#AP Human Geography: Agriculture & Land Use - The Night Before Cram Session 🚀

Hey there, future geographer! Let's get you prepped and confident for tomorrow's exam. This guide is designed to be your last-minute lifeline, focusing on the key concepts and strategies you need to ace it. Let's dive in!

#🚜 Agricultural Practices & Land Use: An Overview

Agricultural practices are heavily influenced by economic factors. Whether a region engages in subsistence or commercial farming, and whether they practice intensive or extensive farming, depends on the interplay of land costs, market demands, and technological capabilities. Let's break it down:

• Subsistence Farming: Primarily for personal consumption, common in LDCs. Think small-scale, family-run farms. 🧑‍🌾
• Commercial Farming: Production for profit, often large-scale, using advanced tech. Think big agribusiness. 💰
• Intensive Farming: High inputs (labor, capital) on small plots of land. Maximizing yield. 📈
• Extensive Farming: Lower inputs over large areas. Think ranching or large grain farms. 🏞️

#🌍 Regions of Agricultural Production

These are areas with the right combo of climate, soil, and water for high agricultural activity. Let's take a quick tour:

1. Midwest USA: Corn, wheat, soybeans. Fertile soil. 🌽
2. Canadian Prairies: Wheat, canola. Temperate climate. 🌾
3. Yangtze River Valley (China): Rice, wheat. Humid, subtropical. 🍚
4. Po Valley (Italy): Wheat, rice. Mediterranean climate. 🍝
5. Pampas (Argentina): Wheat, corn, soybeans. Temperate. 🥩
6. Midwest & Great Plains (Brazil): Soybeans, corn. Tropical climate. 🇧🇷

#🧑‍🌾 Types of Farming

#Subsistence Farming

• Focus: Growing food for the farmer and their family, not for profit.

• Location: Often found in less developed countries (LDCs).

• Characteristics: Small plots of land, reliance on manual labor, traditional methods.

  

  Example: A family in rural Nepal grows rice, wheat, and vegetables on a small plot of land, using traditional methods and relying on monsoon rains. They have a few animals for milk and eggs.

#Commercial Farming

• Focus: Producing crops or livestock for sale in the market.

• Location: Typically found in more developed countries (MDCs).

• Characteristics: Large-scale, use of modern technology, focus on profit.

  

  Example: A large farm in California grows almonds using advanced techniques, with a team of workers and global distribution.

#Monocropping/Monoculture

• Definition: Growing a single crop over a large area.

• Pros: Increased efficiency and productivity, reduced costs.

• Cons: Soil degradation, increased vulnerability to pests and diseases.

  

  Examples: Corn in the US, wheat in Canada, soybeans in Brazil, rice in China, cotton in the US and India, and palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia.

#🏙️ Bid-Rent Theory

This theory explains how land value changes with distance from the city center (CBD). Land closer to the CBD is more expensive because it's more accessible and has more opportunities.

• CBD (Central Business District): High-value uses (offices, retail) pay the highest rent.

• Industry: Further from the CBD, needs more land at lower prices.

• Residential: Varies; poorer residents closer to the city for jobs, wealthier further out for larger properties.

  

  Example: A developer pays more for land in the city center to build a high-rise, while a farmer pays less for land on the outskirts.

#Key Points Summarized

• Commerce: Inner core, highest rent for prime spots.
• Industry: Further from CBD, needs more land at lower prices.
• Residential: Varies, affordability vs. commuting distance.

#Assumptions of Bid-Rent Theory

• Land is featureless (no physical barriers).
• Rent increases directly with distance from the CBD.
• Most jobs are in the CBD.

Bid-rent theory is a key concept for understanding urban land use patterns. Make sure you can explain it and apply it to different scenarios.

#🎯 Final Exam Focus

Okay, here's what you absolutely need to nail for the exam:

• Key Concepts: Subsistence vs. commercial farming, intensive vs. extensive farming, monoculture, bid-rent theory.
• Connections: How economic factors influence agricultural practices and land use. How these concepts relate to other units like urban geography and economic development.
• FRQs: Be ready to compare and contrast different agricultural systems and apply bid-rent theory to real-world scenarios.
• MCQs: Focus on understanding the characteristics of different agricultural regions and the impacts of various farming practices.

#Last-Minute Tips

• Time Management: Don't spend too long on one question. If you're stuck, move on and come back later.
• Read Carefully: Pay close attention to the wording of each question.
• Answer All Parts: Make sure you address all parts of the question in FRQs.
• Use Examples: Use real-world examples to support your answers.
• Stay Calm: You've got this! Take deep breaths and trust your preparation. 🧘

#📝 Practice Questions

Practice Question

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following best describes a characteristic of subsistence agriculture? (A) High levels of mechanization (B) Production for sale in the market (C) Primary focus on family consumption (D) Use of advanced technologies (E) Large-scale monoculture

2. According to bid-rent theory, which type of land use would typically be located closest to the central business district (CBD)? (A) Industrial areas (B) Residential areas (C) Agricultural land (D) Commercial offices (E) Warehouses

3. The practice of growing a single crop over a large area is known as: (A) Crop rotation (B) Intercropping (C) Monoculture (D) Mixed farming (E) Shifting cultivation

Free Response Question

Explain the key differences between subsistence and commercial farming practices. Then, discuss how the bid-rent theory influences the location of agricultural activities in relation to urban areas. Provide examples to support your arguments. (7 points)

Scoring Breakdown:

• Subsistence vs. Commercial Farming (3 points):
  • 1 point for describing subsistence farming (small-scale, family-focused, for consumption).
  • 1 point for describing commercial farming (large-scale, profit-focused, market-oriented).
  • 1 point for explaining a key difference between the two (e.g., technology use, scale of production).
• Bid-Rent Theory & Agriculture (3 points):
  • 1 point for explaining the basic principle of bid-rent theory (land value decreases with distance from CBD).
  • 1 point for explaining how bid-rent theory influences the location of agricultural activities (farther from CBD due to lower land costs).
  • 1 point for providing a specific example of how bid-rent theory affects agriculture (e.g., farms on the outskirts of cities).
• Examples (1 point):
  • 1 point for providing at least one relevant example to support the argument (e.g., subsistence farming in rural areas, commercial farming in developed countries, or specific crops).

You’ve got this! Go get that 5! 🎉