hgap 51.-5.5 review 2

Climate and Agriculture

• Cold mid-latitude areas like North Central U.S.A., Southern Canada, and Eastern Europe produce wheat, barley, livestock, and dairy cows.
• Warm mid-latitude regions such as Southern China and the Southern U.S.A. yield vegetables, fruits, and rice.
• Mediterranean climates, found in California, Chile, and the Mediterranean Sea area, are known for growing grapes, olives, and dates.
• Grassland/Continental Steppe areas, like Northern Africa, the Western U.S.A., and Mongolia, support cattle ranching, sheep, goats, horses, and camels.
• Sub-Tropical regions, including Indonesia and the West Indies, produce rice, cotton, and tobacco.
• Tropical areas, such as Equatorial Africa and Indonesia, are suitable for coffee, sugar, tea, cacao, and pineapple.

Factors Influencing Agriculture

• Climate, specifically bioclimatic zones, determines agricultural output, including precipitation levels.
• Space and landforms, such as mountain ranges and deserts, affect agriculture.
• Soil and nutrients are crucial for agricultural production.

Tropical & Subtropical Agriculture

• Shifting cultivation and plantation agriculture are common.
• High temperatures, abundant rainfall, humidity, and significant vegetation characterize these regions.

Drylands/Desert Agriculture

• Livestock ranching is typical.
• These areas have high temperatures, little rainfall, mountainous terrain, and sparse vegetation.

Temperate (Mid-Latitude) Agriculture

• Includes mixed crop and livestock, commercial grain farming, commercial gardening, dairy, and Mediterranean agriculture.
• Seasonal changes between summers and winters, moderate temperatures, and rainfall are characteristic.

Environmental Possibilism

• Humans use technology to overcome the environmental limits impacting agriculture.
• Greenhouses are used to control climate.
• Terrace farming is used in sloped landforms.
• Fertilizers and slash-and-burn techniques are used to enhance soil and nutrients.
• Irrigation and draining wetlands manage water and precipitation.

Economic Forces

• The cost of land, labor, and machinery influences agricultural practices.

Intensive Agriculture

• Involves large amounts of labor and/or capital.
• Small plots of land are used due to scarcity and high cost.
• Typically located near areas with high population density.
• Market gardening, plantation agriculture, mixed crop & livestock, and Mediterranean agriculture are examples.

Extensive Agriculture

• Uses fewer inputs of labor and/or capital.
• Large plots of land are used because land is plentiful and inexpensive.
• Usually located away from major population centers.
• Shifting cultivation, livestock ranching, nomadic herding, and commercial grain farming are examples.

Subsistence Agriculture

• Focuses on growing enough food to feed the farmer's family or community.
• It leaves little surplus for sale or trade.

Commercial Agriculture

• Aims at producing crops and livestock for sale in local, national, or international markets.

Types of Agriculture

Shifting Cultivation

• Practiced in tropical climates.
• Found in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.
• Common crops include rice, maize (corn), millet, and sorghum.
• It is extensive, with farmers moving from one field to another.
• Subsistence farming method.
• Farmers clear and fertilize the land by burning vegetation, known as slash-and-burn agriculture.
• When the soil loses fertility, farmers move to a different plot of land and repeat the process.

Nomadic Herding/Pastoral Nomadism

• Common in drylands and deserts.
• Practiced in Northern Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia.
• Types of livestock include cattle, camels, reindeer, goats, yaks, sheep, and horses.
• It is extensive.
• Subsistence farming method.
• Nomads move herds to different pastures and trade meat, milk, and hides.
• The rely upon animals for survival, not profit.

Livestock Ranching

• Common in drylands and deserts.
• Practiced in Western North America, Southeastern South America, Central Asia, Australia, and South Africa.
• Types of livestock include cattle, goats, and sheep.
• It is extensive.
• Commercial farming method.
• Commercial grazing of livestock that are eventually sent to feedlots and then to slaughter.

Commercial Grain Farming

• Common in mid-latitudes, which are too dry for mixed crop & livestock.
• Practiced in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Central Asia, China, and South Asia.
• The primary crop is wheat.
• It is extensive.
• Commercial farming method.

Market Gardening/Commercial Gardening/Truck Farming

• Found in warm mid-latitude climates.
• Practiced in the Southeastern US, California, and Southeastern Australia.
• Crops include fresh fruits and vegetables, lettuce, broccoli, apples, oranges, and tomatoes.
• It is intensive, relying on migrant laborers & machinery.
• Commercial farming method.
• Some fruits and vegetables are sold fresh, but most are sold to large processors for canning or freezing.

