Commercial & Subsistence Agriculture [AP Human Geography Unit 5 Topic 6]

Mr. Sinn
6 Feb 202304:27
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThis video by Mr. Sin explores the dichotomy between subsistence and commercial agriculture, highlighting their distinct goals and practices. Subsistence focuses on local food production for family or community consumption, often with less machinery and more human labor, while commercial agriculture aims for profit, utilizing larger farms and advanced machinery. The video delves into intensive and extensive agricultural practices, the bid rent theory, and the implications of mono cropping and monoculture on land use and profitability. It connects these concepts to economic development, demographic transition, and urban geography, offering valuable insights for students of human geography.

Takeaways
  • 🌾 **Subsistence vs. Commercial Agriculture**: Subsistence agriculture is for family or local community consumption without profit, while commercial agriculture aims to sell food for profit.
  • 🚜 **Technological Use**: Subsistence farming typically has smaller farm sizes, less machinery, and more human labor, contrasting with commercial farming which uses larger farms, advanced machinery, and less human labor.
  • 🌐 **Economic Development and Agriculture**: Economically developed countries (core countries) tend to have more commercial agriculture and machinery, whereas less developed countries (periphery) have more subsistence agriculture and less advanced machinery.
  • 📈 **Intensive and Extensive Practices**: Intensive subsistence practices use less land but more human labor and capital, while extensive subsistence practices require more land and less capital and machinery.
  • 🐂 **Examples of Agricultural Practices**: Extensive subsistence agriculture is exemplified by pastoralism, whereas intensive subsistence includes wet rice and terrace farming.
  • 💰 **Commercial Agricultural Practices**: Extensive commercial practices like cattle ranching require large land areas for profit, while intensive commercial practices such as dairy farming use less land but more capital and machinery.
  • 🏙️ **Location and Market Proximity**: Intensive agriculture is often located near markets or cities, while extensive agriculture is found further away due to the need for more land and cheaper land prices.
  • 📊 **Bid Rent Theory**: This theory explains how land prices decrease with distance from cities due to scarcity and population density, affecting the location of agricultural practices.
  • 🌱 **Mono Cropping and Monoculture**: Mono cropping involves growing the same crop annually, risking soil depletion but offering efficiency and profit potential. Monoculture is the cultivation of a single crop type for a period, with potential crop changes post-harvest.
  • 📚 **Educational Value**: The video encourages viewers to subscribe for more educational content and offers a review packet for AP Human Geography studies.
Q & A

  • What is the primary goal of subsistence agriculture?

    -The primary goal of subsistence agriculture is to provide food for a person's family or local community, not to make a profit.

  • How does commercial agriculture differ from subsistence agriculture in terms of purpose?

    -Commercial agriculture is focused on producing food for profit, rather than for personal or community consumption.

  • What are the typical characteristics of subsistence agriculture in terms of machinery and labor?

    -Subsistence agriculture generally uses fewer machines, has a smaller farm size, and relies more on human labor.

  • Which type of agriculture is more common in economically developed countries?

    -Commercial agriculture is more common in economically developed countries, which also tend to use more advanced machinery in food production.

  • What is the main difference between intensive and extensive agricultural practices?

    -Intensive agricultural practices use less land but more capital, machines, or human labor, while extensive practices use more land and fewer resources.

  • Can you provide an example of an extensive subsistence agricultural practice?

    -Pastoralism is an example of an extensive subsistence agricultural practice, which uses less capital and machines and requires more land.

  • What is the bid rent theory and how does it relate to the location of agricultural practices?

    -The bid rent theory examines the price of land in relation to its proximity to urban areas. As distance from the city increases, land prices generally decrease due to lower demand and availability, affecting where different types of agriculture are located.

  • Why might agriculture that requires more land be located farther away from urban areas?

    -Agriculture that requires more land is often located farther away from urban areas to take advantage of cheaper land prices and maximize profit, especially when transportation costs for the final product are low.

  • What is the impact of mono cropping on soil health?

    -Mono cropping can risk soil depletion due to the lack of crop rotation, but it is practiced more frequently today because of the potential for higher profits through specialization and efficiency.

  • How does monoculture differ from mono cropping?

    -Monoculture involves growing one type of crop at a time, potentially switching to a different crop after harvest, whereas mono cropping involves growing the same species of crop year after year without changing.

  • What is the connection between the bid rent theory and urban geography?

    -The bid rent theory is important in urban geography as it explains how land prices are influenced by proximity to cities, with scarcity driving up prices in densely populated urban areas.

Outlines
00:00
🌾 Introduction to Agricultural Practices

The video script begins with a greeting to the geographers and an introduction to the topic of different agricultural practices. It distinguishes between subsistence and commercial agriculture, explaining that subsistence is for family or local community consumption without profit, while commercial agriculture aims for profit. The script also highlights the differences in machinery use, farm size, and labor between the two. It mentions that economically developed countries tend to have more commercial agriculture, whereas less developed countries have more subsistence agriculture due to resource limitations.

🌱 Types of Agricultural Practices

This section delves into the specifics of intensive and extensive agricultural practices, particularly within the context of subsistence agriculture. Extensive subsistence agriculture is characterized by less capital, fewer machines, and more human labor, requiring more land, as exemplified by pastoralism. Intensive subsistence practices, such as wet rice and terrace farming, use less land but more human labor and possibly more capital. The script also contrasts these with commercial agricultural practices, which can be either extensive, like cattle ranching, or intensive, such as dairy farming, with the latter requiring significant investment and labor for large-scale production.

