Ch 10 Agriculture
Cons of subsidies
-LDC farmers are being undercut by cheap MDC grain -tax dollars are needed to fund subsidies
Why is the Thunen model outdated?
-advanced technology (better equipped vehicles) -forests don't exist around cities anymore -soil quality (depending on location, types of agriculture differ) -ignores social customs -ignores government policies (subsidies)
Why is commercial farming increasing?
-countries continue to develop -technology (this is my answer, but quite simply they are following the Rostow Model)
Why is there an overproduction problem in the US?
-improved tech has yielded more food -more supply=lower prices
Strategies to increase food supply
-increase exports from those with a supply -expand farm land
Even though food production is higher than ever, why are the prices remaining so high?
-poor weather, especially in major-crop growing regions of the South Pacific and North America -higher demand especially in China and India -smaller growth in productivity, especially without major new "miracle" breakthroughs -use of crops as bio-fuels instead of food
What are 3 problems that dairy farmers face?
-rising cost and declining revenue -labor intensive, cows must be milked twice a day -winter feed- grass unavailable in the winter
Pros of subsidies
-they lower the global price of food -farmers have a secure income
How many people today use the hunting and gathering method?
.005%
What are 4 things that revolutionized agriculture from the 60's to the 80's
1. Hybrid seeds (aka miracle seeds) cross breeding 2. expanded use of artificial fertilizers 3. insecticides and fertilizers 4. better irrigation techniques
How many people are pastoral nomads / how much land
10 million / 20% of land
In the 1980's what percent of the developing countries produced the world's milk? 2010?
1980-> 26% 2010-> 53%
What percent of farmers live in U.S /Canada
2%
In the US what percent are in agriculture and what percent are in agribusiness?
2%->agriculture 12%->agribusiness
How much money does the US put into subsidies?
20 million
how many sheep/goats does a typical nomadic family need? Animals?
25-60 sheep and goats, 10-25 animals
how many farmers use shifting cultivation and how much of the land is used
250 million farmers and 25 % of the land (uses the most land)
3rd and 4th step of shifting cultivation
3rd Swidden- land prepared with hand tools 4th Grow- soil lasts about 3 years
Of the population, what percent is farmers in the developing world
44%
Of the population, what percent is farmers in the developed world?
5%
What's the fifth step of shifting cultivation?
5th Move- go to new area and repeat
How many types of agriculture are in developed countries
6
When was the Green Revolution
60's, 70's, 80's
what percent of income comes from animal products
75%
What percentage of farmers live in developing countries?
97%
How was agriculture invented?
A combination of accident and experiment
sawah
A flooded field for growing rice
Why at first does the statement "since 1950 population has outpaced the expansion of farm land" sound scary? What saves the day?
Although there is less land to farm, because of the Green Revolution we are more efficient with the land we have
According to the Von Thunen model, why is animal grazing in the outer ring?
Animals can walk themselves to the cities
What does the government do when there is a surplus?
Buys it and sells it to foreign governments
What's one typical animal associated with pastoral nomads? (this question isn't really a good one, I just didn't know how to delete the picture in the answer)
Camels. picture of camels in case any one is confused
agribusiness
Commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.
Why has India passed the U.S. as the biggest producer of milk?
Cultural influences (most of population does not eat the cow), population influences (more people equals more milk)
What is the goal of subsistence farming?
Feed your family
Hope grew during the 20th century because they thought that the increased fish consumption could meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, however what effect has this caused?
Fish species declined because they were harvested faster than they could reproduce
What do subsistence farmers use to get their work done?
Human and animal power
Why are there no possible expansions in Europe and Asia?
It is too crowded over there
Why do people slash and burn?
Its the only way they can/know how to produce foods for their families
What type of people don't like subsidies and why?
LDC farmers because MDC grain is cheap
What is the leading crop of the world?
Maiz aka corn
In the US what is the most popular style of farming?
Mixed crop and livestock
Why do these people use this technique?
No water for crops
Is the US the only country that has subsidies for farmers?
No. Example, Europe, they spend even more money
What region is the leading exporter of food
North America
Where are there possible expansions?
North America/Africa
___ is decreasing everywhere and ___ is increasing everywhere
Primary sector Farm size
Of the following, which uses the most land -shifting cultivation -Intensive labor with wet rice -pastoral nomadism
Shifting cultivation
What are the first 2 steps in shifting cultivation?
Step 1 Slash- clear trees and undergrowth Step 2 Burn- ashes provide nutrients to the soil
Where in the U.S. is truck farming mostly dominant?
The Southeast
What is one con to importing foreign animals for farming, such as Asian Carp?
The animals can escape and destroy the native species, like in the case of the Asian Carp, which took over the water ways in Arkansas. They now threaten to reach the Great Lakes
Why does most consumption of cocaine and heroin occur in developed countries?
The places where the crops are sold to make the drugs are close to places with high users, such as heroin in Western Europe (poppies are in surrounding countries such as Afghanistan), and Cocaine through Latin and Central america to the US
In "our neck of the woods" (Florida) (Southeast) what type of commercial farming is most common?
Truck farming
Of the following country, which one would you expect to have Pastoral Nomads -Thailand -Mexico -Turkey
Turkey
What are the AG movements? From which hemisphere to which?
Western to Eastern
Why does the demand for food stay the same?
