Theme 5: Agriculture, Food Supply, and Rural Land Use
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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. |
Product of Mexico
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Food Atlas
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Food Networks
Discover your own global food network by playing "Planet Food"—a two-part interactive game that introduces the concepts of interdependence and globalization through the geography of food. In the first part, you can see the ways in which the food you put on your plate creates a map criss-crossed with food traveling the world. Earn badges to discover surprising relationships that food creates between countries all over the globe. The second part will call on your critical thinking and geographic decision-making skills in an adventurous investigative journey. You will consider different values and points of view while making bar of chocolate to earn badges reflecting those choices. Where will you go?
Professor Dixon's Sites
The Geography of Agriculture
A. Development and diffusion of Agriculture
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Fair Trade
Agricultural Landscapes
The GMO Controversy: David vs. Monsanto |