Agriculture in the MDCs Lesson

Commercial Agriculture in the MDCs (And one in the LDCs)

Changes in Farming

MDCs (specifically the US and Canada) produce enough food to feed the region and sell surplus to the rest of the world

Although the number of farms are shrinking in the US, the land possessed for farming is growing (about 1B acres)
The number of farmers in MDCs have declined dramatically over the last century because of higher paying jobs in cities, low incomes for farmers and less opportunities to survive by farming

Farms around the world are facing the loss of prime agricultural land (best farmland) because of urban sprawl (growth of metropolitan areas)

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

Common in the US and Europe
A mixture of farming and raising animals

Most of the crops are used to feed the animals then manure is used to fertilize the fields
Most land goes to the crops, but most of the money comes from animal products (beef, milk, eggs)
The crops are rotated through two seasons, but animals are year-long (these also reflect the time of year these items can be sold)

Farmers plan their crop rotations years in advance to get the most nutrients for each crop

Crop-Rotation

The earliest crop rotation system, the two-field rotation, was used in Europe as early as 400 CE
This involved a cereal grain ( staple grain ) in one field while another was left fallow - the next season the fields were switched
- Oats, wheat, rye and barley
As the centuries progressed crops increased in field usage (Three-field, four-field)
- Also includes a fallow field or a rest crop
- Wheat and barley - flour and beer
- Wheat stalks - animal bedding
- Roots, clover and rest crops - animal feed
Corn is the most often produced crop in the US
- Used for human and animal consumption
- The Corn Belt is the major region (Ohio to the Dakotas)
  - Corn subsidies are available from the US government in order to support farmers and control the amount of any given agricultural commodity
  - Many small and family farms are threatened by rising costs and competition from corporate farms
Soybeans are the second most important crop in the US (mixed commercial)
- Produce both human and animal food
- Tofu (soybean milk) in Asia and soybean oil in the US are major products

Dairy Farming

Common near urban areas in US, Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand
- Produce the majority of milk worldwide - sold to wholesalers and retailers to reach consumers
- Increases in income and technology (railroads and refrigeration) made milk common
- The vast majority of dairy producers used to be clustered in developed countries, but this is changing (China is the world's largest dairy producer)
Dairy farms need to be near to markets because it is perishable (milkshed is the area around a market that can be reached before spoiling)
- Modern milksheds are 300 miles
The distance still influences the products, the farther the farm the more the focus on other products (cheese, butter, evaporated/condensed/dried milk)
- For example - farms in the Northeast focus on milk but Wisconsin focuses on cheese and New Zealand avoids fresh milk due to distance
Dairy farming is facing ongoing issues:
- Labor-intensive requirements (milking)
- Cost of feed (and machines if possible)
- Lower profits worldwide

Grain Farming

Grain is the seed from different types of grasses

Wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, millet, etc.

Grain represents the major crop on most farms, these are staple crops (can be the base for feeding an entire civilization)

On grain farms the purpose is not to produce food for animals, but food to sell for humans

Wheat is most important (in grain farming) because of its uses (bread), ease of transport and profitability
The US is the largest commercial producer of grain

All locations are found in areas that are too dry for mixed crop and livestock

Areas of Grain Farming in the US

Most US grain comes from winter and spring wheat
Most wheat farms are large and heavily reliant upon machinery

The reaper was the first machine to cut the grain
The combine has replaced the reaper because it can reap, thresh and clean the grain

The workload on a grain farm depends on the season of planting
Wheat is the largest export crop worldwide, with about 50% coming from the US and Canada ( large-scale grain farms )

The North American prairie states are such big producers that they are known as the "World's Breadbasket"

Livestock Ranching

Ranching is a type of extensive agriculture that uses large semi-arid lands (not ideal for farming) to raise animals

Located in the US, South America, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand

Cattle first arrived in the US through the Columbian Exchange (Old World to New World and vice versa)

American settlers in Texas were taught how to ranch by immigrants from Spain and Portugal

