots of vegetation.
• Shifting cultivation and plantation agriculture are practices found in tropical climates.
• Drylands and desert climates have high temperatures, little rainfall, and sometimes mountainous terrain with little vegetation.
• Pastoral nomadism and ranching are practices found in dryland and desert climates.
• Intensive agriculture involves effective and efficient use of labor on smaller plots or land to maximize crop yield.
• Examples of intensive agriculture include rice farming in Korea and Japan, dairy farming in the Netherlands, and housing high densities of fish in artificial tanks.
• Extensive agriculture produces lower yields and uses large quantities of land.
• Examples of extensive agriculture include cattle ranching in Aurelia, wheat ranching in Canada, and sheep farming.

Agricultural Origins and Hearths and Diffusion

• The Neolithic Revolution represents a wide-scale transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement, enabling larger populations.
• The Fertile Crescent domesticated barley, wheat, lentils, olives, oats, rye, sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs.
• Southeast Asia domesticated sugarcane, taro, coconut, mango, bananas, grapefruit, rice, and tea.
• East Asia domesticated rice, soybeans, and walnuts.
• Sub-Saharan Africa domesticated coffee, cowpeas, millet, African rice, sorghum, and yams.
• Mesoamerica domesticated sweet potatoes, beans, maize, chiles, peppers, cotton, cassava, lima beans, potatoes, and tomatoes.
• The Columbian Exchange is a widespread transfer of plants, animals, technology, and diseases between the New World (Americas) and the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) in the 15th and 16th centuries.
• The Columbian Exchange significantly increased trade and food production across the globe.

The Second Agricultural Revolution

• The Second Agricultural Revolution involved the use of technology and mechanization to increase production and distribution of agricultural goods.
• Innovations included the cotton gin, seed drill, steel plough, and barbed wire.
• Mechanization led to high yields, creating a surplus of food, driving population growth, and increasing life expectancy.
• Increased technology reduced manual labor, decreasing the number of farmers.
• The enclosure movement was a series of laws enacted by the British government that allowed landowners to purchase and enclose land previously used by peasant farmers.
• The enclosure movement led to the emergence of commercial agriculture.
• Fewer and larger farms resulted in a decrease in farm owners, improvements in farming techniques, and a decrease in agricultural laborers.
• Urbanization involved the mass migration of people into cities to work in newly emerging factories.
• Crop rotation involves planting different crops each year to maintain soil fertility.
• Crop rotation led to increased crop yields and experimentation with fertilization techniques.
• New transportation involved trains and steamboats allowed farmers to ship their products further and at a lower cost.

The Green Revolution

• The Green Revolution occurred in the 1950s-1960s and involved the diffusion of research from MDCs to developing countries in Latin America and Asia.
• The Green Revolution was caused by massive population growth in the 20th century.
• Norman Borlaug worked in Mexico to improve techniques in order to feed the growing population of the world, prompting the Green Revolution.
• It introduced higher-yielding, disease-resistant, and faster-growing varieties of grains.
• Double cropping, or growing more than one crop per year, became more common.
• Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation techniques, and machinery in developing countries became prevalent.
• The Green Revolution led to higher yields on the same amount of cultivated land.
• Increased yields led to surpluses in the amount of crops, to sustain population growth, and to begin exporting crops.
• Increased yields also led to more wealth, better farming technology, and more crops.
• Self-sufficiency increased in developing regions like Latin America, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
• Lower food prices and increased access resulted from self-sufficiency
• Negative environmental consequences included the mass use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides causing runoff in local water systems, impacting ecosystems, habitats, polluting water, and poisoning animals.
• Intensive double cropping systems and aggressive irrigation caused soil erosion and salinization.
• More machinery led to more use of fossil fuels, causing air, sound, and water pollution.
• Biodiversity was lost.
• Women were often in charge of farming labor, which changed gender roles and dynamics.
• Farming techniques were communicated to male heads of households which led to a wealth disparity between men and women involved in agriculture
• Women were excluded from learning and decision making power due to their lack of economic and social equality.
• The Green revolution had poor success in Africa.
• Harsh environments and unpredictable conditions such as droughts and infertile soil hindered Green revolution implementation
• A lack of infrastructure and reliable transportation networks reduced the viability of transportation in already difficult zones
• African crops such as sorghum, millet, cassava, yams, and cowpeas were genetically researched to give the positive effects of GMOs to the crops in Africa
• There was a general lack of government investment to kick start the process.

