Physical Geography & Agricultural Practices (College Board AP® Human Geography)

Influence of Physical Geography on Agriculture

• Agriculture is defined as the raising of animals and the growing of crops to obtain food for primary consumption

• The type of agriculture practiced and the kinds of crops grown are influenced by the  physical environment

  • Climate, soil type, availability of water, and topography determine which crops are most likely to grow in a particular location

    • Climate is an important factor in determining agricultural production. The six main climate types are: cold mid-latitude, warm mid-latitude, Mediterranean, grasslands/steppe, subtropical, and tropical

Climate and agriculture types

Cold mid-latitude

• Cold mid-latitude climates tend to produce:

  • wheat

  • barley

  • livestock

  • dairy cows

• Location examples of cold mid-latitude are:

  • the north-central United States (such as Minnesota)

  • Southern Canada

  • Eastern Europe

Warm mid-latitude

• Warm mid-latitude climates produce:

  • vegetables

  • fruits

  • rice 

• Location examples are: 

  • Southern China

  • Southern United States

Mediterranean 

• Mediterranean climates produce:

  • grapes

  • olives

  • dates

  • figs

• Location examples include: 

  • California

  • Chile

  • Mediterranean basin

  • South Africa

  • Australia

Grasslands/steppe

• Grasslands/steppe climates produce: 

  • cattle ranching

  • sheep

  • goats

  • horses

  • camels

• Location examples include: 

  • Northern Africa

  • western United States

  • Mongolia

Subtropical 

• Subtropical climates produce: 

  • rice

  • cotton

  • tobacco

• Location examples include: 

  • the Caribbean

  • West Indies

  • parts of the southern United States

  • Indonesia

Tropical

• Tropical climates produce: 

  • coffee

  • sugar

  • tea

  • cacao

  • pineapple

• Location examples include: 

  • Equatorial Africa

  • Equatorial South America

  • Indonesia

Types of Agriculture

• Agriculture can be divided two ways: 

  • Subsistence versus commercial agriculture

  • Intensive versus extensive agriculture

Differences between subsistence and commercial agriculture

• Subsistence agriculture refers to growing enough food for oneself, family, and community to live on

  • Subsistence agriculture is generally found in less developed countries (LDCs)

  • Types of subsistence farming include:

    • shifting cultivation

    • pastoral nomadism

    • intensive subsistence farming

• Commercial agriculture refers to the growth of food to sell for profit

  • Commercial agriculture is found mainly in more developed countries (MDCs)

• The main differences between commercial and subsistence agriculture are:

  • The purpose of farming in commercial agriculture is for profit

  • The purpose of subsistence agriculture is consumption by self, family, and community 

  • The percentage of farmers in the labor force is higher in subsistence farming than in commercial farming because more of the labor is done by hand on small farms

  • The use of machinery is higher in commercial agriculture than in subsistence agriculture

  • Subsistence agriculture tends to be characterized by many small farms, whereas commercial agriculture includes fewer but larger, farms

  • In commercial agriculture, farming is connected widely to other types of businesses, such as transportation, marketing, and sales

• Both subsistence and commercial agriculture can be divided into extensive and intensive types

Intensive and extensive agriculture

• Agricultural production can be one of four main types:

  • subsistence extensive

  • subsistence intensive

  • commercial extensive

  • commercial intensive

Intensive Farming Practices

• Intensive agriculture relies on a lot of labor but uses a relatively small amount of land

• Intensive agriculture is characterized by:

  • small farms

  • large amounts of manual labor

  • high yields per acre

  • high population densities

• Intensive agriculture can be divided into subsistence and commercial forms

Intensive subsistence agriculture

• Intensive subsistence agriculture is characterized by the use of a small amount of land to produce food for one’s immediate family or community

• Most work is done by hand, with little use of machines

• Intensive subsistence agriculture tends to be located in the densely populated regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America

• Intensive subsistence agriculture can be divided into areas in which wet rice is dominant and areas where rice is not dominant:

  • Wet rice is the dominant type of agriculture in East and Southeast China, and India

  • Wet rice cultivation occupies a small amount of land, usually near a river or delta

  • It is a labor-intensive practice done by, and with, the entire family

  • Intensive subsistence agriculture in which rice is not dominant is most common in areas with less consistent rainfall

