FIRST AGRICULTURE
REVOLUTION
SECOND AGRICULTURE
REVOLUTION
THIRD AGRICUTURE
REVOLUTION
During the first agriculture revolution hunting and gathering was primarily taking
place.
The second agriculture revolution introduced machines as a result of the Industrial
Revolution. This allowed farmers to work faster and use less workers.
The third agriculture revolution or “Green Revolution” launched faster technology
that allowed bigger crops to be produced. This came from Biotechnology.
The Neolithic Revolution
or First Agriculture
Revolution occurred
around 10,000- 12,000
years ago.
During this Revolution,
nomadic hunting and
gathering took place.
This form of agriculture
originated in the Fertile
Crescent.
The First Agricultural Revolution
Continued…
Plant domestication was
often organized during
this time.
Asia was said to be the
first place where plant
domestication took
place.
In Southwest Asian
climate, grain crops
such as wheat and
barley were often
grown.
Along with plant
domestication, animal
domestication was also
in the process.
In the Zagros Mountains,
goats were
domesticated. In Anatolia
(Turkey) sheep's were
domesticated.
The animals provided meat,
milk, and the skin was
used as shelter.
During the first agriculture
revolution, people expanded
land by using the slash and
burn method.
Slash and burn is the clearing
and burning of forest in order
to create land for planting
crops.
This method of agriculture was
one of the first ways of shifting
cultivation.
Shifting cultivation is a system
in which plots of land are
cultivated temporarily, then
abandoned .
The Industrial
Revolution had a
major impact on the
Second Agriculture
Revolution.
Machines were
created that allowed
farmers to produce
crops faster.
It also introduced
technology to the
world.
During the Second Agriculture Revolution,
farming methods increased greatly, crop yields
were improved, storage size expanded, and
distribution systems enhanced drastically.
Farmers no longer had to depend on workers to
harvest crops. Instead of people picking crops
by hand, people used tractor trailers and plows
to help do the work.
Irrigation is supplying
dry land with water by
means of man made
holes. The first people
who irrigated needed
to know how to plant
crops, water crops,
and use weeds. There
are many types of
irrigation such as
sprinkler irrigation,
surface irrigation, and
localized irrigation.
One of the biggest
problem with irrigation
is the competition of
water.
Von Thunen Model of Agriculture
Von Thunen was one of the first economic
geographers who created a agricultural
land use.
The center of the model is the central city or
“isolated city.”
The second ring is the intensive farming and
dairying because dairy products such be
the first things to get to the market faster.
The forest is used for fire wood and building
materials and the increasing extensive
field crops are used for grains which
might take longer than other produce.
Last, ranching and animal products is where
the animals are raised.
…continued
• The logic of von Thunen’s model is only partially
reflected in what we actually observe
• We must consider the effects of different climate and
soil conditions, variations in farming methods, and
technology available to certain cultures.
Start of the Green Revolution
The 3rd agricultural revolution or Green
Revolution was a significant increase in
agricultural productivity resulting from the
introduction of high-yield varieties of grains, the
use of pesticides, and improved management
techniques.
It started in the early 20th century. Its early
dramatic successes were in Mexico and the
Indian subcontinent.
Green Revolution
• 1970’s: spread to millions of
third world farmers
• 1990’s: 40% of all farms in
third world
– 75% Rice in Asia
– 80% Wheat in third world
– 70% Corn worldwide
• Improved standard of living
for millions people
worldwide
Technology and Agricultural Production
Techonology
• Technologies were used widely during the Green Revolution, which
included: pesticides, irrigation projects, and synthetic nitrogen fertilizer
• Scientist have created HYVs (High Yielding Varieties) which
significantly outperform traditional varieties in the presence of
adequate irrigation, pesticides, and fertilizers.
• On the downside, HYVs are nonrenewable (cannot be saved for next
season) which means that farmers have to purchase it each year, thus
increasing a farmer’s cost of production.
…..continued
Production Increase
• The rates at which production
increased in the early years of the
HYVs could not continue
indefinitely, which caused some to
question the "sustainability" of
the new style.
• Yields of rice, maize, and wheat
increased steadily during the
doubling period of the cereal
production between 1961-1985.
• The production increases can be
attributed roughly equally to
irrigation, fertilizer, and seed
development, at least in the case
of Asian rice.
Social
Impacts
• The Green Revolution led to a
sizable increases in returns to land,
and hence raised farmer’s incomes
• Contributed to better nutrition by
raising incomes and reducing prices,
which permitted people to consume
more calories and more diversified
diet
• The absolute number of poor people
fell from 1.15 billion in 1975 to 825
million in 1995 despite a 60%
increase in population which shows
how much of an impact the Green
revolution have given to Global
Production.
