Agricultural Unit-STUDY GUIDE

What is the leading source of protein in developing countries?

Cereal grains provide the largest share of protein. Meat accounts for about 1/10 of all protein intake.

What is undernourishment?

Dietary energy consumption that is continuously below the minimum requirement for maintaining a healthy life and carrying out light physical activity.

Explain the difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture.

Subsistence agriculture: Generally practiced in developing countries. It is designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmers and the farmer's family. Commercial agriculture: Generally practiced in developing countries, is undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm to food-processing companies.

Explain the concept of agribusiness.

The system of commercial farming found in developed countries is called agribusiness, because the family farm is not an isolated activity but is integrated into a large food-production industry. Agribusiness encompasses such diverse enterprises as tractor manufacturing, fertilizer production and seed distribution. This type of farming responds to market forces rather than to feeding the farmer.

Identify the regions and/or countries where undernourishment is most prevalent.

-1/4 sub-saharan Africa, -1/5 South asia, -1/6 in all developing regions. India by far has the largest # (238). China coming in second at 130 million. The worldwide # has not changed in several decades.

Identify the major types of commercial agriculture in developed countries (Map on page 229)

1- Mixed crop and livestock 2-Dairy 3-Grain 4-Livestock ranching 5- Mediterranean 6- Commercial gardening

Look at the map on the bottom of page 226 called "Income Spent on Food". Write down two observations that you make about this map.

1- Most developed countries do not spend their income on the food (U.S., Australia, Canada, and Spain) 2- Africa and parts of Asia heavily spend a lot of their income on food.

Identify the major types of subsistence agriculture in developing countries. (Map on page 228)

1- Shifting cultivation 2- Pastoral Nomadism 3- Intensive subsistence 4-Plantation

Explain how plantation agriculture differs from other types of agriculture found in developing regions and identify the most plantation crops.

A form of subsistence agriculture in developing regions that specializes in one or two crops. They are found primarily in the tropic and subtropics, especially in Latin America, sub-saharan Africa, and Asia. Although situated in developing countries, plantation are often owned or operated by Europeans or North Americans. Among the most important crops grown on plantations are: -cotton -sugarcane -coffee -rubber -tabacco

What other grains are consumed as dietary energy around the world?

A handful of countries obtain the largest share of dietary energy from other crops, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. These include casava, sorghum, millet, plantains, sweet potatoes, and yams. Sugar is the leading source of dietary energy in several Latin American countries.

What is agriculture and how did it develop?

Agriculture is deliberate modification of Earth's surface and rearing of animals to obtain subsistence and economic gain. Agriculture developed through environmental and cultural factors.

Look at the map on page 223. List the first animals that were domesticated around the world and identify where they were domesticated.

Animals were also domesticated in multiple hearths at various dates. Southwest Asia is thought to be the hearth for the domestication of the largest number of animals that would prove to be most important for agriculture. Animals thought to be domesticated in Southwest Asia between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago include cattle, goats, pigs, and sheeps. The turkey is thought to have been domesticated in the Western Hemisphere.

Compare and contrast developed countries and developing countries in terms of ability to meet dietary needs.

Average consumption worldwide is 2,780 kcal per day, or roughly 50% more than the recommended minimum. Thus, most people get enough food to survive. People in developed countries are consuming on average nearly twice the recommended minimum, 3,470 kcal per day. The United States has the world's highest consumption, 3,800 kcal per day per person. The consumption of so much food is one reason that obesity rather than hunger is more prevalent in the United States, as well as other developed countries. In developing regions, average daily consumption is 2,630 kcal, still above the recommended minimum. However, the average in sub-Saharan Africa is only 2,290, an indication that a large percentage of Africans are not getting enough to eat. Diets are most likely to be deficient in countries where people have to spend a high percentage of their income to obtain food.

Describe pastoral nomadism.

Based on the herding of domesticated animals. It is adapted to dry climates, where planting crops is impossible. Pastoral nomads live primarily in the large belt of arid and semiarid land that includes most of North Africa and Southwest Asia, and parts of Central Asia. Pastoral nomads depend primarily on animals rather than crops for survival. The animals provide milk, and their skins and hair are used for clothing and tents. Like other subsistence farmers, though, pastoral nomads consume mostly grain rather than meat. Dead ones can be consumed. Not usually slaughtered. Size of herd= power and prestige. About 15 million people are pastoral, but they sparsely occupy about 20% of Earth's land area. National governments control the nomadic population.

