Ch.

9 Food and Agriculture

Key Issue 3 Where IS Agriculture Distributed?
Rubenstein, p.316-331

I. AGRICULTURAL REGIONS AND CLIMATE

1. a. Geographer Derwent Wittlesey (1936) created an agricultural map of the

world that is still widely used today. His map contained 11 agricultural zones:

- 5 are found among developing countries: - 6 are found among developed countries:
pastoral nomadism mixed crop & livestock
shifting cultivation dairy
intensive subsistence, wet rice dominant grain
intensive subsistence, wet rice not dominant livestock ranching
plantation Mediterranean
commercial gardening

c. While there is a correlation between the agricultural map and a world map of climate

regions, differences in drylands and tropics

also explain agricultural differences in areas of similar climate. (Viewing climate as the sole

factor in what a region cultivates would be an example of environmental determinism,

which most geographers reject.)

2. In Figures 9-13 & 9-14, do the agricultural regions match the climate regions more closely in the
developed regions developing regions? Why do you think this might be the case?
The climate regions match more accurately the agricultural regions in less developed countries due
to less advancements in technology. This is an example of how LDCs are more prevalent to show
environmental determinism, whereas MDCs are more likely to show environmental possibilism.

II. SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES – 5 regions/practices

3. What percent of the world’s population today survive by hunting and gathering? Around 0.005%

PASTORAL NOMADISM
a. Define pastoral nomadism: Pastoral Nomadism is a type of subsistence agriculture that focuses
on gathering and herding of domesticated animals.

b. Found in dry climates because: it is hard to plant crops in such climates

c. How do pastoral nomads obtain grain? They obtain grains by trading their animal products.

d. What animals are chosen and why? Normally, camels are chosen due to resistant to arid climate
and also goats due to being tough and agile.
 e. Describe territoriality among pastoral nomads.
Every pastoral nomad has its own part of land that it roams.

f. Describe the practice of transhumance. Transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock

g. Identify reasons pastoral nomadism is declining in practice.

Pastoral Nomadism is declining due to advancements in technology

SHIFTING CULTIVATION (also called SLASH-AND-BURN)

a. Found in tropical climates with (2 characteristics): abundant rainfall and high temperatures

b. Identify the two hallmark characteristics of the technique of shifting cultivation.

farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning the debris; shifting cultivation
is called slash-and-burn agriculture. farmers grow crops on a cleared field for only a few years,
until soil nutrients are depleted, and then leave it fallow (nothing planted) for many years so the
soil can recover

c. What is swidden and how long are they used? Swidden is land cleared for agricultural purposes,
it is usually used for 3 years or less.

d. What is potash? Potash is potassium that comes down from the ashes of burnt forests.

e. In terms of organization, how does the practice of shifting cultivation differ from practices in
developed countries? In developed countries shifting cultivation uses more machinery and in
LDCs it uses more labor-intensive work.

f. How is land owned in a typical village that practices shifting cultivation? Recent changes?
Land in villages would be given to each family and be able to bear its crops yet nowadays each
person has their own land.

g. What percentage of the world’s land area is devoted to shifting cultivation? What percentage of
the world’s people work it? What do these figures illustrate about shifting cultivation?
One fourth of land is devoted and less than 5% of people work it. These figures illustrate that it
requires a lot of labor.

Describe the pros and cons of shifting cultivation.

PROS (Arguments against replacing shifting cultivation) CONS (How is shifting cultivation being replaced?)

Large scale destruction of forests leads to global

it is a good way to use agriculture and maintain the warming and climate change
soils nutrients healthy.

PLANTATION FARMING
a. Define plantation farming: The practice of largely planting a crop in a swidden

b. Found in tropical regions, especially in Latin America, Africa and Asia,

 though often owned by Europeans or north Americans.

c. Typical crops: cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, coffee and rubber

Define and take notes on intensive subsistence agriculture:

Intensive subsistence agriculture is the practice of a farmer using hard labor and tools in a small area of
land.

What is double cropping? Examples?

Harvesting two crops in a field per year. Normally in China alternating between wet rice and grains.

INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE, WET-RICE DOMINANT

a. Define wet rice: rice planted in dry land ad moved as seedling to flooded field (promotes
growth)

b. Where commonly practiced? Southeastern China, East India and southeast Asia

c. Identify the stages of the time-consuming process shown in the pictures below:

Preparing Harvesting

flooding Transplanting

Sawah - Field flooded with water

Paddy - new name for Sawah

INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE, WET RICE NOT DOMINANT

a. Where practiced and why? Interior India and northeastern China due to climate

b. Common crops: Wheat and Barley

c. Define cash crops: crops planted and harvested for purpose of selling

Examples: coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, vegetables

d. Define crop rotation: rotating use of different fields from crop to crop.
III. FISHING
a. Identify and define the two ways water-based food is acquired:
Fishing: capture of wild fish and seafood
Aquaculture: cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

b. Take notes on each of the following practices:

- Fish production – oceans divided into 18 fishing regions, in past century increased from 36
to 258 million metric tons. Production is higher than consumption.

- Fish consumption – developing countries are responsible for 5/6 fish consumption increase
from 27 to 132 million metric tons.

- Overfishing – China is responsible for 1/3 yield of fish. The decline of fish population due to
overfishing.

IV. COMMERCIAL FARMING IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES – 6 regions/practices

Define agribusiness: system of commercial farming

- Includes a variety of services/enterprises, such as: food processing, packaging, storage etc.

Farmers comprise 2% of the U.S. workforce, but 20% of U.S. laborers work in food production & services
related to agribusiness.

(Commercial) GRAIN FARMING

a. What is the principal difference between grains common in “commercial grain farming” regions
and grains grown in “mixed crop and livestock” regions? Main difference is the growing of grain
for primary human consumption, not livestock consumption.

b. Identify the three regions of large-scale grain production in North America.

Winter Wheat Belt, Spring Wheat Belt and Palouse region.

c. Identify multiple reasons that show why wheat is an important crop.

It is the world leading export crop.

d. How has the distribution of wheat production changed in the last 50 years?
The main difference being the percentage of grain production being 1/3 in LDCs as of ¼ back in
1960s.
(Commercial) MEDITERRANEAN AGRICULTURE

a. Most crops are grown for: human consumption

b. Located in what regions? Climate factors? Lands bordering Mediterranean Sea, California, Chile.

c. Define horticulture: the commercial base of Mediterranean food being fruits, vegetables,
flowers and tree crops.

d. Key cash crops along the Mediterranean: olives and grapes

e. Key cash crops in California: citrus fruits, tree nuts and deciduous fruits.

COMMERCIAL GARDENING & FRUIT FARMING (also called Truck Farming)

a. Located in what regions? Climate factors? Southeastern United States, humid climate

b. Types of crops: apples, asparagus, cherries, lettuce and mushrooms.

c. What is specialty farming? Located? In new England farmers grow crops that are limited but in
high demand

(Commercial) MIXED CROP & LIVESTOCK

a. Describe mixed crop and livestock farming: the integration of crops and livestock in same farm.

b. Located in what regions? West of Appalachians and Europe, France and Russia.

c. Describe the irony between the amount of land devoted to crops vs. animals and the income
generated by each in this region.
Most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed by humans. Derives more and more
than 3/4 of its income

d. How does this type of agriculture allow farmers to more evenly “distribute their workload”?

e. Where is the U.S. Corn Belt and what crop is making rapid inroads among farms there?

f. In what different ways is the corn used? Popcorn, oil and mangerine.

The von Thünen Model (Label the models below.)

(Johann Heinrich von Thünen, 1826)

 Applies to farming because…

 Key concepts:
o Describes the relationship between what
two factors/decisions a farmer makes?

o In making their choices, farmers compare what two costs?

DAIRY

LIVESTOCK RANCHING

(Commercial) DAIRY

a. Located where and why? In large urban areas in

Developed countries

b. Define milkshed: ring surrounding city from where

Milk can be delivered without spoiling

c. What country is the world’s largest per capita producer of dairy products? New Zealand

Define per capita – the amount of something per person on average.

d. What challenges do dairy farmers currently face?

Declining revenues and rising costs.

(Commercial) LIVESTOCK RANCHING

a. Define ranching: commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area

b. Located where and why? Located in developed countries

c. Growth in ranching has occurred where recently? Examples? Recently, LDCs have more
production

d. How has ranching changed in the U.S. in recent years? Why?

Since 1990 till now meat production has doubled.

e. What animals are ranched commonly around the world other than cattle? Sheep are also a
common animal to be ranched.