Chapter 13 The Spatial Organization of Agriculture

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Chapter 13 The Spatial Organization of
Agriculture

• Introduction
• Historical Geography of the Farm in America
• Historical Geography of Farming in the World
• Agriculture in Modern Societies
• Introduction to the Agricultural Production
  Process
• Von Thünens Location Theory
• Empirical Applications of Thünian Location Theory
• Dynamic Agricultural Location Theory Thünian
  Analysis in Time-Space
• Thünian Location Theory in the Late-Twentieth-Cent
  ury World
• Summary

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Historical Geography of the Farm in America
Farming in the World

• In the U.S.- Clearly long-run decrease in share
  of employment in agriculture, proportion of
  population on farms, and share of population
  located in rural places
• Regional differences in role of
  agricultureleading and lagging regions
• Globally, the shift from hunting gathering in
  wild environments to cultivation and
  domestication, increases in yields, but with most
  production still destined for local consumption
• A thin layer of trade in exotic commodities
  spices, salt,

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Historical Pattern of Local Self-Sufficient
Agricultural Settlements
Urban Center Producing Goods Services (Trading
foodstuffs raw materials)
Rural Hinterlands Producing Food and Raw
Materials
4
Agriculture in Modern Societies

• Contrast to manufacturing and services
  agriculture is distributed extensively across the
  landscape. Due to (1) variations in productivity
  by crop/product, (2) competition with other land
  uses, (3) spatially dispersed markets for some
  agricultural products
• Implies more sensitivity to transport (and
  storage costs)
• Has led to RD to enhance agricultural
  productivity (ag extension computerization of
  farm activity crop planting timing,
  harvesting, storage, etc.

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Agricultural Patterns in the U.S.

• Current patterns of specialization (Fig 13.4)
  versus earlier patterns (prior to interregional
  trade made possible by rail and trucks)
• Farmers experimentation leads to realization of
  yield potentials for crops/products in subregion
• Northwest examples wool, wheat, hops, apples,
  grapes, potatoes

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Imagine a Search ProcessProducers Seeking
Places Like the Yellow zone
RAINFALL
SOIL
PHYSICAL OPTIMUM
TEMPERATURE
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Spatial Variations in the Quality of Agricultural
Resources

• Impact of temperature precipitation on yield
  cost

and Rent
Too Hot
Zero
10
25
50
Temperature
OPTIMUM
Too Dry
Too Wet
10
5
2
0
5
2
10
30
?
Too Cold
Precipitation
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Spatial Variations in the Quality of Agricultural
Resources, cont.

• Limits for particular crops / animals
• Locational Rent vs. economic rent

Defined across all competing uses
Defined relative to a market location
Crop C
Crop A
Crop D
Crop B
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Von Thünens Location Theory

• Developed in 18th Century Germany, but a wealthy
  landowner, to optimize the pattern of uses of his
  land
• Based on the notion of opportunity cost
  producers seek maximum return VERSUS possible
  return
• Example If land is rented to someone at
  1000/acre, and someone else is willing to pay
  2000, the land owner would be incurring an
  opportunity cost of 1000
• In the agricultural land market contracts, and
  other institutions that lead to imperfections
  in land uses vs. optimal land use (but true for
  all land uses)

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Von Thünens Location Theory

• Assumptions in modern rendering of this theory
• The isotropic plain again
• Rent Economic Rent as envisaged in Von Thünens
  model, versus rent like you and I pay to
  landlords or banks
• Von Thünens model versus what is in the text in
  Figure 13.8 The role of wood historically

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Historic U.S. Energy Consumption
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Spatial Organization of Land Use

• Agricultural Production
• Sold in central places
• Rent Theory Model for one good
• Rent Theory Model for multiple goods
• Evidence
• Spatial Organization in Urban Centers
• Theory
• Evidence concentric rings sectors
  multiple-nuclei

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Basic Land-Rent Model
Rent.xls

• Land Rent Yield (Market Price minus Production
  Cost) - Yield
• transport ratedistance)
• LR Y(m-c)-ydt
• If Y 4, m 5, c 2, t .1, d 10,
• LR 4 (5 - 2) - 4.110
• 12 - 4
• 8

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Multiple Centers Ag. Land UseSingle Crops or
CombinationsThe agricultural trade system
B
A
A
Crop 1 Crop 2 Crop 3
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Empirical Evidence for Agricultural Production

• Von Thünens famous studies
• Bauria, India Addis Ababa
• Farm Land Use Values - Washington counties
• Sinclairs Reversal of von Thünens Analysis

Rent
Limit of expected urban growth
Distance from urban center
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Location Rents in Urban Areas
Location Rent
Industrial
Residential
Agricultural
Distance from Center
Commercial
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Urban Land Rents Evidence

• The monocentric city model vs. reality
• Harris Ullman alternative structures
• (1) concentric zone model - monocentric vs.
  multiple hierarchical center (figure 1.36),
• (2) sector model (Seattle Calgary)
• (3) Multiple - nuclei (merger over time OR
• evolution due to shifts in locational preference
  transportation system (Edge Cities)

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Empirical Applications of Thünian Location Theory

• The view in this text dominated by an Eastern
  U.S. view of production systems narrative, Fig.
  13.14. Fig 13.15, Fig 13.16.
• Fig 13.16 Figure 13.17 I think is far too
  simple, and fails to capture the microclimatic
  organization of modern agriculture in the U.S.
• Fig 13.18 Also too simple, in my view of the
  organization of production systems.
• The rise of localized market systems in recent
  years

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Dynamic Agricultural Location Theory(OR) Dynamic
Industry!

• The Jannelle model
• Presented here for agriculture, but I think that
  it is relevant across the economy
• Please think of industries in your communities
  that resonate with this framework.

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Spatial Impact of Transport Improvements
1. Demand for Accessibility
Search
2. Technological Development
6. Increased Interaction
5. Spatial adaptation to changes in time- space
organization (centralization and specialization
3. Transport Innovation
4. Time-space convergence
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Key Consequences of Janelle Model

• Long-run decrease in friction of distance

Interaction
t2
t3
t1
Distance
Due to innovations in transportation methods and
improvements in media themselves Result Lowered
average ton-mile costs of transportation and
decreased importance of transport costs as
a factor cost ? AND other costs rise in
importance
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Consequences of Janelle Model, Cont.

• The spatial pattern of production moves from
  dispersed..

C1
C2
L3
L1
M2
M1
M1
L2
M1
C3
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Consequences of Janelle Model, Cont.

• To concentrated, taking advantage of the
  intrinsic comparative advantages of resource
  supplies

C1
C2
L3
L1
M2
M1
M1
L
M1
L2
M1
C3

• Resulting in (1) geographic specialization, (2)
  increased
• spatial extent of production, (3) greater
  interaction
• (consider this model operating across many
  industries)

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Examples of Janelle Model

• Steam-powered railroads versus waterborne sailing
  vessels canal era or overland by horse-drawn
  wagons.
• Development of Interstate Highway System
• Development of intermodal cargo-container system
  (ship/rail)
• ? What about in the services? Clearly impact in
  business/tourist services. But what about the
  Internet?