GEOG 247 Cultural Geography AGRICULTURE

Transcription

1 GEOG 247 Cultural Geography AGRICULTURE 1 Prof. Anthony Grande Hunter College CUNY AFG 2016 Lecture design, content and presentation AFG Individual images and illustrations may be subject to prior copyright.

2 Agriculture What is it? Why and where did it begin? a.k.a. Farming: The practice of cultivating crops and the raising of animals in a controlled setting. Plant domestication may have occurred in tropical South/Southeast Asia over 14,000 yrs. ago. Animal domestication probably began earlier than plant cultivation, but some argue that animal domestication began as recently as 8,000 yrs. ago, well after crop agriculture. 2

3 Agriculture Agriculture is the deliberate modification of Earth s surface (through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals) to obtain sustenance or economic gain. Uses methodologies developed by people in response to physical geographic stimuli (as climate, landforms, water availability) and social tenets (as customs and religious beliefs) Agriculture is a learned trait, therefore it is cultural. 3

4 Agricultural Revolutions First Agricultural Revolution Domestication of plants and animals dating back over 14,000 years; seed crops allowed people to select/control plants (Fertile Crescent of SW Asia Mesopotamia) Second Agricultural Revolution Coincided with the industrial revolution of the 1800s; gave the world mechanization (improved methods of cultivation, harvesting and storage); crop yields improved; economies of scale realized. Third Agricultural Revolution Currently in progress; called the Green Revolution; noted for scientific methodologies to create higher yields and increase resistance to debilitating conditions; genetically modified organisms (GMOs); specialized fertilizers; antibiotics, precision irrigation. 4

5 TERMS Domestication: The successful transformation of a plant or animal species from a wild state to a condition of dependency on human management usually with a distinct physical change from its wild forbears. In addition to managing crops and livestock to produce food for people, the domestication process is used to produce feed stock for animals, fiber for clothing and manufacturing, and alternative fuel supplies as ethanol and other biomasses. 5

6 More Terms Cultivate: to care for Crop: any plant cultivated (cared for) by people. Agricultural hearth: source area for the domesticcation of plants and animals Subsistence agriculture: production of food for one s own or family s use Commercial agriculture: production of food for sale or barter to others. Horticulture: the science, skill, or occupation of cultivating plants (esp. flowers, fruit, and vegetables), in gardens or greenhouses. Floriculture: growing of flowers and ornamental shrubs as a crop. Aquaculture: the farming of ocean and freshwater fish, plants and animals for human consumption 6

7 Modern Agriculture Depends heavily on engineering, technology and the biological and physical sciences. Agricultural engineering is used to determine irrigation, drainage, conservation and channeling of water. Agricultural chemistry deals with such issues as the use of fertilizers, insectcides and fungicides, soil structure, analysis of agricultural products and the nutritional needs of farm animals. Expensive equipment does the work of numerous laborers. Remote sensing and satellite technology are used to analyze crop growth and development, soil moisture, insect infestations, field contouring and planting tracts. 7

8 Economic Geog Refresher Primary economic activities: Economic activities that involve the extraction of economically valuable products from the earth, including agriculture, ranching, hunting and gathering, fishing, forestry, mining, and quarrying. Secondary economic activities: Activities (e.g., manufacturing) that take a primary product and change it into something else such processed foods, leather products and biomass. Tertiary economic activities: Those service industries that connect producers to consumers and facilitate commerce and trade or help people meet their needs, as food sellers, distributors and merchants. 8

9 At the Center of it All: Agriculture (food production) is the core of human being. It plays a pivotal role between people, the environment and economic well-being. 9

10 Diet vs. Cuisine Diet: The combination of food products (plant/ animal) ingested for nutritional gain. Cuisine: The style of cooking or preparing food. Polish veal and potatoes 10

11 Cultural Heritage Diet Pyramids This program studies traditional diets and associated daily physical activities of culture groups. Oldways Preservation Trust and Harvard School of Public Health 11

12 World Hunger The world produces enough food for all its people yet economics and politics cause food shortages. It is estimated that 800 million people are malnourished, Source: esp. UN FAO, 2008 in Africa. 12