• Research studies show that much of
the steady decline in poverty is
attributable to agricultural growth.
Socioeconomic Impact
• The increased level of mechanization on larger farms made
possible by the Green Revolution removed an important
source of employment from the rural economy, thus reducing
labor cost.
• Because wealthier farmers had better access to credit and
land, the Green Revolution increased class disparities.
• The Green Revolution was a product of globalization as
evidenced in the creation of international agricultural research
centers that share information
Ecological change
Pesticides and Water Issue
• Green Revolution agriculture increased the use of pesticides,
which were necessary to limit the high levels of pest damage
• Pesticides, although help farmers, also can harm them in many
ways
• Problems with pesticides include the poisoning of farm workers,
the contamination of water, and the evolution of resistance in pest
organism populations
• Irrigation projects have created significant problems of
salinization, waterlogging, and lowering of water tables in certain
areas
Biodiversity
• The spread of Green Revolution agriculture affected both
agricultural biodiversity and wild biodiversity
• There is little argument that the Green Revolution acted to
reduce agricultural biodiversity, as it relied upon just a few
varieties of each crop.
• Critics argue that new plant varieties displaced landraces
in the fields and thus led to a loss of biodiversity.
Biotechnology
• Biotechnology means any
technological application
that uses biological
systems, living organisms,
or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or
processes for specific use
• With biotechnology, the
technology is more precise
and farming becomes less
time consuming
• It is believed that
biotechnology may hold the
key to feeding the world’s
billions without unduly
harming the environment.
…continued
• Plants that are genetically
modified to reduce
susceptibility to disease
can reduce modified food.
• Biotechnology allows the
world to have less impact
on soil erosion, biodiversity,
wildlife, forests, and
grasslands.
• Biotechnology can play a
role in addressing the
problem of hunger, but it
cannot solve the problem.
The Green Revolution
has afford many benefits
throughout years. First,
the revolution provided
more jobs for people.
The Green Revolution
provided a major social
and economic impact on
the world.
The revolution has
increased yields greatly.
The Green Revolution
has provided many jobs
for people in the world.
One job is working with
hydroelectric power
systems.
Another important job is
working in the industrial
system which includes
warehouses that provide
the crops needed to
double their
consumption.
During the Bengal Famine, India became one of
the worlds worst recorded food disasters. About
four years later, green revolution slowly became
to impact India by allowing the country to
achieve food sufficiency. Eventually, India
became one of the worlds largest food
productions.
The Next Green Revolution?
• Biotechnology helps farmers produce higher yields on
less land.
• Technology allows us to have less impact on soil
erosion, biodiversity, wildlife, forests, and grasslands
• To achieve comparable yields (1950-1999) with old
farming methods, would have needed an additional 1.8
Billion hectares of land
• Green Revolution not sustainable
– destroys resource base on which agriculture
depends, creates a cycle of dependency.
• Poor farmers could not buy seeds, fertilizer,
irrigation to make Green Revolution work
• Wealthy corporations invested, got richer, drove out
poor independent farmers to a neo-colonialism.
Problems
• Not ecologically
sustainable: depletes
soil, pesticide race
• Rural people are
displaced from land
• Though the Green
Revolution is creating
jobs, the mechanization
are also reducing
agricultural jobs
Soil Depletion
• Dramatic increases in
yields during 1970s,
1980s
• Soil now depleted,
resulting in leveling off or
dropping yields
• India was one of the
countries that were most
positively affected by the
Green revolution
• Now, 6% of Agricultural
land in India is useless
Destruction of Agricultural
Resources
• Desertification- taking away of
land and using it repeatedly
• Though technology have a
less impact on soil erosion, it
will still occur.
• Soil erosion- High-yielding
varieties rapidly deplete
micronutrients from soils
• Water shortages- Where crops
are dependent on groundwater
for irrigation, the water table is
declining at an estimated rate
of one-third to half a metre per
year.
Unsustainable Agriculture
• “War” between humans
and weeds, insects
and disease.
• Marketing weapons:
– pesticides and chemical
fertilizers
• Our food source
becomes a separate
entity, unknown of its
harms on the
population.
Global Food Supply
Resources
• Human Geography
book
• whyfiles.org/238earthda
y/index.php?g=4.txt
• http://people.hofstra.edu/
geotrans/eng/ch6en/conc
6en/img/vonthunen.gif
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wik
i/Green_revolution
• www.public.iastate.edu/~
cfford/IncreasingYieldsTh
e%20Green%20Revoluti
on.ppt-
• http://www.fao.org/FOC
US/E/Women/greene.htm
• http://edugreen.teri.res.i
n/explore/bio/green.htm
• www.grain.org/seedlin
g/?type=00002006&l=1
• www.rgp.ufl.edu/is/biot
echnology/
• ETC