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AP Human Geography Chapter 10 Notes
AP Human Geography Chapter 10 Notes
I.
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A. Origins of Agriculture.
a. Agriculture Modification of Earths surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of
animals for sustenance or economic gain.
(1)
Originated when humans domesticated plants and animals.
b. Crop Any plant cultivates by humans.
1. Hunters and Gatherers.
a. Lived in small groups (<50).
(1)
Large groups would use up more resources.
b. Men hunted and women gathered.
(1)
Based on archaeology and anthropology, not stereotypes.
c. Kept peace by steering clear of each others territory.
d. Less than a quarter million (0.005%) still hunt and gather.
(1)
Spinifex (Pila Nguru)
i.
Australias Great Victorian Desert
(2)
Sentinelese
i.
Indias Andaman Islands
(3)
Bushmen
i.
Botswana and Namibia
2. Invention of Agriculture
a. Originated in multiple hearths.
(1)
Southwest Asia
i.
Barely, rice, lentil, and olive
ii.
10,000 years ago
iii.
Diffused East, rice, millet, sorghum, and yam
(2)
Latin America
i.
4,000 to 5,000 years ago
ii.
Mexico beans and cotton, Peru potato
iii.
Maize
b. Animals were also domesticated in many hearths.
(1)
Southwest Asia
i.
Cattle, goats, pigs, sheep
ii.
8,000 to 9,000 years ago
iii.
Dog 12,000 years ago
iv.
Horse Central Asia
c. First used animals to cultivate the land and were later used to sell leather and milk.
d. Both environmental and cultural factors contributed to agriculture.
(1)
Those who favor environmental reference climate change around 10,000
(2)
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e. People noticed that discarded food and berries grew into new plants. Later
generations learned to use water and manure.
f. Improved communications have increased diffusion of plants around the world.
B. Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture
a. Farmers in LDCs practice subsistence farming, whereas farmers in MDCs practice
b.
c.
d.
e.
commercial agriculture.
Subsistence agriculture production of food for the farmers family.
Commercial agriculture production of food for sale.
The most widely used map of agriculture was done by Derwent Whittlesey.
(1)
11 regions
Because of environmental determinism, geographers do not place too much emphases on
(2)
Crops reach the market without spoiling
d. Commercial farmers use scientific research.
(1)
Hybrid plants, fertilizers, animal breeds
e. Electronics help commercial farmers.
(1)
GPS
i.
Coordinates for spreading fertilizers
ii.
Monitoring cows
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4. Farm Size
a. Commercial farms are large.
(1)
180 hectares (449 acres)
(2)
Family owned
(3)
Frequently rent nearby fields
b. Farms are larger because of newer equipment.
c. Although the US has fewer farmers, the amount of farmland is increasing.
(1)
Declined from its all-time peak in 1960s because of expansion of urban
areas.
d. Prime Agricultural Land The most productive farmland.
5. Relationship of Farming to Other Businesses
a. Commercial farming is closely tied to other businesses.
b. Agribusiness Commercial farming method by using many different steps in
making food.
(1)
Common in the US
(2)
Includes tractor manufacturers, fertilizer production, and seed
distribution
II.
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trees.
On a windless day, they burn the debris.
Rain then washed the ashes into the soil.
Swidden The cleared land
(1)
Also known as lading, milpa, chena, and kaingin
Before planting, the cleared land is prepared by hand, not with animals.
The only fertilizer is potash (potassium).
Little weeding is done the first year.
The land can then support crops for 3 years.
Most productive harvesting comes in the second year.
The field is used again in 6-20 years.
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a. Pastoral Nomadism Form of subsistence agriculture based on herding of domesticated
animals.
b. Pastoral means sheepherding.
c. Live in arid lands
(1)
Central and Southwest Asia, and North Africa
i. The Bedouins of Saudi Arabia and North Africa
ii. The Masai of East Africa
(2)
20% of land
1. Characteristics of Pastoral Nomadism
a. Depend on animals rather than crops
(1)
Animals provide milk, skin, and hair
b. Consume mostly grain
c. The bigger the herd, is a measure of power and security
d. May trade with sedentary subsistence farmers
e. Some nomads plant grain and come back later in the year.
-
Choice of Animals
a. According to cultural and physical characteristics.
b. Camel is the best in North Africa and Southwest Asia, along with goats and
sheep. The horse is preferred in Central Asia.
c. Family needs 25-60 goats or sheep, or 10-25 camels
Camel
a. Go long periods without water, carry heavy loads, and move fast.
b. Bothered by flies and sleep-sickness and take a long time (1
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(5)
wet rice.
Transfer rice seedlings from fry land to submerge in water.