13 The Cultural Geography of Farming 1. LANDSCAPE: Farming varies around the world in relation to cultural and environmental factors. 2. ECOLOGY: Elements of the physical environment, such as climate, soil, and topography, set broad limits on agricultural products and practices. 3. INTERACTION: Farmers make choices to modify the environment in a variety of ways, including selecting products for profit 4. REGIONS: Climate patterns influence the crops planted in a region, and local soil conditions influence the crops planted on a farm. 5. DIFFUSION: Through colonization, world wars, and multi-national corporations agricultural methods have spread worldwide. 13

14 The Cultural Geography of Farming Farmers choose from a variety of agricultural practices and products, based on their perception of the value of each alternative. These values are partly economic and partly cultural. How farmers deal with their physical environment varies according to dietary preferences, availability of techno-logy, and other cultural traditions. At a global scale, farmers increasingly pursue the most profitable agriculture (aspects of agglomeration and comparative advantage come into play). 14

15 Types of Agriculture Swidden/shifting cultivation Paddy rice farming Peasant grain, root, livestock farming Plantation agriculture Market gardening Livestock feeding Grain farming Dairying Nomadic herding Livestock ranching Urban agriculture Aquaculture/ mariculture 15

16 Food Supply and Population Before the advent of agriculture, hunting, gathering, and fishing were the most common means of subsistence throughout the world The size of hunting and gathering clans varied according to climate and resource availability. Hunting and gathering communities in areas of abundance could support larger populations that were concentrated in smaller areas. How did hunter/gatherer peoples increase their food supplies? 16

17 Tools - A Cultural Adaption The first tools used in hunting were simple clubs - tree limbs that were thick and heavy at one end. Later the use of bone and stone and the development of spears made hunting on land more effective. Traps allowed hunters to roam a larger area and reduce the wait time for prey. The control of fire offered new opportunities. Humans also harvested shell fish, trapped fish (by cutting off small patches from the open sea), and invented tools to catch fish, including harpoons, hooks, and baskets. Using tools and fire, human communities altered their environments, which helped to establish more reliable food supplies. 17

18 Agric Practices and Production <2% of the US workforce is involved in agricultural production yet production is at an all-time high. This sharp contrast in agricultural practices constitutes one of the most fundamental differences between the more developed and less developed countries of the world. The drive toward economic efficiency has meant that the average size of farms (acres in production) in the US has been growing, regardless of the kind of agricultural good produced. The mechanized, highly productive American farm contrasts with the less productive and largely subsistence farm found in much of the world. 18

19 Images of Agricultural Practice 19

20 Hunters and Gatherers In order to survive people need food and water. Earliest humans had to search their surroundings for their daily needs - gathering, hunting and fishing for food. Hunters and gatherers lived in small groups. Men hunted or fished. Women collected nuts, berries, and roots. The group traveled often (wanderers/nomads) establishing new home bases/ camps in areas where food, water and shelter was adequate. Direction and frequency of movement depended on the migration of game and the seasonal plant growth. leading to awareness of natural cycles and planning Abundance in place reduced the need to wander. 20

21 Contemporary Hunting Current estimates put c.250,000 people (out of 7 billion) still surviving by hunting and gathering. Contemporary hunting and gathering societies are isolated groups living on the periphery of world settlement, but they provide insight into human customs that prevailed in prehistoric times, before the inventtion of agriculture. and Gathering 21

22 Early Agricultural Regions What accounts for this distribution? 22

23 Areas of Naturally Fertile Soil Most fertile areas have high food production ratios and higher populations. Compare this map to the maps of world hunger, undernourishment and population density. Can a correlation be made?

24 World Climates Köppen Climate Classification System groups the world s climates on the basis of temperature and precipitation. Climate provides an insight into the location of agricultural regions. Wladimir Köppen, an Austrian botanist, developed it as a way to categorize natural vegetation. 24

25 Map of Agriculture Most world regions can support some type of food production (some better than others). INSERT FIGURE

26 Predominant Types of Agriculture 26

27 Agricultural Hearths Agriculture began with the domestication of plants. Plant domestication was a gradual process. 27

28 Agriculture is Invented Geographer Carl Sauer postulated that the trials and errors necessary to establish agriculture and settle in one place would occur in lands of plenty. He suggested that Southeast and South Asia may have been where the first tropical plant domestication occurred, over 14,000 years ago. The earliest form of plant cultivation was vegetative planting, direct cloning from existing plants, such as dividing roots and cutting stems. 28