    • The most common crops are wheat and barley

    • This is often practiced in northern China

Intensive commercial agriculture

• Intensive commercial agriculture relies on large amounts of both money and labor that produce crops with high yields and high market value per unit of land

• Types of intensive commercial agriculture include: 

  • truck farming

  • mixed livestock and crop farming

  • dairy farming

  • Mediterranean agriculture

  • plantation agriculture

• Truck farming refers to the production of fruits and vegetables for sale, processing, or canning

  • Land used for truck farming is located close to markets and transportation hubs because of the sale of perishable crops

  • Truck farming includes specialized fruits produced in orchards, such as citrus, peaches, apples, and berries

  • Location examples for truck farming include:

    • the Sunbelt and Atlantic Coast in the United States

    • Europe

    • South America

• Mixed livestock and crop farming refers to the grains grown on a farm to feed the livestock produced by that farm

  • Most mixed livestock and crop farms grow corn or soybeans and raise cattle or pigs

  • Location examples include: 

    • the United States Midwest

    • North European Plain

    • the Pampas in Argentina

    • Manchuria

  • Feedlots are characteristic of mixed livestock and crop farming

• Dairy farming is the practice of raising animals, usually cows, for milk, cheese, and other dairy products

  • Dairy farms tend to be closer to large urban areas because the product is perishable

  • A milkshed is the ring around a city in which milk can be supplied without spoiling

  • Most dairy farms are now mechanized

  • Location examples include the Dairy Belt and Pacific coast in the United States, Northwestern Europe and the United Kingdom, and Australia and New Zealand

• Mediterranean agriculture is located in warm coastal regions characterized by dry summers and cool, moist winters

  • Mediterranean agricultural production includes grapes, olives, dates, figs, and tree nuts

  • Location examples include: 

    • the Mediterranean basin

    • California

    • Chile

    • South Africa

    • Australia

• Plantation agriculture refers to the production of labor-intensive specialized cash crops for export

  • Plantation agricultural products include: 

    • sugarcane

    • coffee, tea

    • tobacco

    • cotton

    • rubber 

  • Location examples include:

    • South and Southeast Asia

    • Africa

    • Latin America

Extensive Farming Practices

• Extensive agriculture also has subsistence and commercial branches

Extensive subsistence agriculture

• Extensive subsistence agriculture includes: 

  • shifting cultivation

  • pastoral nomadism

• Extensive subsistence agriculture includes large amounts of land and less labor-intensive practices but still produces only for the immediate family or community

• In shifting cultivation, farmers use a plot of land for a period of time, generally until the soil is depleted, and then leave it to its natural state to replenish and move on to another plot of land

• Shifting cultivation is practiced heavily in humid, low-latitude climate regions such as South America, and Central and West Africa

• Shifting cultivation includes slash-and-burn agriculture

  • In slash-and-burn agriculture, farmers clear land for planting by cutting down existing vegetation and burning the debris

  • Slash and burn agriculture is used in tropical regions of Latin America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia

• Pastoral nomadism refers to the herding of domesticated animals, including camels, goats, sheep, and cattle, to produce food, clothing, and shelter for survival

• Pastoral nomadism is mainly used in dry climates where planting crops is difficult or impossible, including Central and Southwest Asia, and North Africa

• Transhumance refers to the seasonal migration of livestock

Extensive commercial agriculture

• Extensive commercial agriculture refers to agricultural goods produced on large farms with small amounts of money and labor spent per unit of land

• Examples of extensive commercial agriculture include: 

  • large-scale grain farming

  • livestock ranching

• Large-scale grain farming includes the production of wheat, barley, and other grains

  • Wheat is the world’s leading export crop, and the United States and Canada supply about 50% of all wheat exports

  • The United States is the largest commercial exporter of grains

  • Location examples include: 

    • the Great Plains of the United States

    • Ukraine and Kazakhstan

    • Australia

    • the Pampas of South America

• Livestock ranching refers to the commercial grazing of livestock on large areas of land in arid and semi-arid locations

  • The most common examples of livestock ranching include:

    • cattle in the Western hemisphere

    • sheep in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

    • goats in Central Asia