Plantation Agriculture

• Found in tropical climates.
• Practiced in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Southeast Asia.
• Crops include commodity & specialty crops such as cacao, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, bananas, tobacco, tea, coconuts & cotton.
• It is intensive, relying on cheap labor from former colonies.
• Commercial farming method.
• Specializes in one crop that is transported for sale on the global market.

Mixed Crop & Livestock

• Found in cold & warm mid-latitude climates.
• Practiced in the Midwestern United States & Canada, and Central Europe.
• Crops include corn, grains, & soybeans grown to feed cattle & pigs.
• Intensive method, reliant on high amounts of capital & labor.
• Commercial farming method.
• Most money earned through livestock sales

Mediterranean

• Found in mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers like southern europe.
• Practiced in Southern Europe & Northern Africa Pacific Coast of the US, Chile, South Africa, and Southern Australia.
• Crops include grapes, olives, dates, and figs.
• Intensive method (land is scarce, hilly, and labor intensive).
• Commercial.
• Orchards are common, with crops produced for the global market.

Dairy Farming

• Found in Mid-Latitudes climates.
• Practiced in Northern United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, China, India, and Brazil.
• Intensive method (cows need to be milked 2x a day; requires machinery).
• Commercial method.

Other Key Points

• The physical environment and climate conditions influence agricultural practices.
• Intensive farming practices such as market gardening, plantation agriculture, and mixed crop/livestock systems are all linked.
• Extensive farming practices such as shifting cultivation, nomadic herding, and ranching are all linked.
• Crops are best grown in climates and soils that support that crop
• Humans have modified the earth to make agriculture easier

Rural Survey Methods

Metes and Bounds

• Originated from Great Britain and spread to North America.
• Utilizes landmarks and physical features to establish boundary lines.
• Results in irregular shaped plots of land.

Long Lot

• Originated from France & Spain and spread to North America.
• Long strips of land that start at a river or lake provide landowners with equal access to resources (soil & water) and transportation.

Township and Range

• Pioneered by Thomas Jefferson.
• Uses a rectangles and grid system.
• Townships are 6 miles x 6 miles.
• Utilized to keep track of land sales and purchases and provide a uniform survey method.
• Used to survey short distances and landmarks.
• Maintains a relationship to a river.

Rural Settlement Patterns

Clustered

• Throughout European history, rural residents lived in groups of homes in close proximity to one another.
• Farmland and pasture surround the settlement
• Share resources & community
• Residents walk to farmland
• Metes and Bounds Survey Methods are used

Dispersed

• Settlements are isolated and dispersed over a large land area.
• The US government promoted westward expansion by giving farmers land (usually 160 acres) if they agreed to live and farm on it.
• This is reflective of individual values and ownership of land.
• Township & Range Survey Methods are used

Linear

• Settlement is organized along a LINE.
• Typically associated with a transportation system or physical feature like a river or coast.
• Long Lot Survey Methods are used.

Key Vocabulary

Domestication

• The long-term process through which humans selectively breed, protect, and care for individuals taken from populations of wild plant and animal species.
• The goal is to create genetically distinct species, known as domesticates.

First Agricultural Revolution

• Included the domestication of plants and animals

Fertile Crescent

• Area in Southwest Asia that includes the river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates.
• The earliest center for the domestication of seed plants.

Indus River Valley

• Vital water source during the early years of human civilization.
• This is because few other sources of water existed in the region.

Columbian Exchange

• Interaction and widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, disease, and ideas between the Americas.

Crops and Hearths

• Fertile Crescent: wheat, barley, rye, oats, grapes, apples, and olives.
• Indus River Valley: rice and wheat.
• Asia: rice, soybeans, and sugarcane.
• Africa: peanuts, yams, coffee, barley, wheat, and rice.
• Americas: maize (corn), tomatoes, beans, and squash.
• Latin America: squash, pepper, cassava, cotton, lima bean, maize, potato, and sweet potato.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: yam, sorghum, cowpea, African rice, coffee, and finger millet.
• Southwest Asia: barley, lentil, bread wheat, oats, broad bean, olive, and rye.
• East Asia: rice, soybean, chestnut, and walnut.
• Southeast Asia: mango, taro, coconut, pigeon pea, and slender millet.

