Unit 5 Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes
5.1 Introduction to Agricultural
Agriculture: the process by which humans alter the landscape to raise crops and livestock for
consumption and trade
Two physical elements that shape agriculture:
- Physical geography: Soil types & Landforms
- Climate: The long-term weather patterns in a region
Economic factors also impact agriculture: whether consumers want to purchase influences what
farmers will grow
Physical geography and agriculture:
- Animals and crops need: Water & Nutrients
- Physical environment: Landforms
- Humans alter the environment through: irrigation, terrace farming,
deforestation, desertification and the drainage of wetlands
Environmental and economic factors are often the most important influence on agriculture
- Climate plays an important role in determining what types of agriculture will take place
- Most land supports some type of agriculture activity
- Exceptions: Physically extreme: highest latitudes/elevation and areas with
highest or lowest precipitation
The relationship between climate and cultural traits such as food preferences also shape
agriculture
Economic factors and agriculture
Subsistence Agriculture: grow enough food or raise enough livestock to meet the immediate
needs of the farmer and their family. Secondary goal: is to sell or trade any
Commercial Agriculture: grow enough crops and raise enough livestock to sell for profit. Found
most often in MDC.
Intensive and Extensive Farming practices
Intensive agricultural: practices are those in which farmers or ranchers use large amounts of
inputs such as energy, fertilizers, labor, or machines to maximize yields
- Intensive Commercial Agriculture: Heavy instruments in labor and capital are used in this
type of agriculture which often results in high yields and profits
- Capital: is the money invested in land, equipment, and machines.
- Intensive commercial agriculture is almost always capital intensive but can also
be labor intensive
- Market gardening
- Plantations
- Large scale mixed crop and livestock system
, - Intensive Subsistence agriculture: Often labor and animal intensive.
Extensive agricultural: practices use fewer amounts of the inputs and typically result in less
yields.
- Extensive Commercial agriculture: Low inputs of resources but has the goal of selling the
product for profit. Ex: ranching
- Extensive subsistence agriculture: Few inputs are used in this type of agricultural activity
Practiced in areas that have climate extremes
Agricultural practice Type and Climate Locations
Pastoral Nomadism This type of extensive agriculture is - South Central Asia and East
practiced in arid and semi-arid Africa- people rely on cattle
climates throughout the world. Rely because they adapt to the hot
on animals for survival
climate
- In desert regions of the
Middle East, people rely on
camels because they can
survive without water for
long periods
- In siberia, people rely on
reindeer because they thrive
on cold weather
Shifting Cultivation Subsistent extensive farming- farmers - Growing rice in Southeast
grow crops on a piece of land for a Asia
year or two. When the soil loses - Maize in south america
fertility to another field. Unlike crop - Millet and sorghum in
rotation- uses new fields sub-saharan africa
An example of shifting cultivation is
slash and-burn agriculture or swidden Practice is not sustainable as
agriculture (enriches nutrients) population grows because land
becomes scarce
Plantation Large commercial farm that - Latin america
(Under colonialism, specializes in one crop - Sub Saharan africa
commercial agriculture often - Found in low latitudes w/ hot , - South and southeast asia
replaced subsistence humid climates and substantial
farming) rainfall
Typically labor intensive and often
exploit the low-wage labor available
in nearby villages and towns
, Mixed Crop and Livestock Intensive commercial integrated Developed in regions such as
system- interdependence between Canada, Midwestern US, northern
crops and animals Europe
The majority of the crops are grains Ex: US w corn and soybeans for
that are eaten by the livestock animal feed
Grain Regions too dry for mixed crop China, india, russia and the US are
agriculture, farmers often raise wheat the world’s top wheat producers
Produced in prairies and plains Spring wheat- planted in early spring
and harvested in early autumn. It is
grown in folder regions such as
Canada, Montana and Dakotas
Winter wheat- planted in the fall and
harvested in early summer it is grown
in warmer regions such as Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Europe
Commercial gardening Typical fruits and veggies grown in Large-scale commercial veggie and
the US include: lettuce, broccoli, fruit farms found mostly in
Truck farming apples, oranges and tomatoes California, Arizona and states of
Southeast. In the winter the US
Market gardening: is when fruits and imports these types of products from
veggies are grown near an urban Mexico and Chile.
market and sold to local suppliers
stores and restaurants. In the US it is
intensive and requites capital
investments of greenhouses and
fertilizers
Dairy Daries were local farms that supplied Most commercial dairy farms in the
products to customers in a small US, Canada and other developed
geographic area. Still exists in LDC. countries near urban centers and
Improvements in refrigeration and transportation corridors
transportation expanded the milk
shed, the geographic distance that
milk is delivered.
Mediterranean Practiced in regions with hot, dry Southern Europe, northern Africa,
summers, mild winters, narrow southwestern Africa, southwestern
valleys and often some irrigations Asia, southwestern Australia,
California and central Chile.