Agricultural Production Regions

• Subsistence farming uses animals for milk, skins, and hair for clothing and tents, while commercial farming involves the production of crops and livestock on a large scale for sale.
• Pastoral nomadism is subsistence and extensive, common in developing nations.
• Plantations are commercial and intensive, common in developing nations.
• Ranching is commercial and extensive, common in developed nations.
• Market gardening is commercial and intensive, common in developed nations.
• Mixed crop and livestock farming is commercial and intensive, common in developed nations.
• Shifting cultivation is subsistence and extensive, common in developed nations.
• Dairy farming is commercial and intensive, common in developed nations.
• Wet rice dominant farming is subsistence and intensive, common in developing nations.
• Wet rice non-dominant farming is commercial and extensive, common in developed nations.
• The Corn Belt is located in the Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota).
• Major Crops of the corn belt include corn (mainly for livestock feed, ethanol, and food products).
• Other products of the corn belt include Soybeans
• The Dairy Belt is located in the Upper Midwest & Northeast (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont).
• Major products of the dairy belt are Milk, cheese, butter, other dairy products.
• The Dairy belt is nicknamed "America's Dairyland" (especially Wisconsin).
• The cotton belt is located in the Southern U.S. (Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina).
• Major Crops of The cotton belt include cotton, peanuts, and tobacco.
• The cotton belt is historically important for plantation agriculture
• The wheat belt is divided into the Winter Wheat Belt (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas) and the Spring Wheat Belt (North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana).
• Major Crops of the wheat belt include wheat (used for bread, flour, and exports).

Industrial Agriculture

• The four stages of the supply chain are commodities production (farming), manufacturing (food processing), storage and distribution (transport to market), and retail (sale to consumer).
• Vertical integration effects the stages of the supply chain.
• Factory farming and industrial agriculture affect small-scale farmers and the productivity of the land.

The Global System of Agriculture

• Colonialism has impacted and shaped the global system of agriculture through single-crop economies and economic complementarity.
• World trade is influenced by stronger trade relationships with countries once part of the same empire.
• Import tariffs create trade wars.
• Embargoes and sanctions involving agricultural products can also influence world trade.
• Infrastructure (railroads, ports, roads, etc) facilitates world trade.

Consequences of Modern Agriculture

• Agriculture shapes and changes the landscape through deforestation.
• Deforestation is the destruction of forests or forested areas by human or natural means related to the logging industry, slash, and burn.
• Hillside terracing involves digging terraces into a mountain or hillside to farm, creating "step farming."
• This process is common in the Andes mountain range, Philippines, Japan, and China.
• Wetland removal clears water from wetlands and swamps to make land accessible to farmers.
• Wetland removal and water draining destroys ecosystems if done improperly
• Polder creation reclaims low-lying land from a body of water, separated by dikes, used heavily in the Netherlands.
• Reservoir and water diversion techniques reserve and channel water for distribution.
• Examples include reservoirs, canals, and aqueducts.
• Agriculture impacts the environment; pesticides, fertilizers, and other toxic farm chemicals can pollute fresh water, marine ecosystems, air, and soil.

Contemporary Agriculture

• Modern biotechnology can be helpful by boosting food production, disease resistance, and medical advances.
• Modern biotechnology can be harmful by raising concerns about biodiversity loss, superweeds, health risks, and corporate control.
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) allows consumers to support local farms directly, reducing transportation and promoting sustainable farming.
• Fair Trade ensures farmers are paid fairly and work under ethical conditions, addressing global inequality.
• The Ugly Food Movement reduces food waste by encouraging the use of imperfect, yet edible, produce.
• Organic Farming avoids harmful chemicals, improving soil health and reducing environmental impact.
• The Local Food Movement promotes sourcing food locally, reducing transportation emissions and supporting local economies.
• Farmers' Markets facilitate direct sales from farmers to consumers, ensuring fair prices and promoting fresh, local food.
• Food insecurity exists, despite enough food on the planet, due to the unequal distribution of resources, political instability, poverty, and inefficient agricultural practices, with LDCs facing unique challenges.

Women in Agriculture

• As nations develop, women in agriculture experience unequal access to land, capital, and leadership roles.

Settlement Patterns and Survey Methods

• Metes and Bounds uses landmarks and physical features to establish boundary lines.
• Township and Range keeps track of land sales and purchases, utilizing a uniform survey method.
• French Long Lot involves long strips of land that start at a river or lake, providing landowners with equal access to resources and transportation.
• Principal Meridians and Baselines maps enable accurate mapping of land into townships.

Von Thunen Model

• The Von Thunen Model was developed by Johann Heinrich von Thünen, a German economist and farmer.
• It describes the spatial distribution of agricultural activities around a central market.
• The model theorizes that different types of agriculture are located in concentric rings based on transportation costs and land use intensity.
• Von Thunen developed his model in the early 19th century, specifically around 1826, based on observations of northern Germany.
• The Von Thunen Model predicts the spatial layout according to a central market.
• An application or interpretation of the model.
• The model fails at local scales as it doesn't account for factors like terrain, microclimates, and cultural preferences.
• The model fails at global/regional scales and is less applicable due to better transportation networks, technological advancements, or globalization.
• The model fails at urban scales due to the model not accounting for urban sprawl or changing land use patterns.