Agricultural Revolutions
Agribusiness and Agri-food Systems
1. The Agricultural Revolution
• 1st Agricultural Revolution (12 000 ys ago): – Development of seed agriculture – Use of plow and draft animals– Plant and animal domestication
• 2nd Agricultural Revolution (~ Industrial Rev. or mid 18th C)– Improvement in livestock and crop yields– Planting clover and legumes– Metal implements– Replacement of ox by horse– New inputs in agricultural production
• 3rd Agricultural Revolution (~20thC):– Modernization and mechanization – Chemical farming (Green Revolution)– Food manufacturing
Pesticide sprayer
plow
• Capitalist agricultural ‘revolution’
– Food became a commodity
• increased state intervention
– Decrease in agricultural labor
– Wealth concentration
The Green Revolution
• HYVs (high-yielding varieties) • Increased use of fertilizers, pesticides,
energy • Genetically-engineered crops
• Profit potential for TNCs (E.G. Monsanto Corp.) – Concerns over ‘intellectual property rights’ to
plant genomes, indigenous knowledge bases
2. Agri-business and Agri-food systems
• Agri-business: ... “an integrated, corporate system, involving all aspects of agriculture, from food production, to processing and distribution”
(Knox & Agnew 2003, p. 36)
– production– transport– financing – regulation and – Marketing
Model of Agricultural Location
• Von Thünen’s Model:
Land-use rings with different farm products
Based on: – demand, – operating costs,– transport cost, – land rent prices.