ZPG
cereal grains
a grass that yields grain for food
reaper
a machine that cuts cereal grain standing in a field
combine
a machine that reaps, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field
__ eat more crops than ___
animals humans
How long ago was the first agricultural revolution?
around 10,000 years ago
What are farmers encouraged to do in result of overproduction?
avoid producing crops that are in excess supply
How does each herd establish the route it will take?
based on water resources
why are dairy farms located near urban areas
because milk is highly perishable
Why are all methods of subsistence farming decreasing
better, efficient ways -> technology
What determines what we eat?
climate and culture
What products does latin America specialize in
coffee, sugar cane, bananas
subsistence/commercial farming is increasing?
commercial
What crop is the most profitable (in mixed crop farming)
corn
What's the third ring in the Thunen model?
crops/grains
What does the first ring of the Thunen model have in it? What type of products?
dairy and horticulture products
What are some problems with expanding farm land?
desertification, excessive water, urbanization (farms lost as cities expand)
Where is commercial farming found
developed world
where is plantation farming located
developing nations but owned by developed
Where is subsistence farming found?
developing world
milk shed
distance that milk can go without perishing
What does pastoral nomadism involve
domesticated animals
what was the first agricultural revolution?
domestication of plants and animals
besides food, what else can crops be used for
drugs + bio-fuels
Where is pastoral nomadism mainly found?
dry areas; North Africa/SW Asia
What is horticulture?
farming of vegetables, flowers and fruits
What does the second ring of the Thunen model represent?
forestry
What is a GMO?
genetically modified organism
What do pastoral nomads eat and why?
grain (which they trade for) . they don't eat their animals because they provide milk, wool, skin (which can be traded or used)
What was the third agricultural revolution
green revolution
double cropping
harvesting twice a year from the same field
what are some of the negatives of GMO's
health problems (unknown problems as well), export problems (many countries shun GMO's), increased dependency on U.S.
Why is wheat the most important grain?
higher price and stores easily, nutritious, used for export, major source of income
What type of land is best for Mediterranean farming?
hilly areas near oceans
Before agriculture how did humans obtain food?
hunting and gathering
chaff
husks of grain separated from the seed by threshing
What is the difference between hybrid seeds and GMO's?
hybrid seeds happen naturally and through cross breeding (as it did in the fertile crescent) and GMO's have their genetic material mixed with 2 or more species that could NOT happen in nature
sustainable farming
in theory can be done forever
What are some of the pros of GMO's
increased nutrition, higher yields, pest ressistence
what was the second agricultural revolution?
industrial revolution-> tractors!! people use machines to produce foods
What made the green revolution so revolutionary?
invention of more productive agricultural
Future of shifting cultivation and why? What will replace it?
it will decrease because of advancements in technology and logging, cattle ranching, and cash crops
how is dietary energy consumption measured
kilocalories
What are some of the products of Med. Farming?
labor intensive, olives, grapes, fruits, and veggies
plantation farming
large commercial farms that specialize In one or two crops
What does high population density result to?
little farmland per person lots of workers, little money for machines
What does sustainable farming lead to?
lower costs, which in turn leads to lower revenue
What has overproduction led to?
lower incomes for farmers
What types of tools do commercial farmers use?
mechanized tools (TRACTORS!!)
What is the most common farming style in US
mixed crop and livestock farming
where is intensive AG found that does not include wet rice
mostly dry parts of asia
Where was agriculture invented?
multiple hearths
How many crops do plantations usually specialize in?
one or two, sold to developed country
What does government do when prices are low?
pay farmers
Because agriculture was invented in multiple hearths, this means that...
people have produced food in distinctive ways and in different ways
Mixed crop and livestock farming
picture of a farm in case any one is confused
where is wheat grown? what kind of areas?
places where it is too dry for mixed crop and livestock farming
how is wet rice planted
planted on dry land, and moved to a SAWAH (flooded field)
What is a large herd a symbol of ?
power/prestige
Commercial farming and fruit farming
predominant in Southeast long growing season
Where can one find Mediterranean farming?
predominant in lands bordering Mediterranean sea and California
What does it mean to "swidden"
prepare the land with hand tools
What is the goal of commercial farming?
profit
What products does asia specialize in
rubber and palm oil
transhumanance
seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures
why is there an increased dependency on the US when it comes to GMO's
seeds are patented and cant be saved (example, if a GMO seed blows into a neighboring farm and starts to grow the owner of the neighboring farm could be sued)
What 3 methods does sustainable farming practice?
sensitive land management (no plowing the soil), limited use of chemicals, integrated crops/livestock -> all leads to more work but better soil and water quality
What are the types of subsistence farming?
shifting cultivation, pastoral nomadism, intensive labor (with (without) wet rice, (transition) plantation farming
nickname for shifting cultivation
slash and burn
Desertification
soil is depleted due to overuse - over 10,000 sq miles lost/year
What do farmers do with the occasional surplus of food in subsistence farming ?
sold/traded
what is the solution to lower incomes of farmers?
subsidies
what do supporters say about shifting cultivation? Critics?
supporters- most environmentally efficient approach critics- inefficient
aquafarming (aquaculture)
the cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions
paddy
the malay word for wet rice, commonly but incorrectly used to describe a sawah
hull
the outer covering of a seed
subsistence farmers face what problems due to rapid population growth?
they must feed more people
Pressure to contribute to international trade means what for subsistence farmers?
they must increasingly grow crops to export rather than to consume at home
thresh
to beat out grain from stalks
winnow
to remove chaff by allowing it to be blown by the wind
in Commercial farming and fruit farming, the fruit mainly goes where?
to the Northeast
Where is a plantation typically found? What type of climate?
tropical and subtropical
what is Commercial farming and fruit farming AKA
truck farming
crop rotation
used to keep from exhausting the soil
How much land is wasted in intensive subsistence AG with wet rice?
virtually none
in Grain farming what is the most popular grain grown
wheat
3 important CEREAL grains
wheat, corn, rice (wheaties, corn flakes, rice krispies)
Most important grains (in intensive AG)
wheat, then barley
Where is livestock farming practiced
where it is too dry for crops