CH8 Study Guide

CHAPTER 8: Agricultural Geography
Define subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture. Generally speaking, where is subsistence agriculture practiced in the world? Where is commercial agriculture often practiced?
Subsistence Agriculture-production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer’s family practiced on small farms often in low-income economy areas Commercial Agriculture- production of food for profit (agri-business) practiced on large farms and more common in high income economy areas

Differentiate between subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture regarding purpose, Technology, farm size, and labor force (percent labor force in agriculture?).
A subsistence farm is going to be on a small farm with man power not machines or technology and needs a larger labor force, and is to provide food for family or community.
A commercial farm is a large farm that uses lots of machinery and does not need much labor force because the machines do the work, also have access to technology; purpose is to provide a lot of food for people for a profit
40% of workers in agriculture

Why does commercial agriculture create a surplus of crop? So that they can make a profit from their crops and feed a large amount of people

Be able to briefly discuss the different types of subsistence agriculture (Swidden agriculture, nomadic herding, and intensive subsistence)
Which regions is each type practiced?
What type of climate is each form of agriculture associated with?
What size of population does each form of agriculture support?
Swidden Agriculture-tropical lowlands and hills in the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia, practiced in tropical climate, only to support a small population
Nomadic Herding- dry or cold lands of the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly in the deserts, prairies, and savannas of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the interior of Eurasia, cold tundra or dry climates, small populations, declining
Intensive Subsistence- humid tropical and subtropical parts of Asia for paddy rice farming, can support large population but takes a lot of effort

How is the direct and indirect consumption of grain different in HIEs versus LIEs?
HIEs directly consume more grain than LIEs because they have access to large supply because of subsistence agriculture and because of this type of agriculture their machines and technology allow them to produce large yields so we consume them

How efficient is livestock in terms of the amount of grain needed to produce a pound of protein?
Not very efficient

What are some problems associated with animal production?
Water contamination
Deforestation
Methane emissions
Health Concerns
Desertification