Common crops grown in
Mediterranean agriculture include figs Transhumance: the seasonal herding
dates, olives and grapes of animals from higher elevation and
valleys in the winter
Livestock Ranching Commercial grazing
5.1 Introduction to Agricultural
Agriculture: the process by which humans alter the landscape to raise crops and livestock for
consumption and trade
Two physical elements that shape agriculture:
- Physical geography: Soil types & Landforms
- Climate: The long-term weather patterns in a region
Economic factors also impact agriculture: whether consumers want to purchase influences what
farmers will grow
Physical geography and agriculture:
- Animals and crops need: Water & Nutrients
- Physical environment: Landforms
- Humans alter the environment through: irrigation, terrace farming,
deforestation, desertification and the drainage of wetlands
Environmental and economic factors are often the most important influence on agriculture
- Climate plays an important role in determining what types of agriculture will take place
- Most land supports some type of agriculture activity
- Exceptions: Physically extreme: highest latitudes/elevation and areas with
highest or lowest precipitation
The relationship between climate and cultural traits such as food preferences also shape
agriculture
Economic factors and agriculture
Subsistence Agriculture: grow enough food or raise enough livestock to meet the immediate
needs of the farmer and their family. Secondary goal: is to sell or trade any
Commercial Agriculture: grow enough crops and raise enough livestock to sell for profit. Found
most often in MDC.
Intensive and Extensive Farming practices
Intensive agricultural: practices are those in which farmers or ranchers use large amounts of
inputs such as energy, fertilizers, labor, or machines to maximize yields
- Intensive Commercial Agriculture: Heavy instruments in labor and capital are used in this
type of agriculture which often results in high yields and profits
- Capital: is the money invested in land, equipment, and machines.
- Intensive commercial agriculture is almost always capital intensive but can also
be labor intensive
- Market gardening
- Plantations
- Large scale mixed crop and livestock system
, - Intensive Subsistence agriculture: Often labor and animal intensive.
Extensive agricultural: practices use fewer amounts of the inputs and typically result in less
yields.
- Extensive Commercial agriculture: Low inputs of resources but has the goal of selling the
product for profit. Ex: ranching
- Extensive subsistence agriculture: Few inputs are used in this type of agricultural activity
Practiced in areas that have climate extremes
Agricultural practice Type and Climate Locations
Pastoral Nomadism This type of extensive agriculture is - South Central Asia and East
practiced in arid and semi-arid Africa- people rely on cattle
climates throughout the world. Rely because they adapt to the hot
on animals for survival
climate
- In desert regions of the
Middle East, people rely on
camels because they can
survive without water for
long periods
- In siberia, people rely on
reindeer because they thrive
on cold weather
Shifting Cultivation Subsistent extensive farming- farmers - Growing rice in Southeast
grow crops on a piece of land for a Asia
year or two. When the soil loses - Maize in south america
fertility to another field. Unlike crop - Millet and sorghum in
rotation- uses new fields sub-saharan africa
An example of shifting cultivation is
slash and-burn agriculture or swidden Practice is not sustainable as
agriculture (enriches nutrients) population grows because land
becomes scarce
Plantation Large commercial farm that - Latin america
(Under colonialism, specializes in one crop - Sub Saharan africa
commercial agriculture often - Found in low latitudes w/ hot , - South and southeast asia
replaced subsistence humid climates and substantial
farming) rainfall
Typically labor intensive and often
exploit the low-wage labor available
in nearby villages and towns
, Mixed Crop and Livestock Intensive commercial integrated Developed in regions such as
system- interdependence between Canada, Midwestern US, northern
crops and animals Europe
The majority of the crops are grains Ex: US w corn and soybeans for
that are eaten by the livestock animal feed
Grain Regions too dry for mixed crop China, india, russia and the US are
agriculture, farmers often raise wheat the world’s top wheat producers
Produced in prairies and plains Spring wheat- planted in early spring
and harvested in early autumn. It is
grown in folder regions such as
Canada, Montana and Dakotas
Winter wheat- planted in the fall and
harvested in early summer it is grown
in warmer regions such as Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Europe
Commercial gardening Typical fruits and veggies grown in Large-scale commercial veggie and
the US include: lettuce, broccoli, fruit farms found mostly in
Truck farming apples, oranges and tomatoes California, Arizona and states of
Southeast. In the winter the US
Market gardening: is when fruits and imports these types of products from
veggies are grown near an urban Mexico and Chile.
market and sold to local suppliers
stores and restaurants. In the US it is
intensive and requites capital
investments of greenhouses and
fertilizers
Dairy Daries were local farms that supplied Most commercial dairy farms in the
products to customers in a small US, Canada and other developed
geographic area. Still exists in LDC. countries near urban centers and
Improvements in refrigeration and transportation corridors
transportation expanded the milk
shed, the geographic distance that
milk is delivered.
Mediterranean Practiced in regions with hot, dry Southern Europe, northern Africa,
summers, mild winters, narrow southwestern Africa, southwestern
valleys and often some irrigations Asia, southwestern Australia,
California and central Chile.
Common crops grown in
Mediterranean agriculture include figs Transhumance: the seasonal herding
dates, olives and grapes of animals from higher elevation and
valleys in the winter
Livestock Ranching Commercial grazing