The largest cattle markets were located in Chicago and herds were moved on foot and then on cattle cars (railroads)
In the West, ranchers allowed their cattle to graze at will and were only forced to buy and enclose their land when other farmers moved into the area (semi-nomadic extensive farming changed to fixed farming on a more intensive scale)

Longhorns were the original US cattle, but they were replaced by European varieties (better meat) once transportation allowed for fixed locations (didn't have to move the herds long distance to graze or find water)

Crop farming has slowly replaced cattle ranches and now animals are usually sent to indoor facilities to be fattened quicker (through the use of feedlots and corn feed)

Feedlots are small contained areas for animals, where they are fattened quickly – this can allow for just-in-time delivery of goods for freshness

Mediterranean Agriculture

Common in area bordering the Mediterranean Sea (needs to have dry summers and cool, moist winters)

Southern Europe, Northern Africa, western Asia

But also in areas with Mediterranean climates

California, South America, South Africa, Australia
All areas border a sea (or ocean) which helps to bring moisture and help moderate the winter temperatures and balance out the summer temperatures and the land is hilly or mountainous

Some farmers use transhumance to raise animals (sheep and goats) in the region, but the focus is mainly on crops
Horticulture (fruits, veggies and flowers) and trees are the basis for Mediterranean agriculture

Olives (for oils) and grapes (for wines) are widely produced in nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea
Grains are also important (bread and pasta)

Winter wheat is rotated with cash crops
- The loss of prime agricultural land to urban areas (Los Angeles) had required large scale irrigation of arid land in the region

The largest exception is California, which focused on horticulture

Commercial Gardening and Fruit Farming

Common in the SE United States because of the warm temps and water

This is known as truck farming because of the demand from a number of different markets (used to be bartering but now it is selling)
Traditionally these were large farms in the Southeast that would then sell their goods to colder climates

Crops focus on fruits and vegetables that can be produced cheaply due to migrant workers (working on suitcase farms ) and then sold to corporations to process and sell ( agribusiness )

New England has copied the idea and started specialty farming , which doesn't produce a lot, but includes high demand items (fruits, veggies and nurseries)

Plantation Farming

The only type of large scale commercial farming found in the LDCs ( periphery )
- The farms are usually located in the tropics (Central and South America and the Caribbean) and owned by Europeans or Americans and sold in the MDCs ( core )
Plantations are large farms with a focus on one or two crops
- Cotton, sugarcane, coffee, rubber, tobacco, cocoa, jute, bananas, coconuts and palm oil
  - Asia focuses on jute and palm oil; while Latin America produces bananas, sugarcane and coffee
  - Plantations are usually in isolated locations, so workers must be found, transported and housed on the farm
- Plantations focus on cash crops (these are in high demand and easy to sell, but are also nutritionally important) or luxury crops (nonessential and non-sustenance, not for survival, but can be sold for a very high price)

Global Concerns

More land being cleared and being farmed in an intensive manner creates harsh landscapes:

Erosion - loss of soil (through wind, rain, etc)
Overgrazing of grassland can lead to dry lands – leads to erosion and desertification
Soil Changes - More farming equals less nutrients
Loss of natural vegetation - Introducing new crops can lead to overpowering of traditional ones
Increased chemicals - Fertilizers and pesticides change the soil
Loss of prime agricultural land (to urban sprawl)
Desertification - land changing to desert-like conditions

Worldwide Production

Biggest factors are climate (including soil and relief) and money
- US leads in corn (for livestock, humans and ethanol) and produces a lot of soybeans and wheat
  - South America produces sugarcane (for food consumption, but mostly for ethanol)
  - Eastern Europe produces wheat for human consumption
    - All nations in the EU have strict guidelines for food production and land use - so a lot food is produced organically (very few GM crops)
  - Africa produces millet and sorghum
  - Asia focuses on rice (food / barter for animal products)
    - China has a planned economy (due to communism) and has wheat in northern areas and rice in southern areas

This is the map of agricultural area which was proposed by Derwent Stainthorpe Whittlesey, an American geographer.

Map of the Agricultural Areas of the World

Flash Cards

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IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS (Images are available in the Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons License Attribution)