ENVS 1126 Chapter : Chapter 12 Notes
Document Summary
Agricultural production: the neolithic revolution 12,000 years ago introduced agriculture and animal husbandry, human production of food has been successful: World food production doubled in the past 30 years. 20% in the developing world are undernourished. Agricultural demand: 3 things are necessary to provide nourishment for people while protecting the environment, production of more food, elimination of the harmful effects on the environment, distribution of the right kinds of food. Subsistence agriculture: many people in the developing world are subsistence farmers and use methods that go back millennia. Farmers live on small plots of land. Labor intensive farming, without inputs of industrialized farming. Often practiced on marginally productive land: best suited for low population densities. Often occurs in regions with the fastest population growth. Cleared land supports crops for a few years. Successful when the local human population is low: sub-saharan africa has low yields, rapid population growth, poverty and hunger. 67% of the people depend on agriculture.