Describe hunting and gathering

Before the invention of agriculture, all humans probably obtained the food they needed for survival through hunting for animals, fishing or gathering plants (including berries, nuts, fruits, and roots).

Which crops grow closest to the city and which crops grow furthest away? Why?

Commercial gardening and fruit farming is closest to the city because products need to be fresh when being sold. Livestock ranching is furthest away because animals don't need to be close to the market area. Also land closest to the city is most expensive.

What is dairy farming? How does physical geography impact this type of agriculture?

Dairy farming is the most important agriculture practiced near large urban areas in developed countries. Dairy farms must be closer to their markets that other products because milk is highly perishable. The ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling is known as the milkshed. Traditionally most milk was produced and consumed by developed countries. However, the share of the world's dairy farming conducted in developing countries has risen dramatically in recent years and now surpasses the total in developed countries. Rising income= more people buying milk products.

What is Mediterranean agriculture? How does physical geography impact this type of agriculture?

Exists primarily on lands that border the Mediterranean Sea and other places that share a similar geography such as Cali, central Chile, Southwestern part of South Africa, and South Western Australia. Winters are moist and mild, summers hot and dry. The land is very hilly, and mountains frequently plunge directly to the sea, leaving very little flat land. The 2 most important crops are olives (for cooking oil) and grapes (for wine).

What is grain farming? How does physical geography impact this type of agriculture?

Generally located in regions that are too dry for mixed crop and livestock farming, such as the Great Plains of North America. Unlike mixed crop and livestock farming, crops on grain farm are grown primarily for consumption by humans rather than by livestock. The most important crop grown is wheat, used to make flour. It can be stored relatively easily without spoiling and can be transported a long distance. Because wheat has a relatively high value per unit weight, it can be shipped profitably from remote farms to markets.

How does expanding agricultural land increase food supplies?

Historically, world food production increased primarily by expanding the amount of land devoted to agriculture. When the world's population increased more rapidly during the Industrial Revolution beginning in the 18th century, pioneers could migrate to sparsely inhabited territory and cultivate the land. New land might appear to be available, because only 11% of the world's land area is currently used for agriculture. But excessive or inadequate water makes expansion difficult.

Why do you think fish consumption remains low in relation to other sources of protein in humans while at the same time much of the world's fish supply is either fully exploited or overfished?

I think fish consumption remains low in comparison to other sources of protein because 1/3 of protein comes form meat in developed countries so developed countries don't consume a lot of fish. Which just leaves the developing countries to do all the consumption. However since developing countries don't have many sources of protein they try to acquire as much fish supply possible.

How does improved food sources increase food supplies?

Improved food sources would come fro: -Higher protein cereal grains. People in developing countries depend on grains that lack certain proteins. Hybrids with higher protein content consumption habits. -Palatability of rarely consumed foods. Some foods are rarely consumed because of taboos, religious values and social customs. In developed countries, consumers avoid consuming recognizable soybean products like tofu and sprouts, but could be induced to eat soybeans shaped like burgers.

Describe intensive subsistence agriculture.

In densely populated East, South, and Southeast Asia, most farmers practice intensive subsistence agriculture. Because the agricultural density--the ratio of farmers to arable land-- is so high in parts of East and South Asia, families must produce enough food for their survival from a very small area of land. Most of the work is done by hand or with animals rather than with machines, in part due to abundant labor, but largely from lack of funds to buy equipment. The intensive subsistence agriculture region of Asia can be divided between areas where wet rice dominates and areas where it does not. The term wet rice refers to the practice of planting rice on dry land in a nursery and then moving the seedlings to a flooded field to promote growth. Wet rice is most easily grown on flat land, because the plants are submerged in water much of the time.

Compare and contrast subsistence and commercial agriculture in regards to percentage of farmers in society.

In developed countries around 5% of workers are engaged directly in farming, compared to around 50% in developing countries. The % of farmers is even lower in North America, only around 2%. Yet the small % of farmers in the United States and Canada produces enough food not only for themselves and the rest of the region but also a surplus to feed people everywhere. The # of farmers declined dramatically in developed countries during the 20th century. The United States had 60% fewer Farsi and 85% fewer farmers in 2000 than in 1900. The # of farmers in the United States declined from about 6 million farms in 1940 to 4 million in 1960 and 2 million in 1980. Both push and pull migration factors have been responsible for the decline. The # of U.S. Farmers have stabilized since 1980 at around 2 million.

Compare and contrast subsistence and commercial agriculture in regards to use of machinery.

