Unit 5

Unit 5: Agriculture

Agriculture, Food Production and Rural Land Use (13 -17% or 10 - 13 questions on the AP Exam)

Students examine geographic hearths where domestication of plants and animals first occurred and study the processes by which domesticated crops and animals spread. This diffusion process helps explain why distinct regional patterns emerge in terms of diet, energy use, and the adaptation of biotechnology.This part of the course also examines the major agricultural production regions of the world, which are categorized as commercial or subsistence operations and are characterized as extensive (e.g., shifting cultivation) or intensive (e.g., mixed crop/ livestock). Agricultural production regions are examined, as are settlement patterns and landscapes typical of each major agriculture type. Students learn about land survey systems, environmental conditions, sustainability, global food supply issues, and the cultural values that shape agricultural patterns. In addition, this unit addresses the roles of women in agriculture production, particularly in subsistence farming and market economies in the developing world.

Students learn theories and models about patterns of rural land use and associated settlements (e.g., von Thunen’s land use model). They also study the impacts of large-scale agribusiness on food production and consumption. The effects of economic and cultural globalization on agriculture and the need to increase food supplies and production capacity are also addressed.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes --- Topic 5.1 – Introduction to Agriculture

Availability of resources and cultural practices influence agricultural practices and land-use patterns.

Explain the connection between physical geography and agricultural practices.

5.A.1 – Agricultural practices are influenced by the:

· physical environment

· climactic conditions

o Mediterranean climate

o tropical climates

5.A.2 – Intensive farming practices include:

· market gardening

· plantation agriculture

· mixed crop/livestock systems

5.A.3 – Extensive farming practices include:

· shifting cultivation

· nomadic herding

· ranching

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.2 – Settlement Patterns and Survey Methods

Identify different rural settlement patterns and methods of surveying rural settlements.

5.B.1 – Specific agricultural practices shape different rural land-use patterns.

5.B.2 – Rural settlement patterns are classified as:

· clustered

· dispersed

· linear

5.B.3 – Rural survey methods include:

· metes and bounds

· township and range

· long lot

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.3 – Agricultural Origins and Diffusions

Agriculture has changed over time because of cultural diffusion and advances in technology.

Identify major centers of domestication of plants and animals.

5.A.1 – Early hearths of domestication of plants and animals arose on the:

· Fertile Crescent

and several other regions of the world, including the:

· Indus River Valley

· Southeast Asia

· Central America

Explain how plants and animals diffused globally.

5.B.2 – Patterns of diffusion, such as the Columbian Exchange and the agricultural revolutions, resulted in the global spread of plants and animals

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.4 – The Second Agricultural Revolution

Explain the advances and impacts of the second agricultural revolution.

5.C.1 – New technology and increased food production in the second agricultural revolution led to:

· better diets

· longer life expectancies

· more people available for work in factories

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---Topic 5.5 – The Green Revolution

Explain the consequences of the Green Revolution on food supply and the environment in the developing world.

5.D.1 – The Green Revolution was characterized in agriculture by the use of high-yield seeds, increased use of chemicals and mechanized farming.

5.D.2 – The Green Revolution had

· positive consequences for both human populations and the environment.

· negative consequences for both human populations and the environment.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.6 – Agricultural Production Regions

Availability of resources and cultural practices influence agricultural practices and land-use patterns.

Explain how economic forces influence agricultural practices.

5.C.1 – Agricultural production regions are defined by the extent to which they reflect

· subsistence farming

· commercial practices

o (monocropping or monoculture).

5.C.2 – Intensive and extensive farming practices are determined in part by land costs (bid-rent theory).

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.7 – Spatial Organization of Agriculture

5.C.3 – Large-scale commercial agricultural operations are replacing small family farms.

5.C.4 – Complex commodity chains link production and consumption of agricultural products.

5.C.5 – Technology has increased economies of scale in the agricultural sector and the carrying capacity of the land.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---Topic 5.8 – Von Thünen Model

Describe how the von Thunen model is used to explain patterns of agricultural production at various scales.

5.D.1 – Von Thunen’s model helps to explain rural land-use by emphasizing the importance of transportation costs associated with distance from the market; however, regions of specialty farming do not always conform to von Thünen’s concentric rings.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.9 – The Global System of Agriculture

Explain the interdependence among regions of agricultural production and consumption.

5.E.1 – Food and other agricultural products are part of a global supply chain.

5.E.2 – Some countries have become highly dependent on one or more export commodities.

5.E.3 – The main elements of global food distribution networks are affected by:

· political relationships

· infrastructure

· patterns of world trade.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.10 – Consequences of Agricultural Practices

Agricultural production and consumption patterns vary in different locations, presenting different environmental, social, economic and cultural opportunities and challenges.

Explain how agricultural practices have environmental and societal consequences.

5.A.1 - Environmental effects of agricultural land use include:

· pollution

· land cover change

· desertification

· soil salinization

· conservation efforts

5.A.2 – Agricultural practices including:

· slash-and-burn

· terraces

· irrigation

· deforestation

· draining wetlands

· shifting cultivation

· pastoral nomadism

alter the landscape.

5.A.3 – Societal effects of agricultural practices include:

· changing diets

· role of women in agricultural production and economic purpose.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes --- Topic 5.12 – Women in Agriculture

Explain geographic variations in the role of women in food production and consumption.

5.C.1 – The role of

· food production varies in many places depending on the type of production involved.

· food distribution varies in many places depending on the type of production involved.

· food consumption varies in many places depending on the type of production involved.

Unit 5 – Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes ---

Topic 5.11 – Challenges of Contemporary Agriculture

Explain challenges and debates related to the changing nature of contemporary agriculture and food-production practices.

5.B.1 – Agricultural innovations such as:

· biotechnology

· genetically modified organisms

· aquaculture

have been accompanied by debates over:

· sustainability

· soil and water usage

· reductions in biodiversity

· extensive fertilizer and pesticide use.

5.B.2 – Patterns of food production and consumption are influenced by movements relating to individual food choice, such as:

· urban farming

· community-supported agriculture (CSA)

· organic farming

· value-added specialty crops

· fair trade

· local food movements

· dietary shifts

5.B.3 – Challenges of feeding a global population include:

· lack of food access

o as in cases of food insecurity and food deserts

· problems with distribution systems

· adverse weather

· land use lost to suburbanization

5.B.4 – The location of:

· food-processing facilities and markets

· economies of scale

· distribution systems

· government policies

all have economic effects on food-production practices.