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T3/20/12

The Origins of Agriculture

(Ch. 10.1 – pp. 306-314)

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I. Origins of Agriculture– Agriculture = deliberate modification of Earth’s

surface through the cultivation of plants and/or rearing of animals

– Cultivate = “to care for”– Crop = any plant cultivated by people

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I. Origins of Agriculture (cont.)

– A. Hunter-gatherers• earliest groups of people

– small nomadic tribes (~50 ppl.)– division of labor by gender

• Perhaps 250,000 remaining today (less than 0.005%)– Spinifex (Pila Nguru) - Great Victorian Desert in Australia– Sentinelese - Andaman Islands in India– Bushmen - Kalihari Desert in Botswana & Namibia

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I. Origins of Agriculture (cont.)

– B. Invention of agriculture• earliest roots are unclear

– probably around 10,000 years ago, depending on hearth

• diffused from many hearths - Columbian Exchange– see map 10-2

• domestication of animals– also differs by place & region– see map 10-3

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Crop Hearths

Figure 10-2

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Animal Hearths

Figure 10-3

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II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture– Subsistence = produced mainly for the farm

family’s survival• Most common in LDCs

– Commercial = produced mainly for sale off the farm

• Most common in MDCs

– Derwent Whittlesley• research in 1936• 11 regions

– climate vs. culture– careful to avoid environmental determinism– culture plays strong role (i.e., pork in Middle East)

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Agriculture and Climate

9

10

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II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture– Five characteristics distinguish commercial from

subsistence agriculture• A. Purpose of farming

– personal vs. mass consumption

• B. Percentage of farmers in the labor force– usually higher in LDC’s, but more land in MDC’s

• C. Use of machinery – begins in late 18th C. – continues to have impact on efficiency

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II. Subsistence & Commercial Agriculture– Five characteristics (cont.)

• D. Farm size– average farms are large in MDC’s– 5% of farms make up 75% of U.S. production– still 98% of commercial farms are family owned & operated– steady loss of prime agricultural land due to urban sprawl

• E. Relationship of farming to other businesses– development of agribusiness– farmers only 2% of workers in U.S., but 20% of labor force

works in food production

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Agricultural Workers

Figure 10-5

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Area of Farmland Per Tractor

Figure 10-6