Iceland Unit 5

1. What plants and animals were domesticated in Iceland? What were they originally
used for and what are they used for today?
Animals that were domesticated in Iceland were originally the Arctic Fox which evolved from the Ice age.
Other animals also were domesticated in Iceland such as sheep, cattle, chicken and goat. 470 different
types of plants were found in Iceland as well. The plants were used as a source of food, and the animals
were also sometimes food, and they traded them as a way of living. They are still used for agriculture and
the food industry to this day.
2. How is Agriculture influenced by the climate in Iceland, describe the climate and
what plants and animals thrive in the area. What type of farming occurs?
To start off, Iceland is a very cool place to begin with. Ending in cool summers, and very cold winters. The
plants and animals that best thrive in this area are potatoes, turnips, and main importantly rhubarbs.
These plants can effectively be grown around late spring to mid summer time. The animals are there all
year round for food, such as beef and milk from goats or cows. There is alot of commercial farming in
Iceland since it is a developed country.
3. How have people altered the agricultural landscape of Iceland?
They have diverted to irrigation practices and vertical agriculture, and lots and lots of plantations since
Iceland has a very cold climate. They have to stick with these systems because other options are too
risky for them. Since Iceland has a lot of volcanic activity other options would not be valid, and ruin the
system so Icelandic farmers stuck to irrigation and plantations.
4. Explain agricultural advances that have led to better diet, longer lives, and more
people available to work in factories.
The agricultural advances that led to better diets, longer lives, and more people available to work in
factories are when Iceland began developing connections with other countries, when greenhouses were
introduced, and GMO’s.
5. Describe each revolution (1st, 2nd, and 3rd/ Green Revolution ) then give the
largest impacts on your country for each revolution.
The First Agricultural Revolution was the transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering to
farming. The largest impact for Iceland was new farming techniques and improved livestock breeding that
led to amplified food production. The Second Agricultural Revolution was the introduction of new crop
rotation techniques and selective breeding of livestock. The impact on Iceland was they had an
improvement in their rice crops. The Third Agricultural Revolution was when new agricultural practices
were created to help farmers all over the world and eliminate hunger. This affected Iceland because they
started being more efficient in growing crops.
6. Create a choropleth map of Iceland and divide it into types of farming (
commercial/agricultural)
 7. Explain what countries Iceland depends on to help its food supply. This is the
interdependence among regions in your area.
Iceland depends on Brazil, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
8. Rural land use, define settlement patterns in Iceland. Settlement patterns are
defined as clustered, dispersed or linear.
Iceland had a dispersed settlement pattern meaning they have houses scattered in a particular area.
Almost like a rural setting.
9. Define Von Thunen's model and explain each area and why it is located where it is
in his model, and how it applies to Iceland today.
Von Thunen’s Model: a model of land use that showed how market processes could determine how land
in different locations would be used. Iceland would be placed on the Horiculture sector of the Von
Thunen’s model because it is a developed country but not a very big city.
10. What are some major environmental consequences to your area due to
agricultural practices?
When farmers use irrigation in Iceland, that could become a big problem because one of Iceland's main
problems are soil erosion.
11. In Iceland, what are some food choice issues due to changing agricultural
practices in the area?
Sometimes Iceland might not have certain foods at certain times of the year, due to soil erosion when
Irrigation is practiced or volcanic activity.
12. Describe the role of women in agriculture in the past and how it is changing in
Iceland today.
They are responsible for some 60% to 80% of food production in developing countries. In many farming
communities, women are the main custodians of knowledge on crop varieties. Women's participation in
agricultural and non-agricultural self-employment, as well as paid employment, rose over time. It changed
in Iceland today because it became a developed country and Iceland’s literacy rate grew.

Works Cited

“Vegetation and Wildlife.” ​Vegetation & Wildlife,​

www.iceland.is/the-big-picture/nature-environment/vegitation-wildlife​.

Stillerman, Perry. “A Look at Iceland's Food and Farming System (Or, What I Ate on My
Summer Vacation).” ​Union of Concerned Scientists​, 30 Aug. 2016,
www.blog.ucsusa.org/karen-perry-stillerman/a-look-at-icelands-food-and-farming-system-
or-what-i-ate-on-my-summer-vacation​.

Neal, Ashley A., et al. “5.6 Soil Erosion in Iceland: Reclaiming a Fragile Environment.”
Environmental ScienceBites Volume 2​, The Ohio State University, 2018,
www.ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebitesvolume2/chapter/5-6-soil-erosion-in-iceland-re
claiming-a-fragile-environment/​.

Jóhannsson, Jóhann Guðni. “Fishing and Farming in Iceland.” ​Reykjavik Outventure​, 7 Jan.
2019, ​www.reykjavikout.is/fishing-and-farming-in-iceland/​.

THE BIG PICTURE. “Environment.” ​Environment,​ 2016,

www.iceland.is/the-big-picture/nature-environment/environment​.