Harvest by hand with knives
i. Separate husks from seeds
ii. Chaff The husks
iii. The heads are separated by beating them with bare feet.
iv. Threshed To beat grain from stocks
The threshed rice is placed in a tray, while the lighter chaff is
winnowed.
i. Winnowed Blown away
(6)
The hull is removed by mortar and pestle
i.
Hull outer covering
c. Grown on flat lands but are forced onto mountains.
d. Double cropping Getting two harvests from one field
i. Warm winters
ii. South China and Taiwan
iii. Alternating between rice and wheat or barley
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1. Crop Rotation
a. The farm is divided into multiple fields that are planted on a planned cycle, often
several years.
b. Helps maintain fertility of a field.
c. Overall production in shifting cultivation is lower than commercial mixed farming
because not all of the fields are being used.
d. Cereal grain Oats, wheat, rye, or barley.
e. A two-field crop-rotation system was developed in Northern Europe in the 5 th
century.
(1)
A cereal grain was planted in Field A one year, while Field B was left fallow.
The next year, Field B was planted and A was not.
f. In the 8th century, a three-field system was used.
(1)
The first field was planted with a winter cereal, the next with a spring
cereal, and the other left fallow.
(2)
This led to each field giving four harvests in 6 years instead of only three.
g. A four-field system was used in Europe in the 18th century.
(1)
Field A Root (turnip)
Field B Cereal (wheat)
Field C Rest (regains nutrients, clover)
Field D Cereal (barley)
B. Dairy Farming
a. Most important commercial farming near large urban areas (NE US, SE Canada, and NW
Europe).
(1)
Important also in South and East Asia
b. Rising incomes allowed people to buy milk, which was once a luxury.
1. Regional Distribution of Dairying
a. For most of the 20th century, the worlds milk came from MDCs
(1)
Risen in LDCs
(2)
India, US, China, Pakistan, Russia
b. Most important type of agriculture in the first ring outside cities.
(1)
Highly perishable
c. Milkshed The ring surrounding a city in which the milk does not spoil.
d. Before railroads, milksheds were within 50km. Now milk can be up to 500km.
e. Farmers sell milk to whole sellers, and butter factories.
f. The farther a farm is from a milkshed, the smaller chance they will have fresh milk.
(1)
They will most likely get cheese, butter, or condensed milk.
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g. The proximity of northeastern farms to large cities is an example of the regional
difference.
h. New Zealand 5% fresh milk
i. UK 50% fresh milk
2. Challenges for Dairy Farmers
a. Declining revenue and raising costs.
Labor-intensive
a. Cows must be milked twice a day, every day. They always need attention.
Winter Feed
a. Need to fed cows in winter when they cannot graze.
C. Grain Farming
a. Grain Seeds from various grasses, such as wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, millet, and
others.
b. Mostly the major crop on most farms.
c. Grown for humans rather than livestock.
d. Most important crop is wheat.
(1)
Sold for a higher price because it is used more.
e. Worlds leading export crop.
f. Largest producer of grain is the US.
(1)
Also in Canada, Argentina, Australia, France and the UK.
g. Winter-wheat Wheat planted in the autumn and harvested in the early summer.
h. Spring-wheat Wheat planted in the spring and harvested in the late summer.
i. Within North America, farming is concentrated in 3 area:
The Winter Wheat Belt through Kansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. Survives winter
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(i)
Began near Brownsville at the Mexican border through Texas
e. Declined in importance during the 1880s.
(1)
Came into conflict with sedentary farmers
(2)
The Code of the West
ii. Ranchers had range rights
(i)
Their cattle could graze on open land and scarce water.
iii. When the government started selling land, ranchers did not have any right to
it.
(i)
also produced. Half of the land is also used for growing grains for pasta and bread.
i. Seeds are planted in the fall and harvested in early summer.
j. Cereal is grown the least in California.
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(1)
(2)
(3)
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b. The US has 3 policies that are supposed to address this problem:
(1)
Farmers are encouraged to avoid producing crops that are in excess supply.
i. Because of soil erosion, the government encourages the planting of fallow
(2)
(3)
3. Sustainable Agriculture
a. Sustainable agriculture Agricultural processes that enhances environmental quality.
b. Typically generate lower costs but costs less.
c. Organic Farming
(1)
Large farms rely on nonsustainable practices such as burning fossil fuels.
(2)
Worldwide 0.24% of farmland is organic
i. Australia is the leader
Sensitive land management
Limited use of chemicals
Better integration of crop and livestock
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b. Sustainable agriculture uses little to no herbicides to control weeds.
Farmers must spend more time.
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Forest Fallow. Fields are used up to 2 years and left fallow for more than 20 years
grasses to grow)
Annual Cropping. Fields are used every year and rotates for a few months with roots.
