Global Agricultural Diversity and Practices

Global Agricultural Diversity

• Tropical climates support crops like coffee, sugar, and pineapples.
• Mediterranean climates are suitable for grapes and olives.

Technological Advancements in Agriculture

• Fertilizers increase crop yields.
• Genetic modification enhances crop characteristics, such as disease resistance.
• Vertical farming optimizes space and resource use in urban areas.
• Community gardens promote local food production and community engagement.

Intensive vs. Extensive Agricultural Practices

• Intensive: High inputs (labor, capital) per unit of land, low land use, high labor/capital ratio, near urban centers.
  • Examples: Plantation agriculture (large-scale cash crops), mixed crop and livestock farming, market gardening.
• Extensive: Low inputs per unit of land, high land use, low labor/capital ratio, far from urban centers.
  • Examples: Shifting cultivation (swidden agriculture), nomadic herding, ranching.

Socio-Economic Implications of Agricultural Practices

• Cash crops can lead to food insecurity if prioritized over food crops for local consumption.
• Food security is impacted by factors like poverty, political instability, and climate change.

Settlement Patterns and Survey Methods

• Settlement Patterns:
  • Clustered settlements: Homes/farms close together.
  • Dispersed settlements: Homes/farms spread out.
  • Linear settlements: Homes/farms along transportation routes.
• Survey Methods:
  • Long lot survey: Narrow parcels extending from a transportation route.
  • Metes and bounds: Uses natural landmarks to define property boundaries.
  • Township and range: A grid system using longitude and latitude.

Agricultural Hearths and Diffusion

• Five primary agricultural hearths: Fertile Crescent, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, East Asia, Southeast Asia.
• Diffusion mechanisms include the Columbian Exchange, Silk Road, trading companies, and migration.

The Second Agricultural Revolution

• Technological advancements: Cotton gin, seed drill, steel plow, grain elevators, McCormick Reaper.
• Enclosure movement: Privatization of communal lands for more efficient farming.
• Consequences: Increased food production, population boom, urban migration, improved diets, global trade expansion.

The Green Revolution

• Key innovations: High-yield seeds, increased use of chemicals, mechanization.
• Dr. Norman Borlaug: Developed semi-dwarf, disease-resistant wheat varieties.
• Impact: Increased food production, but also environmental challenges (soil degradation, water contamination, biodiversity loss) and economic disparities.

Subsistence vs. Commercial Agriculture

• Subsistence: Aims to produce enough food for the farmer's family/community, prioritizing sustainability.
• Commercial: Focused on profit maximization, larger farms, advanced machinery, and efficient methods.

Intensive vs. Extensive Farming

• Intensive: Small land area, high yields per unit of land, high labor input, high capital investment.
• Extensive: Large land area, lower yields per unit of land, low labor input, low capital investment.

Bid Rent Theory

• Land prices decrease with distance from urban areas, influencing agricultural location decisions.

Mono Cropping & Monoculture

• Mono cropping: Planting the same crop repeatedly, risks soil depletion and vulnerability to pests.
• Monoculture: Focusing on a single crop type, similar risks to mono cropping, but potentially over a wider area.

Economic Development & Agriculture

• Developed countries: Primarily use commercial agriculture with advanced technology.
• Developing countries: Often rely on subsistence farming due to limited resources and technology.

Market Proximity & Agricultural Location

• Intensive agriculture: Often located near cities for market access.
• Extensive agriculture: Located further from cities where land is cheaper.

The Green Revolution & Its Impacts

• Positive impacts: Increased food security, lower food prices.
• Negative impacts: Environmental concerns, social inequalities, decline of family farms.

Commodity Chains & Economies of Scale

• Commodity Chains: Interconnected steps from production to consumer.
• Economies of Scale: Larger farms benefit from reduced costs, challenging smaller farms.

Von Thünen's Model of Land Use

• Illustrates agricultural land organization around a market based on profit maximization and transportation costs.

Global Agriculture & The Impact of Conflict

• Ukraine's role: Major agricultural producer ("breadbasket of Europe").
• Conflict impact: Disruption of exports, reduced global food supply, rising fertilizer prices.

Environmental Consequences of Agricultural Practices

• Deforestation, desertification, soil salinization, water pollution.
• Growing movements towards sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration.

Agricultural Practices and Environmental Health

• Resource Utilization: Exploitation in developing countries leads to environmental damage.
• Water Management Challenges: Irrigation depletes water and pollutes systems.
• Restoration and Conservation Efforts: Positive initiatives such as reforestation protect ecosystems.
• Shifting Consumer Preferences: Growing demand for sustainable foods drives changes in agricultural practices.

Other Agricultural Practices Topics

• Urbanization and Agricultural Production: Economic development leads to reduced farm labor.
• Government Policies: Influence production decisions and trade dynamics.
• Water Scarcity: Increased irrigation leads to water pollution and depletion.
• Biodiversity Concerns: Monocropping reduces plant diversity.
• Alternative Practices: Community-supported agriculture (CSA), urban farming are gaining popularity.
  • Advancements vs. Ethical Concerns: Advances in technology raise ethical debates, regarding safety and sustainability.
  • Impact of Industrial Agriculture: Consolidation of food production within large companies challenges smaller farms.
• Subsidies and Global Trade: Government subsidies distort market dynamics, impacting smaller farms globally.
• Aquaculture: Increased production of fish, raises concerns about sustainability.
• Women in Agriculture: Women's crucial role in agriculture, and societal challenges and progress.