Fall Semester 2009

World Food and Population: Geography of Agriculture

GEOG 399/581

Class Meeting Time and Location: Monday, 7:20-10:00 pm, Robinson Hall, Room B108

Office Hours: Monday, 6:30-7:00 pm or by appointment

Class Announcements: (New Announcements shown in Red.)

1. Click here for National Geographic article on soil.
2. Take the Food Pop Culture Quiz

Course Overview:

The focus of this course will be on the geography of agriculture as a global food production system. Particular attention will be paid to the intersection of cultural and environmental factors in shaping the variations in agricultural forms observed around the world. The course will include both mandatory and optional field observations of agricultural activities in addition to regular class meetings. Students will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of agriculture in general and present the results of research on a specific agricultural commodity or topic in particular.

Course Objectives:

Based upon the reading and class discussion, students will be able to:

1. define agricultural geography and describe the principal geographical concepts associated with the agricultural practices of different world regions;
2. explain how environmental factors, such as climate, soils, topography, and vegetation shape agriculture;
3. explain how cultural factors, such as gender, economics, diet, religion, and land tenure affect agriculture;
4. explain the differences among agricultural forms, such as subsistence and commercial agriculture, and suggest how these forms develop in response to cultural and environmental factors;
5. analyze the effects of population pressure, governmental policy, and farmer's decisions on food production systems.

Required Text:

1. David Grigg, An Introduction to Agricultural Geography, 2^nd ed., Routledge, 1995.
2. Graduate students select one of the following (all readily available from local bookstores or Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble Online):

   • Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Norton, 1997 (ISBN 0393317552)

   • Daniel Hillel, Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil, California, 1991 (ISBN 0520080807)

   • Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Near a Thousand Tables : A History of Food, Free Press, June 2002 (ISBN 0743227409)

3. Other readings as assigned; these will be available on reserve in the Johnson Center library.

Optional Text:

A world atlas, preferably Goode's World Atlas, 21^st edition, Rand McNally, which will be used in class. Used copies of Goode's are frequently available in the bookstore, however, any good world atlas by Nystrom, Hammond, or Rand McNally will suffice as long as it includes global and regional maps of climate, soils, crop production, land use, vegetation regions, and nutrition.

Reserve Material:

Student Requirements:

As an upper level course students are expected to read and write critically as well as conduct significant research outside the classroom. Students are responsible for all assigned reading and lecture material.

Examinations and Examination Policies:

1. Two Exams; Mid term and a comprehensive Final Exam.
2. Makeup exams will NOT be given except under the most extraordinary circumstances (e.g. hospitalization). Makeup arrangements must be requested in writing in advance of the exam. A physician must document medical absences; this is available for all students through the University Health Clinic.
3. The Final Exam will NOT be administered early; please plan ahead.

Field Observations:

1. Students will participate in one field observation of a selected agricultural activity and submit a written observation report (see Annex A).
2. Some of the field observations require a nominal entrance fee.
3. Additional, optional, observations are planned and students are encouraged to participate in these observations on an extra credit basis.

Research and Analysis:

1. Prepare a geographically based analysis of a selected agricultural commodity, your written findings will be submitted as an atlas (see Undergraduate Annex B).
2. Prepare a research paper on an agricultural issue from a geographical perspective (see Graduate Annex B).
3. Review a major daily newspaper every day in preparation for class.

Written Work:

1. Field observation reports (see Annex A).
2. Undergraduate Students: An agricultural atlas of a selected commodity (see Annex B).
3. Graduate Students: A research paper on a geographically oriented agricultural issue (see Annex B).
4. Graduate Students: A book review
5. Papers cannot be accepted beyond the date indicated on the class schedule.

Student Resources:

1. The following links will connect you to online sources of blank maps for use in creating your atlas.  Fenwick library also has blank reproducible maps in Maps-on-File in the Reference section.

• Houghten-Miflin Outline maps
• About.com
• National Geographic MapMachine

2. The soil triangle describes the various combinations of sand, silt, and clay in soils. 

Class Field Trips:

1. USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center  
2. Fauquier County farm tour (dairy), - 
3. Loudon County VCE tour - 

• Endless Summer Harvest - hydroponic facility
• Great Country Farms - community supported agriculture and agritainment
• Cleremont Farm - commercial beef cattle operation

1. Prince Michel Vineyard, Leon, VA - 
2. Alson H. Smith, Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Winchester, VA - 

Class Schedule

(as of 08/30/2009 )

Web sites for agriculture course:

1. Virginia State Fair  
2. USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
3. USDA Economics and Statistics System    Reports and datasets on US and international agriculture.
4. USDA program Agriculture in the Classroom; resources for teachers and students
5. Celebrate Ag Day; see Fun Facts about the food we eat and the Importance of Ag Literacy
6. Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) - teacher and student resources on agriculture in Virginia
7. Lessons on agriculture from VA AITC
8. UN Food and Agriculture Organization
9. US Department of Agriculture           
10. US National Agricultural Library
11. www Virtual Library of Agriculture
12. Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio University, Horticulture in Virtual Perspective
13. Va Tech Extension Service 4-H Virtual Farm
14. American Farm Bureau - Educating about Agriculture
15. For information on bananas, oranges, limes, kiwifruit, mangoes, etc see Fruits of Warm Climates from Purdue University
16. Aquaculture sites
    • Catfish Institute see links for connection to Aquaculture Magazine
17. StrathKirn Inc (Agroscience database)
18. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
19. Council for Biotechnology Information - science-based information about the benefits and safety of agricultural biotechnology and its contributions to sustainable development
20. National Corn Growers Association - all about corn
21. Texas Agribusiness Market Research Center agrinet.tamu.edu
22. Agriculture Online www.agriculture.com
23. For a timeline describing the history of agriculture see the Huntington Library's Botanical Division.
24. BYU hosts a gallery of plant images including most of the major crops for the atlas project.
25. University of Idaho site describes soil orders and maps soil type distribution in the United States.
26. See the following About.com sites for lots of articles and links on Agricultural Geography and Food and Famine.
27. For sites on the history of food see The Food Timeline or the Food Museum
28. For a good discussion of the Columbian Exchange see the Seeds of Change Garden online exhibit from Smithsonian
29. The Cambridge World History of Food: This book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about food.  The site features a handful of online articles and some amusing factoids.

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