🏙️ Bid Rent Theory and Agricultural Location

The script introduces the bid rent theory, which relates land prices to their proximity to urban areas. As distance from the city increases, land prices typically decrease due to lower demand and greater availability, while closer to the city, scarcity drives up prices. This theory is used to explain why agriculture that requires more land is often found further from cities, taking advantage of cheaper land prices to maximize profit. The script also touches on the impact of monocropping and monoculture, where farmers grow the same crop repeatedly or grow one type of crop at a time, potentially leading to soil depletion but also allowing for specialization and increased efficiency, resulting in higher profits.

📚 Conclusion and Call to Action

The video concludes with a reminder for viewers to practice what they have learned and an invitation to subscribe for more valuable content. The host, Mr. Sin, promotes his review packet for AP Human Geography studies and thanks the viewers for watching, signaling the end of the educational segment.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Subsistence Agriculture
Subsistence agriculture refers to the practice of farming where the primary goal is to produce food for the farmer's family or local community, rather than for profit. It is characterized by the use of less machinery and a greater reliance on human labor. In the video, it is contrasted with commercial agriculture, which is more profit-oriented. The script mentions that subsistence agriculture is more common in less economically developed countries where advanced machinery is less available.
💡Commercial Agriculture
Commercial agriculture is farming done with the intention of making a profit by selling the produce. It typically involves larger farm sizes and the use of advanced machinery, which reduces the need for human labor. The script explains that this type of agriculture is more prevalent in economically developed or 'core' countries where the focus is on production for sale rather than for personal consumption.
💡Intensive and Extensive Agricultural Practices
The terms intensive and extensive refer to the scale and input levels of agricultural practices. Intensive practices use more capital, machinery, or human labor on less land, often requiring higher management input. Extensive practices, on the other hand, use less capital and machinery and rely more on larger areas of land. The video script provides examples such as pastoralism for extensive subsistence agriculture and wet rice farming for intensive subsistence agriculture.
💡Bid Rent Theory
Bid rent theory is an economic concept that explains how the price of land is determined based on its proximity to urban areas. As the script explains, land closer to cities is scarcer and thus more expensive, while land further away is cheaper due to lower demand and abundance. This theory is important for understanding why certain types of agriculture are located in specific areas relative to cities.
💡Mono Cropping
Mono cropping is the agricultural practice of growing the same crop year after year on the same piece of land. While it can lead to soil depletion due to the lack of crop rotation, it allows farmers to specialize and become more efficient in producing that particular crop, which can result in higher profits. The script mentions that despite the risks, many farmers today choose mono cropping for its potential profitability.
💡Monoculture
Monoculture refers to the cultivation of a single type of crop over a large area for a certain period. Unlike mono cropping, monoculture may involve switching to a different crop after each harvest. The script points out that monoculture is a practice that can be part of a farming system where specialization leads to efficiency and potentially higher profits.
💡Pastoralism
Pastoralism is a form of extensive subsistence agriculture that primarily involves the raising of livestock. It requires large areas of land and typically uses less capital and machinery. The script uses pastoralism as an example of an extensive agricultural practice that is more common in regions with less economic development.
💡Wet Rice Farming
Wet rice farming is an example of intensive subsistence agriculture, where a significant amount of human labor is invested in cultivating rice in flooded fields. It is labor-intensive and may require more capital for infrastructure like irrigation systems. The script mentions wet rice farming as a practice that uses less land but more labor and capital.
💡Cattle Ranching
Cattle ranching is an example of extensive commercial agricultural practice where large areas of land are used to raise cattle with relatively few machines. The goal is to make a profit from the sale of the cattle. The script explains that cattle ranching is an example of a commercial practice that can be located farther from urban areas due to the lower land costs.
💡Dairy Farming
Dairy farming is an intensive commercial agricultural practice that requires less land but more capital and machinery for milking cows and processing dairy products. It involves significant labor for milking the cows multiple times a day. The script notes that dairy farming is often located near markets or cities due to the perishable nature of dairy products and the need for regular transportation to market.
Highlights

Introduction to the difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture, emphasizing the purpose of food production versus profit.

Subsistence agriculture typically involves less machinery, smaller farm sizes, and more reliance on human labor.

Commercial agriculture is characterized by larger farm sizes, advanced machinery, and less human labor, aiming for profit.

Economically developed countries tend to practice more commercial agriculture, while less developed countries lean towards subsistence farming.

Connection between agricultural practices and demographic transition model, as well as agricultural density.

Extensive subsistence agriculture practices use less capital and machinery but require more land, exemplified by pastoralism.

Intensive subsistence agriculture practices use less land and more human labor, possibly requiring more capital, as seen in wet rice and terrace farming.

Extensive commercial agricultural practices require significant land but less capital, machinery, and human labor, like cattle ranching for profit.

Intensive commercial agricultural practices use less land but more capital and machinery, exemplified by dairy farming.

The location of agriculture types in relation to markets and cities, with intensive agriculture near markets and extensive further away.

Introduction to bid rent theory, which relates land price to its proximity to urban areas, affecting agricultural land use.

Explanation of how bid rent theory influences the location of extensive and intensive agricultural practices for maximizing profit.

Mono cropping and its impact on soil depletion due to the lack of crop rotation.

The benefits of mono cropping for farmers, including specialization and increased efficiency leading to higher profits.

Definition and explanation of monoculture, where farmers grow one type of crop for a period and may switch after harvest.

Encouragement for viewers to practice what they have learned and subscribe for more educational content.

Promotion of the ultimate review packet for AP Human Geography studies and a thank you note from Mr. Sin.

Transcripts

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Agriculture TypesCommercial FarmingSubsistence FarmingIntensive PracticesExtensive PracticesLand UseEconomic DevelopmentGeography LessonsCropping MethodsMonoculture Impact