GEOG 217 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Soil Type, Absolute Advantage, Comparative Advantage
18 May 2018
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Lecture 5 – January 22nd
• Quiz information – low marks
○ Some of these questions are new and the level may be different than other
years
○ Curve may be applied for the quiz
○ Only worth 16% of the grade as only 4 count
○ There may be multiple answers for certain questions
Module 2: Human Use of land
1. The evolution of agriculture
2. Two South American farmers
3. Expansion and intensification of land use
Centers of crop domestication
• Different things were domesticated originally and transplanted in many different
places
• Can happen simultaneously
Centers of Animal Domestication
• No pastures in NA before Europeans arrived
Biophysical Limits
• Biophysical conditions influence production
o Rainfall quantity and variability
o Soil type: organic carbon content N-P-K
o Temperature averages and extremes
• Agricultural technologies provide ways around
• Other factors
o Lack of infrastructure
o Market access
o Governance
Absolute Advantage
• Ability to produce something somewhere
• Areas will specialize in what they are most productive in
Comparative Advantage (Shows video)
• Everyone will be better off if people concentrate in things they are good at
producing
• Opportunity costs
o Uses example of Maple syrup vs. Beer between Canada and USA
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 5 january 22nd: quiz information low marks years. Some of these questions are new and the level may be different than other. Curve may be applied for the quiz. Only worth 16% of the grade as only 4 count. There may be multiple answers for certain questions. Module 2: human use of land: the evolution of agriculture, two south american farmers, expansion and intensification of land use. Centers of crop domestication: different things were domesticated originally and transplanted in many different places, can happen simultaneously. Biophysical limits: biophysical conditions influence production, rainfall quantity and variability, soil type: organic carbon content n-p-k, temperature averages and extremes, agricultural technologies provide ways around, other factors, lack of infrastructure, market access, governance. Absolute advantage: ability to produce something somewhere, areas will specialize in what they are most productive in. Why does agriculture happen where it does: biophysical limits, absolute advantage, comparative advantage.
