Introduction to Agriculture
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Transcript of Introduction to Agriculture
Introduction to Agriculture
Economic Activity
The Primary Sector- (agriculture) is the part of the economy that draws raw materials from the natural environment. Ex. Agriculture, raising animals, fishing, forestry
This sector is largest in low-income, pre-industrial societies
The Secondary Sector- (industry) the part of the economy that transforms raw materials into manufactured goods.
This sector grows quickly as societies industrialize, and includes such operations as refining petroleum into gasoline and turning metals into tools or automobiles
The Tertiary Sector- (services) the part of the economy that involves services rather than goods
Grows with industrialization and comes to dominate post-industrial societies
Ex. Construction, trade, finance, real estate
The Quaternary Sector- often seen as a subset of the tertiary sector; includes service jobs concerned with research and development , management and administration
Ex. Doctors, lawyers
Agriculture
Agriculture- the deliberate tending of crops & livestock in order to produce food & fiber
Many countries today have relatively small percentages of their populations in agriculture
Yet agricultural production is at an all-time high
United Kingdom 0.5% Russia 5.4% China 12.5% Mexico 3.8% Nigeria 26.9% Iran 11.6%
How??
The nature of farming has changed with mechanization and farm consolidation, particularly in industrial and post-industrial countries
The way the land is distributed to individuals and is used for food production is determined by culture
Concepts: Intensive vs. Extensive Intensive: requires lots of labor
inputs or is focused on a small plot of land or both
Extensive: requires limited labor inputs or is spread across large areas of land or both
Hunters & Gathers
For thousands of years humans sustained themselves as hunters and gatherers
Lived in small groups of usually fewer than 50, because a large number would quickly exhaust the resources within walking distance
Men hunted game or fished & women gathered berries, nuts, and roots
Groups traveled frequently, setting up new home bases or camps
When, How, Why?
When, How, Why did people give up their wandering and settle to live in permanent places?
Happened in different parts of the world at different times
Settled communities developed in many places by 8000 BC
The ability to settle was based entirely on successful cultivation of plants and domestication of animals
Neolithic Revolution
Its the 1st Agriculture Revolution The transformation from hunting &
gathering to agriculture & settlement It was one of the most significant
markers in human history, it occurred gradually and probably by trail and error
Changes that resulted:
Increase in reliable food supplies Rapid increase in total human
population Job specialization Widening of gender differences Development of distinction between
settled people and nomads
Carl Sauer
According to Carl Sauer, the earliest form of plant cultivation was vegetable planting
He believed this originated in the diverse climates and topography of Southeast Asia
Seed agriculture
Seed agriculture is the production of plants through annual planting of seeds
This came after vegetable planting & is how most agriculture is practiced today
Sauer identified 3 hearths for seed agriculture: western India, northern China, and Ethiopia
Two independent seed agriculture hearths originated in the Western Hemisphere: Southern Mexico & northern Peru
Over the years innovations increased the chances of success for seed agricultural practices
Early innovations included irrigation, plowing to loosen and turn the soil, fencing to keep the animals off the fields, building terraces to provide level fields on hillsides
Columbian Exchange
Food in the Western & Eastern Hemispheres were almost completely different until the late 15th & 16th centuries
Products were carried both ways across the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans
For the first time in history trade routes encircled the globe
Crops grown in one area, like the potato that originated in the Andes Mountains, became a mainstay in another area (Ireland)
What type of diffusion? Relocation Diffusion
New World to Old World
Maize Cayenne pepper Bell peppers Potato Tomato Tobacco Rubber Peanuts Turkeys
Old World to New World
Wheat Rice Coffee Apples Citrus Horses Cattle Hogs Chicken
2nd Agricultural Revolution Began in Western Europe in the late
1600s Intensified agriculture by higher
yields per acre and per farmer Agricultural revolution preceded the
Industrial Revolution, making it possible to feed the rapidly growing population
Once the Industrial Revolution began, farming methods became much more efficient
Subsistence v. Commerical Subsistence agriculture-
productions of only enough food to feed the farmer’s family, with little or no surplus
Commercial agriculture- production of food surplus, with most crops destined for sale to people outside the farmer’s family
Shifting Cultivation
Also known as “slash & burn” or swidden agriculture
Primarily found in rain forests zones of Central & South America, West Africa, eastern & central China and Southeast Asia
Commercial Farming
Agribusiness- the system of commercial farming found in more developed countries
Big companies (food processing companies)sign contracts with commercial farmers to buy their grain, cattle, pigs, chicken & other products that they in turn package to sell through food outlets