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The map above shows areas of shifting cultivation, a form of subsistence agriculture. A. Define subsistence agriculture. B. Describe the practice of shifting cultivation. C. Explain one reason why shifting cultivation was sustainable in the past. D. Explain two reasons why shifting cultivation is expected to diminish during the twenty-first century.
A. Food grown for the farmer or farmer's family/kin • Food grown for local consumption for village/community market B. Clearing (e.g., slash-and-bum swidden, milpa, patch, chitemene, ladang) Farming (until land is no longer fertile because of nutrient depletion) Moving (shifting) to another plot of land Note: Referencing "crop rotation" is incorrect. C. Must link lower/smaller/less population AND more available land/cultural adaptation/environmental adaptation. Note: References to global land are incorrect. • Lower physiologic/nutritional/agricultural density. Note: References to lower population density are incorrect. D.Technological advancements (e.g., fertilizers, hybrid seeds, pesticides): • Leads to increased yields/food quantity • Leads to sedentary farming Expanding/growing population (NOT just "world population"): Less available land • Higher physiologic/nutritional/agricultural density • Reduced soil fertility owing to shortened fallow period Commercial agriculture: • Profitable • Efficient • Plantation/agribusiness/cash cropping/ranching
Agriculture in the United States has changed significantly in the past few decades. With respect to the past, present, and projected trends in agriculture shown in the diagraza above, answer the following: A. First identify and then explain TWO factors contributing to the steady decline in the number of dairy farms since 1970. B. First identify and then explain TWO factors contributing to the increase in the number of organic farms since 1970.
A. Increased production of milk: Cows produce higher yields, meaning fewer cows are needed to meet the demand for milk; therefore there are fewer farms. Increased mechanization: Mechanization/technological changes in the milking process have enabled farmers to increase the size of their dairy herds. This efficiency has made small farms unprofitable. B. Increasing demand for organic products has made organic agriculture profitable and led to a growth in organic farming (both large-scale and small-scale: Consumers in the U.S. seek alternatives to the industrial products of modern agriculture because of (media-driven) concerns about the nutrition and healthiness of commercial agricultural products. • Consumers have become wary of the insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) used in agriculture and to produce foodstuffs and have become concerned about related long-term health issues. • Population of the U.S. is increasing in wealth and is better able to afford (and willing to pay) higher prices for organic products. Shifts in organic agriculture have led to better care for the land (land stewardship, sustainability, environmental concerns):• As stewards of the land farmers/consumers wish to sustain it in the same state they found it rather than exhaust it or otherwise degrade it by the application of agricultural chemicals. • Some consumers switch to organic products because they wish to eat foods that have a less negative impact on the environment (wish to live in greater harmony with nature)
The pictures show two types of agriculture in the world A. Identity the grain crop shown in each photo B. Discuss TWO economic differences between subsistence agriculture and commercial agnculture C. Identify ONE environmental impact resulting from the type of agriculture shown in photo Y D. Identify ONE environmental impact resulting from the type of agnculture shown in photo Z
A. Photo Y Rice (wet or paddy rice is OK) Photo Z Wheat, oats, barley, rye, flax, millet, triticale, canola, rice (only upland or dry) B. Labor/mechanization/ technology: Subsistence-High inputs of human labor or intensive Hand tools/limited Machinery mechanization Low technology Commercial: Low inputs of human labor or extensive Machinery/mechanization High technology Economic purpose: Subsistence-family or communal, households Commercial-agribusiness, profit drive, for trade, large scale markets C.Habitat loss: Destruction of natural wetlands, lakes, streams, forested regions; loss of species (aquatic/terrestrial plants and animals) Water quality: Pesticides and fertilizers used in paddy farming or to control mosquitoes can affect bird reproduction and downstream aquatic ecology D. Air quality: Degradation from spraying agricultural chemicals (herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers), vehicle exhaust, and dust: Water quality: Downstream effects of water diversion, increased sedimentation, and chemical pollution; dead-zones in lakes and oceans at or near the mouths of rivers.
The restructuring of agriculture in the late twentieth century has had important implications for rural land use and the distribution of poultry (chicken and turkey) production in the United States. A. List TWO factors that have increased the demand for poultry. B. Briefly describe TWO kharacteristics of the present economic organization of poultry production in the United States. C. Describe TWO features of the present geographic distribution of poultry production in the United States.
A. Population increase (national or global) Health benefits (e.g., low fat diets) Safety of poultry vs. other meats like beef & pork (e.g., "mad cow") Enhanced image of poultry (e.g., ease of preparation, appearance, marketing, advertising) B.A corporation controls multiple elements of poultry production (feed production-delivery of feed & chicks-raising-processing-marketing) (i.e., vertical integration/commodity chains) Large scale operations (as seen in the number of birds per farm) Specialized farms (they raise poultry only) C. Regional concentration or clustered in a particular location. NB Not acceptable: regional names only, explanations based on references to climate or grain growing Proximity to markets or transportationlcorridors Regional concentration in economically depressed farming areas Regional concentration in areas with low wage rates
In 1798 Thomas Robert Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population in which he argued that population growth will inevitably outpace food production, resulting in widespread famine. A. Identify and explain TWO reasons why some geographers today believe Malthus' theory can be used to predict future population issues. B. Identify and explain TWO reasons why some geographers today believe Malthus' theory cannot be used to predict future population issues.
A. Today, geographers believe that Malthus' theory can be used to predict future issues. One reason is that population has been growing very quickly. For example, because of limited used of different contraceptives. Another reason is that food production has increased, but hasn't kept up with the population. For example, because we have been converting some of our farmlands to urban use. B. However, there are also some geographers today that believe that Malthus' theory can't be used to predict future population issues. One reason is that our ability to preserve food is much greater than during this time. For example, we have refrigerators, which keeps our food from going bad more quickly. Another reason is that our carrying capacity has expanded. For example, there have been larger farms, which means more room for crops.
In the early twenty-first century, food security is an increasingly important issue in developed countries. Some neighborhoods in United States cities have been characterized as food deserts. Food deserts are areas with little or no access to healthy and affordable food or limited or no access to fresh fruits and vegetables. A. Describe what kinds of information geographers use to map food deserts. B. Identify and explain TWO reasons that food deserts exist in urban areas within developed countries. C. Identify and explain ONE impact of living in a food desert.
A.Geographers can map access to a resource (grocery stores, supermarkets, supercenters) and where people live (distance from a store) Geographers can map where stores are located versus socioeconomic and demographic information (income, race, and age) B.Economic B1. People in poverty may not be able to afford or have access to healthful foods even if reasons available and may turn to cheaper fast food poverty, low B2. Less incentive for large grocery stores to open in poor neighborhoods, as those income residents are seen to have less money to spend on food B3. Declining investment in low-income neighborhoods or inner suburbs may result in a closing of grocery stores Social or B4. Immigrant residents may find it difficult to locate foods that are culturally appropriate cultural for them. reasons C. Social or C4. Desire for unhealthful foods can be difficult to overcome if they are more readily accessible. cultural C5. Available foods may not be culturally appropriate for the local population. impacts C6. Food insecurity may impact educational attainment C7. Residents work together for community gardens, community supported agriculture, and other alternative food access options