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Issues with Agriculture in MDCs
Commercial Agriculture:
Agriculture that involves the production of crops for sale,
crops intended for widespread distribution to
wholesalers or retail outlets and any non-food crops such
as cotton and tobacco. Commercial agriculture includes
livestock production and livestock grazing.
-Pesticides and nitrates from fertilizers and manure have
been detected in groundwater
-Emphazises capital formation, scientific progress and
technological development
• As opposed to a reliance mainly on natural
resource utilization that is common to subsistence
and diversified agriculture
What are the trends with Farms in
America over the last 60 years?
Specialized
-Factory farms – animals (chickens, pigs and dairy,
eggs)
-Monoculture - plants
Larger
Fewer family farms
Suburbs displace farms that were outside city
More Corporate
More likely to be capital intensive – use pesticides
and chemical fertilizers
-increases yield and lowers worry about
environmental factors but sustainable?
Monoculture
Large-scale production of a single plant on
megafarms
-corn, wheat and soy
-result of corporations and specialization
Monoculture - Effects
Use of Chemical
Fertilizers
Use of Pesticides
Lack of Biodiversity
Factory Farms in MDCs
-major market is the megalopolis
-cheap labor exists in the south
-best location=southeast (old south) in many cases
chickens
Some Useful Ideas
Factory Farms
Confinement at high stocking density is part of a
systematic effort to produce the highest output at
the lowest cost by relying on economies of scale,
modern machinery, and biotechnology
Requires antibiotics and pesticides to mitigate the
spread of disease
The issues include the efficiency of food production;
animal welfare; whether it is essential for feeding
the growing global human population; the
environmental impact and the health risks.
Factory farms are usually associated with pig and
chicken meat production
Factory Farms
Environmental impacts of factory farming can include:
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Deforestation for animal feed production
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Unsustainable pressure on land for production of animal feed
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Pollution of soil, water and air by nitrogen and phosphorus
from fertilizer used for feed-crops and from manure
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Worldwide reduction of genetic diversity of livestock and loss
of traditional breeds
Animal welfare impacts of factory farming can include:

Close confinement systems (cages, crates)
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Fast-spreading infections encouraged by crowding and stress
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Debeaking (beak amputation without pain killer) and other
animal abuses
Arsenic in the Chicken
Chickens likely raised with arsenic-based
drugs yield meat that has higher levels of
inorganic arsenic,
a known carcinogen
that has also been associated with
cardiovascular disease,
type 2 diabetes,
cognitive deficits and adverse pregnancy
outcomes.
Aerial View Chicken Farm
Arguably Even Dairy
Industrial Agriculture
Definition: Industrial agriculture is the current
stage of commercial agriculture resulting from
the shift of the farm as the center of
production to a position as just one step in a
process that begins on the farm and ends at
the table of the consumer
Examples
Industrial Farming (ctd.)
Benefits
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Reduction of financial risks and capital outlay as family farms
decline, corporations take more of the financial risk and they are more
capable of handling the potential risk.
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Economies of scale would reduce the cost of the product and
provide more uniformity
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Access to more distant markets - Industrialization of agriculture and
commercialization of the farm has given farms access to markets
further than just the nearest city
Impacts
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Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to manage monoculture
crops potentially releases toxic chemicals into rivers and groundwater
as well as the food itself
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Use of irrigation. These farms can be large and perhaps excessively
large which would put a strain on the local water supply
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Biotechnology (GMOs) results in farmers would mean loss of
genetic diversity (loss of biodiversity) and potentially represent a
danger to the environment and present health concerns for the
Anyone want a Mogurt?
Processed Food
How Many Cows
That's right, there may be pieces of 100-400
(sources differ) cows stuffed in one hamburger.
One infected cow (e coli) can contaminate around
16 tons of meat
Chicken Nugget Example
Factory Farm
Industrial Agriculture
• High Density
Containment
• Antibiotics
• Inhumane
treatment
• In some
cases waste
• Processing the meat or
rendering
• Breading
• Corn Syrup
• Food additives and
coloring
• Frozen and shipped
But this when
the animals are
alive
Processing to food
So what happens when you have
too much processed food?
