Agricultural Geography
Agriculture, defined by Rubenstein as the "deliberate modification of Earth's surface through cultivation
of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain", is one of the oldest activities
practiced by humans. Plants that have been cultivated by humans are called crops, while the practice of
allowing livestock to graze on land that is not suitable for growing crops is called ranching, an important
but often overlooked component of agriculture. The importance of agriculture has not decreased over
time. In fact, with growing population pressures, the need for sophisticated agricultural practices has
never been greater. In this lesson, we explore the diverse practices of agricultural production across the
world. Because climates, landscapes, and technological capabilities vary greatly throughout the world,
the people of different regions produce large variety of agricultural products using a wide range of
farming methods.
the history and origins of agriculture
The first people to roam the earth and take advantage of natural resources were hunters and gatherers.
In comparison to today's agriculturalists, the practices of these early inhabitants were quite simple. They
hunted animals, fished, gathered plants and berries to fuel their daily activities, and followed herds of
animals wherever they went. There were no large settlements at this time. Today, only about 250,000
people live this way. Eventually, people learned to cultivate, or grow, plants. Two primary cultivation
methods are believed to have been invented during the early stages of agricultural production. The first
is vegetative planting, which consists of cutting off stems from existing plants and replanting them. You
may have cultivated house plants, such as African violets or cacti, in this manner. The other method is
seed agriculture, a method still used in modem-day farming. Many of us do seed agriculture annually in
our backyards; we plant seeds and help them grow.
Agriculture in Less Developed Countries
As we learned in lesson 6, a majority of residents of LDCs participate in the primary sector of the
economy. Many people in these countries still farm primarily to provide food for their families instead of
selling it at the market. This practice is called subsistence agriculture. Each of the four main methods of
subsistence farming is suited to the physical and climatic conditions where it is practiced
. The four methods are as follows:
shifting cultivation
pastoral nomadism
intensive subsistence with wet rice dominant
intensive subsistence with wet rice not dominant
Shifting cultivation
is practiced in low latitudes, and it differs greatly from agricultural practices in MDCs. The farmers clear
away all vegetation and debris and bum it. Thus, shifting cultivation is also known as slash-and-burn
agriculture. This process adds nutrients to the soil and, at the same time, clears the land. The farmers
use the land for several years, until all of the nutrients are depleted. Then they move on to another area
and repeat the process. Eventually, they will return to the land they left and repeat the cycle.
Unfortunately, due to population pressures and growing food demands, the return trips are occurring
too rapidly, before the land has time to replenish its nutrients. Therefore, the land is not as productive
as it once was, and these areas have to be abandoned.
Pastoral nomadism
is another common agricultural method. Although similar to the activities of the hunters and gatherers,
it is more complex. Hunters and gatherers are nomadic and follow herds. The animals within the herds
are not domesticated; that is, they are wild. Hunters and gatherers do not have a particular herd of
animals to follow. They just follow whatever herd they can find. In pastoral nomadism, the animals are
domesticated, and typically they are [Link] regions where sheep are not abundant, other
domesticated animals are used. Whereas hunters and gathers are highly dependent on gathering to
supplement the meat, pastoral nomads are mostly dependent on the animal and its by-products, and
they do little gathering.
Two other popular types of agriculture, which are widely practiced in LDCs, are intensive subsistence
where wet rice dominates and intensive subsistence where wet rice does not dominate.
Most of the regions where intensive subsistence agriculture is practiced are densely populated. The
cultivation of a given parcel of land is done much more intensely because the parcels are smaller and
must be used to their fullest potential. Due to these land restrictions, anin1als generally are not used in
intensive subsistence agriculture. All of the required work must be done by humans. Wet-rice dominant
intensive agriculture simply means that wet rice is the product. Intensive subsistence agriculture where
wet rice is not dominant yields mostly wheat and barley. This type of agriculture is done primarily in the
interior of India and in northeast China. Wet-rice dominant intensive subsistence agriculture is done
mostly in other Southeastern regions of Asia.