Results of the First Agricultural Revolution

• Resulted in the birth of agriculture
• Fertile Crescent was located in Western Asia and North Africa
• Nomadic societies move around frequently in search of new land, while sedentary societies do not
• Larger more efficient quantities of food led to individuals living together in bigger groups.
• Marked the transition from nomadic hunting and gathering to settled farming.
• Permanent Settlements: People built villages → Civilizations.
• Population Growth: Steady food supply → Population increase
• Social Hierarchies: Specialization in jobs emerged.
• Technological Advancements: Improved farming tools and irrigation
• Environmental Changes: Deforestation occurred altering ecosystems.

The Columbian Exchange

• Led to a widespread transfer of staple foods and animals which made interaction of culture between Old World, Americas and Africa
• Adoption of new foods/animals into each place and adoption of new cultural aspects shaped world
• Silk Road connected parts of Europe to Asia → Enabled trade of agricultural crops + seeds were planted in new areas.
• Migration of people led to people diffusing agricultural products and techniques plus their culture

The Second Agricultural Revolution

• Took place from the 17th to 19th centuries, primarily in Europe (Britain, Netherlands), and later in North America.
• Coincided with the Industrial Revolution.

Innovations of the Second Revolution

• Seed Drill (Jethro Tull, 1701): Planted seeds in rows → Increased efficiency.
• Steel Plow (John Deere, 1837): Faster and more effective plowing.
• Mechanical Reaper (Cyrus McCormick, 1831): Efficiently harvested crops, reducing labor needs.
• Crop Rotation (Four-Field System): Enhanced Soil fertility and food production.
• Selective Breeding (Robert Bakewell, 18th century): Improved livestock quality and meat yields.

The Enclosure Movement

• Privatization of Common Lands: Wealthy landowners fenced off shared land.
• Increased Agricultural Productivity: Larger, more efficient farms formed.
• Displacement of Small Farmers: They moved to cities (urbanization).
• Shift to Commercial Farming: Producing for markets instead of local consumption.

Results from Second Revolution and Enclosure Movement

• Urbanization: Displaced farmers moved to cities, working in factories.
• Population Growth: Increased food production supported a larger population.
• Industrial Workforce Growth: More laborers became available for factories.
• Economic Shift: Farming became commercialized, benefiting large landowners while many small farmers lost their land.
• Technological innovations included the seed drill, steel plow, and mechanical reapers, increasing agricultural productivity.
• Development of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides also led to increased crop production.
• Increases in productivity led to better diets, increased population, longer life expectancy, and more non-farm workers in factories.
• Rural societies shifted from subsistence farming to cash crops.
• However, the overuse of pesticides and herbicides had negative impacts on the environment.

Key Vocabulary

Green Revolution

• A period of increased agricultural productivity that occurred in the mid-20th century, primarily in developing countries.

Crossbreeding

• Crossing plants of different varieties to produce a new plant.
• These new plants have desirable traits from both parent varieties.

Hybrid

• Genetically modified or selectively bred strains of wheat that combine traits of different parent plants to improve yield.

Double-cropping

• Growing two crops per growing season to double the harvest

Multi cropping

• Growing two or more crops in the same piece of land during a single growing season

Cassava

• Crops that are reproduced by cultivating either the roots or cuttings from the plants

Sorghum

• Large stout grass that grows up to 8 feet tall.

Endemic

• An disease that is commonly found within a certain area, but not commonly found outside that area.

Environmental contamination

• Pollution of the environment when humans contaminate the air, water, or land.

Soil salinization

• Occurs when soil in an arid climate has been made available for agricultural production using irrigation.

Soil salinity

• The concentration of soluble salts present in the soil

Key Points of Green Revolution

• Occurred from 1950s-1960s
• Research of MDCS (more developed countries) spread to developing countries in Latin America & Asia.
• Involved massive population growth occurred mostly in developing regions
• Norman Borlaug traveled to Mexico to improve agricultural and biotechnological techniques to feed the growing population. -Higher-yielding, disease resistant, faster-growing varieties of grains (rice, corn, wheat). -Hybrids & Genetically Modified Organisms -Double Cropping: Growing more than one crop per year -Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation techniques and machinery -Increases in yields → surplus → helped population growth → enabled to export crops -Africa had harsh and diverse environmental conditions so it wasn't as successful