GEOG 247 Cultural Geography Early Agricultural Regions AGRICULTURE 2 Prof. Anthony Grande Hunter College CUNY AFG 2015 What accounts for this distribution? 2 World Climates Köppen Climate Classification System groups the world s climates on the basis of temp. and precip. Climate and Agriculture Wladimir Köppen, an Austrian botanist, developed it as a means to categorize natural vegetation. 3 Climate provides an insight into the location of agricultural regions. Note areas having natural favorable conditions of average temperature, seasonality, and precipitation. To this we add landforms and soil development. People s perceptions of local conditions influenced the agricultural movement. 4 Map of Agriculture INSERT FIGURE 11.18 Most world regions can support some type of food production (some better than others). Areas of Naturally Fertile Soil 5 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? 1
Predominant Types of Agriculture Ancient Hearths and Current Production Areas 7 Agriculture began with the domestication of plants. Plant domestication was a gradual process 8 Agricultural Hearths 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, more than 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. 9 10 Location of First Vegetative Planting Sauer believed that vegetative planting originated in SE Asia because the region s diversity of climate and topography encouraged plants suitable for dividing. Also, the people there obtained food primarily by fishing, not hunting and gathering, so they may have been more sedentary and 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. Vegetative Planting Hearths 11 12 2
Domestication of Animals It is believed that animal domestication began earlier than plant cultivation, but others argue that animal domestication began as recently as 8000 years ago well after crop agriculture. 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. Chief Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication 13 Agricultural Revolutions First Agricultural Revolution Domestication of plants and animals dating back over 10,000 years 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. 15 First Agricultural Revolution The cultivation of seed crops marked the beginning of the First Agricultural Revolution. Seed crops: plants that are reproduced by collecting and cultivating seeds. People are able to select and control the distribution of plants used for food. The view now is that the first domestication of seed plants took place in the Fertile Crescent of SW Asia (Mesopotamia). 16 Seed Agriculture Hearths Fertile Crescent 17 Diffusion of Seed Agriculture Seed agriculture diffused from SW Asia across Europe and through North Africa. Greece, Crete, and Cyprus display the earliest evidence of seed agriculture in Europe. Seed agriculture also diffused Lentils eastward from Southwest Asia to northwestern India and the Indus River plain. Various domesticated plants (and animals) were brought from Wheat Southwest Asia, although other plants, such as cotton and rice, arrived in India from different hearths. 18 3
Diffusion of Seed Agriculture millet From the northern China hearth, millet diffused to S. Asia and SE Asia. Rice has an unknown hearth. Sauer identified a 3rd independent hearth in Ethiopia, where millet and sorghum were domesticated early (but argued that agricultural advances in Ethiopia did not diffuse widely to other locations). rice 19 Diffusion of Seed Agriculture in the Western Hemisphere Two independent seed agriculture hearths originated in the Western Hemisphere: southern Mexico and northern Peru. Agricultural practices diffused to other parts of the Western Hemisphere. 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, climatic conditions, and cultural preferences in each region. maize 20 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. 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. Improved communications starting in the mid-20 th century along with international organizations and aid has allowed the diffusion of food products to varied locations around the world. Five principal features distinguish commercial from subsistence agriculture: purpose of farming percentage of farmers in the labor force use of machinery farm size relationship of farming to other businesses. 22 Regional and Local Change Shifts from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture have had dramatic impacts on rural life. Dramatic increases in the production of export crops have occurred at the expense of crop production for local consumption. Environmental, economic, and social changes have affected local rural communities. Production is market-driven. The culture of being a farmer changes. Areas Where Subsistence Agriculture Predominates 23 4
Subsistence Agriculture There are two chief types of subsistence agriculture: 1. Extensive subsistence agriculture Large areas of land Minimal labor input per acre Product per land unit and population densities are low 2. Intensive subsistence agriculture Cultivation of small land holdings Great amounts of labor per acre Yields per unit area and population densities are both high 25 Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Shifting cultivation: farmers move from place to place in search of better land. Found primarily in tropical and subtropical zones, where traditional farmers had to abandon plots of land after the soil became infertile. Swidden or Slash-and-burn agriculture: farmers use hand tools (machetes and knives) to slash down trees and tall vegetation, and then burn the vegetation on the ground. A layer of ash from the fire settles on the ground and contributes to the soil s fertility. Less than 3% of world s people engaged in this type of cultivation Subsistence agriculture is returning in parts of the world where farmers feel production for the global market has not benefited them financially or culturally. 26 Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Shifting cultivation Plots are cleared and burned, then cultivated until fertility is lost, after which cropping shifts 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 27 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 cover of wood ashes. 5. Nutrients in the ash enriches soil fertility and maintains soil structure. 6. Burned stumps and logs provide charcoal for cooking Extensive Subsistence Agriculture Nomadic herding Wandering but controlled movement of livestock solely dependent on natural forage Most extensive type of land use system (requires greatest amount of land area per person sustained) 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 quality and quantity of forage Transhumance: seasonal movement to exploit locally varying pasture conditions. It is on the decline. 29 Nomadic Herding Nomadic herding is practiced in dry, cold lands and in warmer areas with a moisture deficiency: deserts, prairies, savanna. Herders move livestock to new grazing and water sources usually in response to the seasons. Nomads have few possessions. Wealth is based on size of livestock holdings. Sedentary cultivation being encouraged in some areas as governments seek to stabilize a population in place. 5
Modern-day Nomadic Herders Intensive Subsistence Agriculture Involves about 45% of world s people. Small-plot production of grains as rice, wheat, maize, or millet The warm, moist districts of monsoon Asia are well-suited to rice production The cooler and drier portions of Asia produce wheat, millet and upland rice. Intensive use of fertilizers, mostly animal manure Promise of high yields in good years Polyculture (variety of crops) is practiced for food security and dietary custom Urban agriculture is rapidly growing activity 31 32 Intensive Agriculture Intensive Agriculture Farmers in Madagascar plant highland rice by hand in a field that was prepared by the swidden (slash and burn) method. Farmers in Indonesia tending to terraced rice paddies. This highly labor intensive form of agriculture provides a very high return. Frans Lanting/Corbis Climate allows for double cropping. Climate also provides the large amounts of Denis water Waugh/Tony requir- Stone Images ed for this form of agriculture. 6