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