In developed countries, a small # of farmers can feed many people because they rely on machinery to perform work, rather than relying on people or animals. In developing countries, farmers do much of the work with hand tools and animal power.

Explain the three reasons why consumption of food varies around the world.

Level of development: People in developed countries tend to consume more food and from different sources than do people in developing countries. Physical conditions: Climate is important in influencing what can be most easily grown and therefore consumed in developing countries. In developed countries, though, food is shipped long distances to locations with different climates. Cultural preferences: Some food preferences and avoidances are expressed without regard for physical and economic factors.

Look at the map on game 222. List the locations of the five crop hearths. Identify when they first introduced agriculture. Identify the plants that were domesticated at each location.

Location of FIVE CROP HEARTHS: Southwest Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. When they FIRST introduce agriculture: -From Southwest Asia: west to Europe and east to Central Asia. -From sub-Saharan Africa: south to southern Africa. -From Latin America: north to North America and south to tropical South America. PLANTS DOMESTICATION: -Latin America: Squash, pepper, cassawa, cotton, lima bean, maize, potato, and sweet potato. -sub-Sarahan Africa: Yam, sorghum, cowpea, African rice, coffee, and finger millet. -Southwest Asia: Barley, einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, lentil, oats, rye, breadwheat, broad bean, and olive. -East Asia: Rice, soybean, chinese chestnut, and walnut. -Southeast Asia: Mango, taro, coconut, pigeonpea and slender millet.

How does increasing agricultural productivity increase food supplies?

New agricultural practices have permitted farmers worldwide to achieve much greater yields from the same amount of land. The invention and rapid diffusion of more productive agricultural techniques during the 1960's and 1970's is called the green revolution. Scientists began experiments during the 1950's to develop a higher-yield form of wheat. A decade later, the Internationale Rice Research Institute created a "miracle" rice seed. Most recently, scientists have developed hew high-yield maize. Scientists have continued to create higher-yield hybrids that are adopted to environmental conditions in specific regions.

Describe shifting cultivation.

Practiced in much of the world's humid tropics, which have relatively high temperatures and abundant rainfall. Each year villagers designate for planting an area near the settlement. Before planting, the remove the dense vegetation using axes and machetes. On a windless day the debris is burned under carefully controlled conditions; consequently, shifting cultivation is sometimes called slash- and-burn agriculture. The rains wash the fresh ashes into the soil, providing needed nutrients. The swidden (cleared area) can support crops only briefly, usually 3 years or less, before soil nutrients are depleted. Villagers then identify the new site and begin clearing it, leaving the old swidden un cropped for many years, so that it is again overrun by natural vegetation. Consider it a more environmentally sound approach for tropical agriculture.

What is commercial gardening and fruit farming? How does physical geography impact this type of agriculture?

Predominant types in the U.S. Southeast. The region has a long growing season and humid climate and is accessible to the large markets in the big cities along the East coast. It is frequently called truck farming, because truck was a Middle English word meaning bartering or the exchange of commodities. Truck farms grow many of the fruits and vegetables that consumers demand in developed countries such as apples, cherries, lettuce, and tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, and strawberries.

How did cultural factors contribute to the origin of agriculture?

Preference for living in a fixed place rather than as nomads may have led hunters and gatherers to build permanent settlements and to store surplus vegetation there. In gathering wild vegetation, people inevitably cut plants and dropped berries, fruits, and seeds. These hunters probably observed that, over time, damaged or discarded food produced new plants. They may have deliberately cut plants or dropped berries on the ground to see if they would produce new plants. Subsequent generations learned to pour water over the site and to introduce manure and other soil improvements. Over thousands of years, plant cultivation apparently evolved from a combination of accident and deliberate experiment. That agriculture had multiple origins means that, from earliest times, people have produced food in distinctive ways in different regions. This diversity derives from a unique legacy of wild plants, climate conditions, and cultural preferences in each region.

Illustrate how the Von Thunen model explains the choice of crops in commercial farms.

Proposed a model to explain the importance of proximity to market in the choice of crops on commercial farms. A commercial farmer initially considers which crops to cultivate and which animals to raise based on market location. He based his general model of the spatial arrangement of different crops on his experiences as over of a large estate in northern Germany. He found that specific crops were grown in different rings around the cities in the area.

What is the value of protein in our diet?

Protein is a nutrient needed for growth and maintenance of the human body.

What is livestock ranching? How does physical geography impact this type of agriculture?