Multicropping. Fields are used several times a year and never left fallow.
c. Kenya
(1)
Women grow crops for the family, while men work for wages
i. Men grow crops to trade
ii. Women make clothing and jewelry to sell
3. Drug Crops
a. Some export crops from LDCs can be turned into drugs.
b. Marijuana is the leading drug
c. The UN says that 4 million people survive on the sale of opium.
d. Afghanistan is the source of 80% of the worlds opium, which is used to make heroin.
e. Most consumers are in central Asia.
f. Much of the making and processing of cocaine is done in Colombia.
g. The majority of marijuana that reaches the US is from Mexico (from the Cannabis
sativa plant)
(1)
Not expanding worldwide like opium poppies and coca leaves are
C. Strategies to Increase the Food Supply
Expanding land used for agriculture
Increasing the productivity of the land used for agriculture
Identifying new food sources
Increasing exports from other countries
1. Expanding Agricultural Land
a. World production of agriculture has increased because the amount of land devoted
to agriculture is expanding.
(1)
When the population increased rapidly during the industrial revolution,
farmers could just move to uninhabited land.
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b. Today, scientists do not believe that farmers can keep expanding land.
(1)
Cultivated land is expanding in Africa at 1%, but the population is expanding at
2%
c. Worldwide, agricultural land is expanding more slowly than population.
d. Some farmlands are abandoned because of lack of water.
e. Desertification Human activities that cause a land to deteriorate to a desert like
condition.
f. Excessive crop planting (34%), tree cutting (10%), and animal grazing (28%) has
depleted soil nutrients.
g. The Earth Policy Institute estimates that 5 million acres are being degraded.
h. The UN estimates 70 million acres are being desertification a year.
i. Too much water also threatens land.
(1)
In land that has human-build irrigation systems, ground water can raise to
high and roots can get waterlogged.
(2)
10% of irrigated land is waterlogged
(3)
Asia and South America
(4)
Salt is also bad (Mesopotamia may have collapsed because of these reasons)
j. Urbanization also reduces the agricultural land.
2. Increasing Productivity
a. New agricultural practices allow farmers to harvest more crops from the same
amount of land.
b. Green revolution The invention and rapid diffusion of more productive agricultural
techniques during the 1970s and 1980s.
(1)
Introduction of new higher-yield seeds
(2)
Expanded use of fertilizers
c. Scientists began a study in the 1950s to develop a better wheat. A decade later the
miracle wheat seed was made.
(1)
Less sensitive to variation in day lengths
(2)
Responded better to fertilizers
(3)
Matured faster
d. The Rockefeller and Ford sponsored.
e. The programs director, Dr. Norman Borlaug, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.
f. The International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines worked to create a
miracle rice. During the 1960s, they created a hybrid of Indonesian and Taiwan rice.
g. Recently, scientists have developed new corn.
h. The new seeds diffused rapidly around the world.
i. Farmers have known for thousands of years that manure, bones, and ash help the
fertility of the land. Only recently did scientists identify nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium, as well.
j. Nitrogen
(1)
Most important
(2)
China is the leading producer
(3)
(4)
(5)
Europe Urea
America Ammonia gas
Expensive for LDCs
i. LDCs need machines to make better use
k. Phosphorus is found in China, Morocco, and US.
l. Potassium is found in Canada, Russia, and Ukraine.
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Cultivating Oceans
a. 2/3 of fish are consumed by humans, the other by pigs
b. The worlds annual fish catch increased in the late 20 th century, but some
fish species declined.
c. Overfishing occurs in North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
d. The world fish catch has remained constant since the 1980s despite
population growth.
e. To protect fishing areas, countries claim control up to 200 nautical miles
Developing Higher-Protein Cereals
a. People in MDCs get protein from meat. LDCs rely on wheat, corn, and rice.
Improving Palatability of Rarely Consumed Foods
a. People chose food based on local characteristics and religious beliefs.
b. A third way to make use of global resources is to encourage the consumption
of foods that are avoided because of social reasons.
c. The soybean in North America
(1)
It is one of the leading crops
(2)
Most is used for animals because humans dont eat foods that are like
soybeans
(3)
However, burgers, hot dogs, and oils contain soybeans
(4)
In Asia, protein drinks contain soybeans.
d. Krill could be an important source of food from the ocean.
(1)
They have increased because of whale hunting
(2)
The Soviet Union used krill to feed animals
(3)
It does not taste good.
4. Increasing Trade
a. The top three grain exports are wheat, corn, and rice.
b. Few countries are major exporters, but they make enough to cover the gap.
c. Before WWII, Western Europe used to import grains.
d. Asia became a grain importer in the 1950s.
e. Eastern Europe in the 1960s.
f. Latin America in the 1970s.
g. By 1980, North America was the only main grain exporter.
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h. Because of the increasing need for food imports, the US passed Public Law 480, the
Agricultural, Trade, and Assistance Act of 1954 (PL-480)
(1)
Title I Provided sale of grain at low interest rates
(2)
Title II Gave grants to needy people