Stacey Irvine and Chicken Nuggets
Hooked on chicken nuggets: Girl, 17, who
has eaten nothing else since age TWO
rushed to hospital after collapsing
So what are the problems of a fast
food diet besides high calorie intake?
Inflamed Veins
Lack of Variety
Effects
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Doctors found that her 15-year ‘chronic
chicken nugget addiction’ has left her
with anaemia and inflamed veins on her
tongue.
So deficient was her body in vitamins
and nutrients that she had to be injected
with them.
Effects
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A diet based solely on chicken nuggets and fries has
dangerous amounts of fat and salt.
It also contains few vitamins and other nutrients that
are vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Sasha Watkins, of the British Dietetic Association, said:
'Such a limited diet will be low in important nutrients
like calcium, fibre,
A junk food diet with few or no vegetables can raise
blood pressure and weakens the immune system.
It can also lead to an increased risk of heart attacks or
strokes, particularly as we get older.
So what do you do?
Reason for Organic
The word natural means nothing.
Organic is a genuine label
Organic Define by No
The No’s (synthart, injections, GMOs)
Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers
Artificial flavors and colors
Artificial preservatives
GMOs
Antibiotics
Hormones
Irradiation
Sewage Sludge
Organic and Environment
Organic farms do not consume
or release synthetic
pesticides into the
environment—some of
which have the potential to
harm soil, water and local
terrestrial and aquatic
wildlife.
Organic farms are better than
conventional farms at
sustaining diverse
ecosystems, i.e.,
populations of plants and
insects, as well as animals.
When calculated per unit area,
organic farms use less
energy and produce less
waste, e.g., waste such as
packaging materials for
chemicals.
How and Why has organic
increased?
Health – perception of better health due to lack
of pesticides, artificial ingredients
More affordable to those in MDCs with more
disposable income
Environment – Organic farms due not use
pesticides or chemical fertilizers
Availability in grocery stores
Small farmers use this as a way to compete
with large, corporate farms (niche market)
Health
Local Agriculture
What is local and how do we see the results of
the local food movement?
Definition: Get your food from the surrounding,
local area
"Local food", "local food movement" or
"locavores" are a movement which aims to
connect food producers and food consumers
in the same geographic region, in order to
develop more self-reliant and
resilient food network
Local Food?
Local Food
Local Food Model is one in which sustainable
food production, processing, distribution, and
consumption is integrated to enhance the
economic, environmental and social health of
a particular place" and is considered to be a
part of the broader sustainability movement.
Here in Chicago
Why
Support local economy / local farmers
Local is more likely to be fresh [organic]
Maintain local agriculture / local flavors that
differ from other regions
Self-Reliance
More likely to be connected to local community
gardens, food cooperatives
Where do we see it?
Options on some restaurant menus
Growth in local farmers markets
Von Thunen No Longer Applies
Farms are no longer local in MDCs
-for the most part
Short Intro - The Von Thünen
Model
Von Thunen – Transportation
versus Cost of Land
• Vegetables and
perishables close to
market.
• Less perishable items and
items that require more
land further from the
market
Bid-Rent
Where would
cost of land
matter more?
MDC and LDC – Von Thunen
LDC
-Farmers do not have access to infrastructure,
refrigeration and preservatives
-Presence of market gardens in LDC cities is a good
example of this
MDC
-Exists to a lesser extent and is larger in scale
-Dairy is regional (NY for the East Coast, Wisconsin for
the Midwest, California for the West Coast
-Livestock ranching and grain farms exist in more rural
states like Nebraska (Heartland)
Assumptions
Isolated state
Large, flat and geographically featureless plain
Farmers act rationally
Soil conditions are equal
Transportation is equally available
No government regulations or policies that
might affect farm location
1826 assumptions – refrigerated rail car,
improved infrastructure, preservatives
Flawed – Assumptions are also
weaknesses
List all of the reasons for the
decline in the number of farms
• Suburbs
• Farms are bigger and produce more (dairy,
wheat). This is due to economies of scale.
