Global Pattern of Agriculture, Agribusiness and the Changes in

Cultural Landscape

AP Human GeographyUnit 5: Agriculture

Copeland

Intensive vs. Extensive AG

• Extensive AG-use of small inputs of labor, fertilizers and capital (sheep, cattle)

• Intensive AG-use of large inputs of labor, fertilizers and capital (dairy, eggs, fruits/ veggies-perishable)

Truck FarmingCrops

Agricultural Landscape

• The agricultural imprint of cultivation on the land

• The patterns of fields and properties created as people occupy land for the purpose of farming

Cadastral Systems

• A system the delineates property lines • Adopted in places where settlement

could be regulated by law• Three Types:

1) Township-and-Range System2) Metes and Bounds3) Long-Lot Survey

Township-and-range system

• Designed to facilitate the dispersal of settlers evenly across farmlands of the interior

• Basic unit = section (1sq. Mi of land)• Land frequently bought in half or quarter

sections• Townships – (36 sq. mi) serve as political

administrative subdistricts

Township and Range – The cultural landscape of Garden City, Iowa reflects the Township and Range system. Townships are 6x6 miles and section lines are every 1 mile.

Metes and Bounds Survey

• Natural features used to demarcate irregular parcels of land

• Used commonly along the eastern seaboard

• Rivers, lakes, streams, mountains

• Tennessee’s 3rd Surveyor’s District using Metes and Bounds to describe the plot

Long-Lot Survey System

• Long, narrow unit block stretching back from a road, river, or canal

• Central and Western Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Southern Louisiana, Texas

Longlot Survey System

The cultural landscape of Burgandy, France reflects

the Longlot Survey system, as land is divided into long,

narrow parcels.

French Long Lot agricultural fields in Louisiana

Dominant Land Survey Patterns in the US

Agricultural Villages

• Linear Village

• Cluster Village (nucleated)

• Round Village (rundling)

• Walled Village

• Grid Village

Village Forms

Functional Differentiation within Villages

• Cultural landscape of a village reflects:– Social stratification – Differentiation of buildings– Cultural norms– Economic way of life– Levels of Interdependence

Stilt village in Cambodia

Buildings look alike, but serve different purposes.

Farm in Minnesota

each building serves a different purpose

Agribusiness and Vertical Integration

Many different types of agribusinesses work together to market the products of U.S. agriculture. The marketing process starts when the producer sells grain, soybeans, cotton, livestock, dairy, eggs, poultry, fruit, nuts, vegetables or other products. From there the job is taken over by other agribusinesses that perform functions that are necessary to deliver the product to a consumer. The process ends when the consumer buys a ready-to-use product such as a steak, a loaf of bread, a pizza, a bag of apples, a can of peas, a shirt or a pound of cheese.

Commodity - This refers to any product that is essentially undifferentiated. This means that there is no difference in the product regardless of which company you buy from. Milk is generally said to be a commodity. As long as the product meets the health guidelines for milk, there is really no difference between producers or sellers. Trade goods, goods -- (articles of commerce).

1. Oil/Petroleum Products 2. Coffee3. Steel and Infrastructure 4. Gold 5. Wheat

CONAGRA PRODUCTS

Starbucks Coffee as a Commodity in Vertical Integration

• Starbucks practices a unique form of vertical integration. They control the coffee that is grown (Arabica). They negotiate a price of the coffee they purchase from individual farmers (market price) and farmers are given incentives for high quality beans. Roasting is done using very specific, unique methods by Starbucks.

Starbucks and Fair Trade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHKtKF-e42M&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uay1StoWyoY