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Questions and Answers
What is the primary source of survival for pastoral nomads?
What is the significance of herd size to pastoral nomads?
What is the name of the seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowlands pasture areas?
What type of climate is pastoral nomadism adapted to?
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What is the main goal of intensive/permanent subsistence farming system?
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Which of the following regions is associated with the cultivation of millet and sorghum?
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What is the significance of animal skins and hairs to pastoral nomads?
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Why do pastoral nomads select specific types and numbers of animals?
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Where did Carl Sauer believe the vegetative planting probably originated?
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What were the first plants domesticated in South East Asia through vegetative planting?
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Where did seed agriculture originate in the Eastern hemisphere?
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What crops are traced to the Near East region?
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Where were cereals grown as long as 9,000 years ago?
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What are the two main costs that a commercial farmer compares when choosing an enterprise?
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Why does a farmer not necessarily plant the crop that sells for the highest price per hectare?
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What are the two distinguishing characteristics of agriculture in Less Developed Countries (LDCs)?
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What is the primary purpose of agriculture in Less Developed Countries (LDCs)?
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What is the main factor that determines the spatial arrangement of different crops according to Von Thunen's model?
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What type of products are typically found in the first ring out from the cities in Von Thunen's model?
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What is the name of the region where figs were cultivated even earlier?
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Why is closeness to market important for timber in Von Thunen's model?
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What is the main characteristic of the outermost ring in Von Thunen's model?
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What is the primary purpose of agriculture?
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What did humans do before the invention of agriculture?
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What was the typical size of a group of hunters and gatherers?
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What was the role of men in hunting and gathering societies?
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What is believed to have led to the development of plant cultivation in the Near East?
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What is the earlier form of plant cultivation, according to Carl Sauer?
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What is seed agriculture?
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What is the significance of the development of farming?
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What is the primary purpose of subsistence farming?
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What is typically used in subsistence farming?
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What is a characteristic of shifting cultivation?
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What happens to the soil after a few years of farming in shifting cultivation?
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Why is the land left fallow in shifting cultivation?
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What is used to prepare fields in shifting cultivation?
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What is the typical duration of farming on a cleared patch in shifting cultivation?
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What is done to the debris after clearing the land in shifting cultivation?
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Study Notes
Choosing an Enterprise
- A commercial farmer compares two costs: the cost of the land versus the cost of transporting products to the market.
- A farmer identifies a crop that can be sold for more than the cost of the land.
- The choice of crop depends on the distance of the farmer's land from the central market city.
- Each crop has a unique transportation cost.
Von Thunen's Model
- Von Thunen based his general model of the spatial arrangement of different crops on experiences as an owner of a large estate in northern Germany.
- Market-oriented gardens and milk producers were located in the first ring out from the cities.
- The next ring contained wooded lots, where timber was cut for construction and fuel.
- The next ring was used for various crops and for pasture.
- The outermost ring was devoted to animal grazing, which requires lots of space.
Agriculture
- Agriculture is the deliberate modification of the earth's surface by cultivating or caring for plants and rearing animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.
- Agriculture originated when humans domesticated plants and animals for their use.
Evolution of Agriculture
- Humans obtained food through hunting, fishing, or gathering plants before the invention of agriculture.
- Agriculture evolved from a combination of accidents and deliberate experiment over thousands of years.
- Plant cultivation apparently evolved from gathering wild vegetation, with people observing and utilizing the growth of new plants from discarded food.
Early Types of Plant Cultivation
- According to Carl Sauer, the earlier form of plant cultivation was vegetative planting, which is the reproduction of plants/crops by direct cloning from existing plants.
- Seed agriculture, which is the reproduction of plants through annual planting of seeds, came later.
Location of First Vegetative Planting
- Carl Sauer believed that vegetative planting probably originated in South East Asia.
- The first plants domesticated in South East Asia through vegetative planting included roots such as taro and yam and tree crops such as banana and palm.
Location of First Seed Agriculture
- Seed agriculture also originated in more than one hearth.
- Carl Sauer identified three hearths in the Eastern hemisphere: western India, northern China, and Ethiopia.
- Seed agriculture diffused from western India to South west Asia, where important early advances were made, including the cultivation of wheat and barley.
Other Notable Developments
- Crops including wheat, barley, and peas are traced to the Near East region.
- Cereals were grown in Syria as long as 9,000 years ago, while figs were cultivated even earlier.
- The origins of rice and millet farming date to the same Neolithic period in China.
Agriculture in Less Developed Countries
- Agriculture in LDC's is generally described as subsistence agriculture, which primarily provides food for consumption by the farmer's family.
- These regions have two distinguishing characteristics:
- Most people work in agriculture rather than industry or service jobs.
- Most people produce food for their own consumption.
Characteristics of Subsistence Farming
- Output is mainly for home consumption.
- Little or low capital is used.
- Farms are very small in size.
- Farming methods are not sophisticated (e.g., simple tools such as hoes and cutlasses are used).
- It involves the use of manure.
- Labour is mainly from the family.
Shifting Cultivation
- Shifting cultivation is practiced in much of the world's humid low latitudes or climatic regions with high temperatures and abundant rainfall.
- It predominates in Amazon areas of South America, Central and Western Africa, and South East Asia.
- Characteristics:
- Farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning the debris.
- Farmers grow crops on a cleared field for only a few years until the soil nutrients are depleted, and then leave it fallow for many years to recover.
Crops of Shifting Cultivation
- The predominant crops include upland rice in South East Asia, maize and cassava in South America, and millet and sorghum in Africa.
- Yam, sugarcane, plantain, and vegetables are also grown in some regions.
Pastoral Nomadism
- Pastoral nomadism is a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals.
- It is adapted to dry climates where planting of crops is impossible.
- Characteristics:
- Pastoral nomads depend primarily on animals rather than crops for survival.
- The animals provide milk, and their skins and hairs are used for clothing and tents.
- The size of their herd is both a measure of power and prestige and their main security during adverse environmental conditions.
Choice of Animals
- Nomads select the type and number of animals according to local cultural and physical characteristics.
- The choice depends on the relative prestige of animals and the ability of species to adapt to particular climate and vegetation.
Movement of Pastoral Nomads
- Pastoral nomads do not wander randomly across the landscape but have a strong sense of territoriality.
- Some pastoral nomads practice transhumance, which is seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowlands pasture areas.
Intensive/Permanent Subsistence Farming System
- It is a farming practice on a small piece of land by involving much labour, capital, and inputs to obtain the maximum yield per acre.
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Description
Understand the factors that influence a farmer's choice of crop, including transportation costs and market proximity, as described in Von Thunen's model.
