economic geography

economic geography Economic Geography: World economic development: measurement and problems; World resources and their distribution; Energy crisis; the limits to growth; World agriculture: typology of agricultural regions; agricultural inputs and productivity; Food and nutrition problems; Food security; famine: causes, effects and remedies; World industries: locational patterns and problems; patterns of world trade.

2. Economic Geography: World economic development: measurement and problems; World resources and their distribution; Energy crisis; the limits to growth; World agriculture: typology of agricultural regions; agricultural inputs and productivity; Food and nutrition problems; Food security; famine: causes, effects and remedies; World industries: locational patterns and problems; patterns of world trade.

TYPOLOGY OF AGRICULTURAL REG

One of the earliest attempts to classify world agri was proposed by Whittlesey (1936)

Five Criteria

1. Crop and livestock combination

2. Intensity of land use

3. Processing and marketing

4. Degree of mechanization

5. Types and associations of buildings and other structures associated with agri

The above criteria are subjective rather than quantitative.

13 main types of agri reg. and a category of land virtually unused for farming

1. Nomadic herding:

- Frequent change of habitation in search of animal fodder (pastures)

- Aird and semi arid reg. of North Africa, Middle East, C Asia

- Nomads mainly depend on animals

2. Livestock ranching:

- Large ranches for commercial rearing of livestock large size of herds organized on scientific lines

- Prairies, pampas, velds, downs

3. Shifting cultivation:

- Primitive agri

- Located in areas where permanent agri is difficult

- Both sides of equator in Africa, NE India, SE Asia, C&S America

- Different names – Thum (NE India), Milpa (Mexico)

- No ploughing clear forest – slash and burn technique food crops for subsistence; but productivity is very low; when soil fertility depleted shift to another land

- Leads to deforestation soil erosion – environment degradation

4. Rudimental Sedentary tillage:

- Basic form of settled agri

- Particular cropping pattern and soil conserve methods. Crop rotation

- Live stock farming integral part

- Other activities also like making ropes, baskets etc

5. Intensive Subsistence tillage – rice dominant

- Intensive farming of paddy in small fragmented holdings

- Product is by crop rotation

- Little important to animal farming

- Mainly monsoon areas of SA, SEA, EA

6. Intensive subsistence tillage without paddy:

- Intensive land use for variety of crops with fertilizers

- Interiors of India, China

7. Commercial plantation Crop tillage:

- Specialized agriculture for cash crops in plantation form

- Tea, coffee, rubber etc

- Kerala, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, SE USA

8. Mediterranean Agriculture

- In reg. of Mediterranean climate

- Good quality citrus fruits, grape vine yards

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