29 Location of First Vegetative Planting Sauer believed that vegetative planting originated in SE Asia because its climate and topography encouraged plants suitable for dividing. Also, the people were sedentary - obtaining food primarily by fishing, not hunting and gathering, so they may have been able to devote more attention to growing plants. Other early hearths of vegetative planting also may have emerged independently in West Africa and northwestern South America. The first plants domesticated in SE Asia probably included roots such as the taro and yam, and tree crops such as the banana and palm. TARO BANANA 29

30 Vegetative Planting Hearths and Routes of Diffusion 30

31 Domestication of Animals Animal domestication probably began earlier than plant cultivation, although some say that animal domestication began well after crop agriculture, maybe only 8,000 years ago. The advantages of animal domestication - their use as beasts of burden, as a source of meat, and as providers of milk - stimulated the rapid diffusion of this idea and gave the sedentary farmers of SW Asia and elsewhere a new measure of security. Only five domesticated mammals are important worldwide: the cow, sheep, goat, pig, and horse. 31

32 Earliest Domesticated Fauna Dog Sheep Pig Goat Cattle Cat Chicken Donkey Duck Horse Camel Reindeer Silkworm Honey bee Chief Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication

33 Seed Agriculture Hearths Fertile Crescent 33

34 Food Product Diffusion While the original diffusion of food products took thousands of years, with the start of the Age of Exploration products quickly moved between continents. Improved communications and better shipping methods starting in the mid-20 th century along with international organizations and foreign aid has allowed the diffusion of food products to varied locations around the world.

35 Agricultural Practice: Subsistence vs. Commercial Subsistence agriculture is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer s family. Commercial agriculture is the production of food primarily for sale. This distinguishes agriculture in less developed countries from more developed countries. Five features distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture: 1. purpose of farming 2. percentage of farmers in the labor force 3. use of machinery 4. farm size 5. relationship of farming to other businesses. 35

36 Areas Where Subsistence Agriculture Predominates There are two chief types of subsistence agriculture: 1. Extensive subsistence Large areas of land Minimal labor input per acre Product per land unit and population densities are low 2. Intensive subsistence Small land holdings Great amounts of labor/acre Yields/unit area and population densities are both high

37 Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Shifting cultivation: farmers move from place to place in search of better land. Found in tropical and subtropical zones where historically, traditional farmers had to abandon plots of land after the soil became infertile. Swidden or Slash-and-burn agriculture: use of hand tools (machetes and knives) to slash down trees and tall vegetation, and fire to burn the vegetation on the ground. A layer of ash from the fire covers the ground and contributes to the soil s fertility when mixed with rainwater. Less than 3% of world s people engaged in this type of cultivation 37

38 Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Shifting cultivation Plots are cleared and burned, then cultivated until fertility is lost, after which cropping is shifted to a newly prepared site Highly efficient cultural adaptation where land is abundant in relation to population and levels of technology and capital availability are low. 38

39 Swidden Plot Preparation Liberia, West Africa a) The vegetation is hacked down and set on fire. b) The field is planted by hand. Stumps and unfelled trees remain in the field. Benefits of a Good Burn: 1. Removal of unwanted vegetation. 2. Killing of insect, animal and weed pests. 3. Softens soil for easier penetration by small hand tools. 4. Provides a protective soil cover of wood ashes. 5. Nutrients in the ash enrich the soil and maintain soil structure. 6. Burned stumps and logs provide charcoal for cooking.

40 Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Nomadic herding: wandering controlled movement of livestock solely dependent on natural forage Most extensive type of land use (requires greatest amount of land area per person) Animals provide a variety of products for food, clothing, shelter and fuel (dried dung). Nomadic movement is tied to sparse and seasonal rainfall or cold temperatures, as well as the quality/quantity of forage. Transhumance: the seasonal movement to exploit locally varying pasture conditions. 40

41 The Nomadic Herding Culture Herders constantly move livestock to new grazing and water sources in response to availability and to the seasons. Nomads have few personal possessions and few fixed structures. Wealth is based on size of livestock holdings. Sedentary cultivation being encouraged in some areas as governments seek to stabilize a population in place.