Ranching is the commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area. It is practiced primarily on semiarid or arid land where the vegetation is too sparse and the soil too poor to support crops. Chinas is the leading producer of pig meat, the United States of chicken and beef.Ranching has been glamorized in novels and films, although the cattle derives and "wild west" features of this type of farming actually lasted only a few years in the mid-19 century. Contemporary ranching has become part of the meat processing industry, rather than carried out on isolated farms.

Where is rice the primary cereal grain? In what foods do people consume rice? Why does it grow there?

Rice is the principle cereal grain consumed in the developing regions of East, South, and Southeast Asia. It is the most suitable cereal crop for production in tropical climates.

Are subsistence farms more common in developing or developed countries? What about commercial farms?

Subsistence farms are more common in developing countries, and commercial farms are more common in developed countries.

Compare and contrast subsistence and commercial agriculture in regards to farm size.

The average farm size is much larger in commercial agriculture. Commercial agriculture is dominated by a handful of large farms. In the U.S. The largest 5% of farms produce 75% of the country's total agriculture. Despite their size, most commercial farms in developed countries are family owned and operated-90% in the U.S.. Large size is partly a consequence of mechanization, commercial agriculture is an expensive business. Farmer's spend hundreds of thousand of $ to buy or rent land and machinery before beginning operations.

How did environmental factors contribute to the origin of agriculture?

The first domestication of crops and animals around 10,000 years ago coincides with climate change. This marked the end of the last ice age, when permanent ice cover receded from Earth's mid latitudes to polar regions, resulting in a massive redistribution of humans, other animals, and plants at the same time.

What is the leading source of protein in developed countries?

The leading source of protein is meat products, including beef, pork, and poultry. Meat accounts for about 1/3 of all protein intake in developed countries.

What is mixed crop and livestock agriculture? How does physical geography impact this type of agriculture?

The most distinctive characteristics of mixed crop and livestock farming is its integration of crops and livestock. Maize is the most commonly grown crop, followed by soybeans. Most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed directly by humans. A typical mixed commercial farm devotes nearly all land area to growing crops but derives more than 3/4 of its income from the sale of animal products, such as beef, milk, and eggs. Mixed crops and livestock farming typically involves crop rotation. The farm is divided into a # of fields, and each field is planted on a planned cycle, often of several years duration.

In your opinion, which among the four strategies to increase food supply is the most promising? Why?

The most promising in my opinion is increasing agricultural productivity, because due to the miracle seed. Indians wheat production doubled in 5 years. Which also due to green revolution, a worldwide food crises was stopped in developing countries during the 1970's and 18980's. As because the seed was diffused rapidly around the world.

Identify the countries that yield the greatest amount of fish and the largest ocean regions from which they are caught or harvested.

The world's largest oceans are divided into 18 major fishing regions, including 7 each in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and four in the Indian Ocean. The three areas with the largest yield are all in the Pacific. China is responsible for 40% of the world's yield of fish. The other leading countries are naturally those with extensive ocean boundaries, including Peru, Indonesia, India, Chile, Japan, and the United States. Fishing is also conducted in inland waterways, such as lakes and rivers.

What do rural settlements look like?

They are either dispersed or clustered. Dispersed rural settlements: Farmers live isolated on land, not clustered next to neighbor. Common in North America, when colonists were given land by Kings and Lords or took as much land as could be managed. Clustered rural settlements: Farmers and services are near each other in a rural area. Reinforces the idea of a community despite being in an isolated area. Rural settlements are either clustered or dispersed.

How does expanding food exports increase food supplies?

Trade in food has increased rapidly, especially since 2000 The 3 top export grains are wheat, maize, and rice. Argentina, Brazil, Netherlands, and the U.S. Are the 4 leading net exporters of agricultural products. Japan, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom are the leading net importers.

How can we apply von Thunen's model to Minnesota?

Von Thunen's model does not apply to Minnesota because of: Assumptions: -Land value decreases as you move away from the market area. -Single market area -Illustrates proximity, not necessarily perfect circles. -Soil and climate are consistent -No roads Difficult to support thee days because of: -Technology -Varying levels of development.

Where is wheat the primary cereal grain? In what foods do people consume wheat? Why does it grow there?

Wheat is the principle cereal grain consumed in the developed regions of Europe and North America. Wheat is consumed in the form of bread, pasta, cake, and many other forms. It is also the most consumed grain in the developing regions of central and Southwest Asia, where relatively dry conditions are most suitable for growing wheat than other grains.