Larger farms can produce more for less.
•
•
Makes smaller farms less profitable
Makes farms less labor intensive
• Or as an alternate you could say due to
mechanization
•
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Makes smaller farms less profitable
Makes farms less labor intensive
• Small farms have a harder time weathering
difficult times (lack of capital)
Farm Size and
Number
Food Desert
USDA Definition
Food deserts are defined as parts of the
country lacking fresh fruit, vegetables, and
other healthful whole foods.
They are usually found in impoverished areas.
This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores,
farmers' markets, and healthy food providers.
Reasons for Food Deserts
Low income areas are not seen as having a
customer base with lots of disposable income
-this also equals a low return on investment
Perception of
the area as a
high crime risk
Perception that
customers
would not buy
these groceries
Effects of a Food Desert
•
Access to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat
milk, and whole grains are a key component to good health and well
being.
-Obesity
•
Individuals who have access to supermarkets in general tend to
have healthier diets and are at lower risk of chronic disease such as
diabetes.
•
Fringe food retailers in food deserts can have a 30-60% markup on
prices, provide a limited selection of products and a dominant
marketing of processed foods.
-Major stores tend to offer lower prices
•
In addition to higher priced grocery stores, many people living in low
income neighborhoods spend more on transportation to bring their
groceries home.
LA Example – Food Desert vs Swamp
Subsidies
End of PowerPoint for Now
END
Suburb Versus Pedestrian City
MDC Opposites
If the previous list is true for LDCs then what is
true of MDCs
Burger Tycoon – Multiple Steps
Further Explanation
Further explanation of some of the concepts
previously listed in the powerpoint
Why Go Organic
What is the Local Food Movement
MDC FARMING TRENDS
In recent history
-farms have become larger
-farms are owned by corportations
-farms are more specialized (monoculture,
factory farms)
-treating the food as if it was a factory product
-higher production and lower costs
-
Growth of Organic for some
People in MDCs
Definition: Organic agriculture is an ecological
production management system that promotes
and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles
and soil biological activity
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Relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost,
biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to
maintain soil productivity.
It controls pests, excluding or strictly limiting the
use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides.
Based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on
management practices that restore, maintain and
enhance ecological harmony.
 In Western societies like America, high intensity
is achieved by a high capital investment in
machines, fertilizers, and pesticides, resulting in
the highest agricultural output found anywhere
 Increased land-use theories using the socialscientific method
 Population growth forces the need for
additional food and reduces amount of land
each farmer can have
 Population increase is accommodated
 Resulting farming system offers fewer
options and has greater potential for
environmental modification
 Population increases following innovations of
greater land-use intensity
Subsistence farming typically uses few
fertilizers and no machines. Instead the
farmers may use draft animals which can be
fed and raised on the farm.
Subsistence farmers often rely on crop rotation,
animal manure, and compost to restore the
nutrients rather than purchasing expensive
synthetic fertilizers
All of the crops or livestock raised are used to
maintain the farmer and his family, leaving
little, if any, surplus for sale or trade.
Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout
the world have traditionally practiced
subsistence farming.
Some of these peoples moved from site to site
as they exhausted the soil at each location.
Subsistence farming persists today on a
relatively wide scale in various areas of the
world, including large parts of sub-Saharan
Africa.
Subsistence farms usually consist of no more
than a few acres, and farm technology tends
to be primitive and of low yield.
Cultural integration in agriculture
 Intensity of land use
 Great
variation exists in the intensity of rural
land use
 Intensive agriculture—large amount of human
labor, capital, or both, is put into each acre of
land to obtain the greatest output possible
 In much of the world, high labor input creates
the high intensity agricultural output
MDC Agriculture
Burger Tycoon – Multiple Steps
MDC Problem
How is this an example of an
MDC problem?
