© T. M. Whitmore Last Time • East Asia- continued Korea-continued Taiwan Environment, settlement, history, & economy • South Asia Geophysical Environmental regions
Jan 05, 2016
© T. M. Whitmore
Last Time•East Asia- continued
Korea-continuedTaiwan
Environment, settlement, history, & economy
•South AsiaGeophysical Environmental regions
© T. M. Whitmore
Today
•Geophysical Environmental regions
•Climate — key to life in S Asia
•Environmental problems & hazards
•Agriculture
© T. M. Whitmore
Climate•Review: Climatic regions
Dry and semi-arid in WRainfall variable with elevation,
aspect, and locationHot tropical and semi-tropical
•Seasonal progression of temperatures •The “monsoon” is the summer rainfall
regime in most of S Asia and SE Asiaa system of alternating-direction
winds
Calicut
© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall
© T. M. Whitmore
Environmental hazards
•Failed monsoon
•Tropical cyclones (like our hurricanes)
•Deforestation
•Desertification
•Salinization
Pakistan– salinization © 2005 The Great Mirror
© T. M. Whitmore
Agriculture I•High population density and high
physiological population density => importance of agriculture
•South Asia is very rural ~ 70%•Two major staples: rice and wheat•Also important
CottonPeanuts, lentils, chick peas (pulses)MilletsJuteTea
rice
wheat
Drier land crops
Bangledesh ag – clod breaking© 2005 The Great Mirror
Bangledesh ag – dry season© 2005 The Great Mirror
© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall
N India – irrigated (dwarf HYV) wheat© 2005 The Great Mirror
N India – animal power© 2005 The Great Mirror
© T. M. Whitmore
Agriculture II: Green Revolution•Begins in 1950s in Mexico with
Rockefeller foundation funds research to increase wheat yields
•Basic idea reproduced world wide: potato institute in Lima, Rice in Philippines, tropical ag generally in Nigeria, etc.
•Term coined by U.S. Agency for International Development director William Gaud (March 1968)
•Norman Borlaug: father of Green Revolution
© T. M. Whitmore
How does it work? •The “green revolution” consists of
several things — “the package”1) Dwarf, high yielding hybrid seeds (HYV)Response to fertilizerPhoto period insensitiveDwarf (less lodging; denser planting)
Genetic uniformity and so potential disease susceptibility
© T. M. Whitmore
How does it work? (continued)•“The package” continued
1) Dwarf, high yielding hybrid seeds (HYV)
2) Irrigation3) Chemical Fertilizers (NPK)
Nitrogen (N often in ammonia form); Potassium (K commonly in a form called potash); Phosphorus (P)
4) Herbicides and pesticides 5) Often uses agricultural
machinery
Pakistan – irrigated (dwarf HYV) wheat© 2005 The Great Mirror
Pakistan – irrigation technology© 2005 The Great Mirror
E India –mechanized rice harvest© 2005 The Great Mirror
© T. M. Whitmore
How does it work? (continued)•Lacking the “package: (hybrid seeds,
water, fertilizer, and chemicals) yields/ha are often NO better than
traditional• Infrastructure:
Roads, markets, banking and finance, rural credit, agricultural extension, research capacity, national integration and policy making
Necessary to develop and sustain the technological package
© T. M. Whitmore
Problems with green revolution
•Not much gain without entire package
•Impacts on large and small holders
•Chemical pollution
•Soil damage
•Genetic loss
•Erosion
© T. M. Whitmore
Agriculture III
•Cattle — Sacred in Hindu India: >200 million head
© John Wiley & Sons
N India –”Persian” wheel irrigation© 2005 The Great Mirror
© Pearson Education – Prentice Hall
N India – dung curing for fuel© 2005 The Great Mirror
© Michel Guntern