Examples of Extrapolation
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Median age is 17 equals having orphans
Everyone get their milk delivered means the country is an
LDC
McDonald's means a country is politically stable but Coke
does not
Guess the Country
(Split Work / Several Sheets - One Set of Answers)
1. As a group, identify the region of the world for
the mystery country and note which trends of
that region correspond to the facts of the
mystery country that lead you to that conclusion.
2. If you can identify a country or a list of
countries that fit with the facts presented. Note
which facts lead your conclusions.
3. You must list several (3 or more) facts that
you can extrapolate about the country based
off of the information presented. Take notes that
show the logic of your conclusions.
Country 1
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Was a monoeconomy over 40 years ago
Produces enough food for itself and exports food and cash crops / luxury
(biggest exporter)
One of the regions top economies
In the interior, some people still practice shifting cultivation
Moved capital
The percentage of people that farm is still on the decline
Have been clearing out forest land
85% urban
Primary sector makes up 5% of GDP
Crops: corn, wheat, beef, sugar and coffee
LDC, cash crops-export, former colony
Uneven development – moving capital (forward capital)
Less people that farm, more mechanized and more capital
farms getting larger – more corporate farms
Country 2
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Average farm size is .5 acre
Since 1978, the economy has grown 90x larger -mostly second
sector
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-world's fastest
10% live below 1USD per day
Food prices are rising
More people are eating meat and fast food
55% urban (cities grow 10% a year)
Diseases eliminated in the 1950s – 60s
Large amount of the population concentrated
Local, subsistence farmers in this fast growing country (econ)
Uneven development
Worry about the future with food prices rising due to changing
habits (meat)
Globalization (fast food)
Country 3
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Largest francophone country in the world
State of war from 98-2003 and is still ongoing in the
eastern part of the country
Disease is an issue due to and because of instability
Rivers with waterfalls and tough terrain dominate the
country
Highest # of storms of any country in the world
Relies on mining (world's richest in natural resources)
Median age of 17
Less than 2% of the land is cultivated, and most of this is
used for subsistence farming
Much of the countries money is made through mining
Regions
LDC
Africa
-Highest percentage regionally of subsistence farmers
-Water issue
-Political instability causing famines
Asia and Latin America
-Increasing
--Urban (mostly there)
--Per capita calorie intake
--Meat consumption
--Fast food
MDC
America
-Meat consumption
Japan and Europe
-More meat than LDCs but more fish than America
Both- have fruits and vegetables all seasons due to imports
LDCs
Major source of the economy for the country
Despite this, low output of agri
Large Percentage of the Population Farms
Family owned, small scale, low tech, labor intensive
Cash crops/luxury crops- plantations
Folk culture - Gender Roles (women farmers in Africa
More likely to be all natural
Lack of Infrastructure
LDCs
Everything is Local and diet is more limited (could
mean a lack of certain nutrients - protein in Africa)
-small farms, family owned
-farm to survive, not to sell (subsistence)
-lack of tech, labor intensive
-lack of machinery, chemical fertilizers, pesticides
-not processed, no preservatives
-population growth causes farming issues
-water issues
-does not add to overall economy
LDCs
-Malthus theory, neo-malthusians
-water, desertification, resource crisis
-Diseases
-climate and soil issues
-predominantly rural country
-high percentage of farmers
-chemical fertilizers
-livestock lack steriods, hormones
-Africa (no GMO's or less)
-tribalism
-corruption
LDC
Plantations
-corporate owned, large scale
-labor intensive
-exist in LDCs
-take advantage of cash crops (luxury crops)
and getting them with cheap labor
-World systems theory (colonial)
MDCs
Commercial Gardening
Truck -exist in LDCS BUT NOT THE SAME
-fruits
-grapes and oranges
-for labor use immigrants and undocumented
-shipped longer distance but still in country
MDCs - Large-Scale Production
LDC
Boserup and Malthus
Home consumption
MDC
-Industrial, Factory Farms
-Variety of food but dominated by a few crops due to
monoculture practices (corn and soy) or because
large-scale production reduces prices through
specialization