Map Exhibits
Geography Events
Geography Exhibits
Become a Geo Lounge Contributor
Submit a Geography Conference or Event
How Geography is Used to Study Agriculture
Mark Altaweel | December 16, 2020 June 13, 2017 | Agricultural Geography
Many geographic factors affect today's modern agricultural businesses and trade. From climate to key trade and shipping hubs, location has shaped the fortunes of states and agricultural production. For farmers, timing is critical in the obtainment of resources, such as fertilizer and seed, but also forecasting likely weather in the coming season, informing on how much irrigation is needed as well as temperatures that can affect crop growth.[1]
An agriculture field in California. Photo: U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain
The state, however, has emerged as one of the more dominant or significant actors in shaping agricultural land found within countries; regions within states are often subject to investment and policies such as pollution control. Productive areas are also more likely to develop greater nitrate-based pollution or require policies to curb and limit pollutants.[2]
Patterns of geographic locality of pollution has, therefore, had a strong association with regions of focused agricultural policies by the state.[3] In Europe, pollution laws have transcended many states under the European Union, forcing many countries to also adopt their policy towards potential pollutants such as pesticides.[4]
For countries and regions where agriculture has formed a greater focus for the local economy, greater environmental damage has been evident.
In many first world countries, improved ecological conditions as well as food safety have, therefore, emerged as key issues.[5] Economic conditions, particularly competition, have encouraged generally larger farms in the West.
However, Western countries have also often subsidized their farms, as that keeps this important sector viable under increased foreign competition and where domestic labor is more expensive. Geographers have determined that this policy has also the effect of allowing the preservation of smaller farm holdings, even though economic theory had largely expected smaller farms to increasingly disappear.
Smaller holdings have also been seen as more beneficial for social and environmental reasons, resulting in subsidies as being seen as beneficial for smaller land holdings.[6]
Satellite image of crops in southwestern Kansas captured by Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) . Image: NASA, 2001.
Where food production and transport have also contributed a lot of pollution, a recent focus on developing less globalized and more localized agriculture has been a focus in the research literature, particularly in the more industrialized northern hemisphere.
Government policies have included exploiting urban spaces and less built up areas where agriculture can be created to minimize distance between production and the market.[7] Agricultural land also acts as a limit to urban growth.
Whereas in some states, such as in the United States, liberal land laws have allowed many urban areas to easily expand into agricultural lands, in other countries or states, such as around London, UK, more restrictive laws prevent urban expansion. This has the secondary result of also possibly increasing land and home prices, as greater protection limits urban sprawl but also limits living areas.
In part, this is guided by how agricultural land is seen, whether it is seen as vital for economic and/or cultural reasons.[8]
[1] For more on agricultural forecasting and examples from South Asia, see: Shafi, Mohammad. 2000. Agricultural Geography of South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives. Delhi: Macmillan India.
[2] For more on the role and intersection of agriculture, policy, and geography, see: Bowler, Ian R., ed. 1992. The Geography of Agriculture in Developed Market Economies. Harlow, Essex, England : New York: Longman Scientific & Technical ; Wiley.
[3] For more on geography, policy, and pollution in agriculture, see: Wu, JunJie, and Bruce A. Babcock. 1999. "Metamodeling Potential Nitrate Water Pollution in the Central United States." Journal of Environment Quality 28 (6. doi:10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800060031x.
[4] For more on agriculture and pollution, see: Jess, Stephen, Steven Kildea, Aidan Moody, Gordon Rennick, Archie K Murchie, and Louise R Cooke. 2014. "European Union Policy on Pesticides: Implications for Agriculture in Ireland: European Union Policy on Pesticides." Pest Management Science 70 (11): 1646–54.
[5] For more on consumer and environmental issues measured by agricultural geographers, see: Marsden, Terry, Richard Munton, Neil Ward, and Sarah Whatmore. 1996. "Agricultural Geography and the Political Economy Approach: A Review." Economic Geography 72 (4): 361.
[6] For more on how subsidies enable smaller farm holdings to exist in Western countries, see: Atkins, P. J., and Ian R. Bowler. 2001. Food in Society: Economy, Culture, Geography. London ; New York: Arnold.
[7] For more on urban agriculture and production, see: Tornaghi, Chiara. 2014. "Critical Geography of Urban Agriculture." Progress in Human Geography 38 (4): 551–67.
[8] For more on urban growth and sprawl in relation to agricultural land, see: Fertner, Christian, Gertrud Jørgensen, Thomas Alexander Sick Nielsen, and Kjell Svenne Bernhard Nilsson. 2016. "Urban Sprawl and Growth Management – Drivers, Impacts and Responses in Selected European and US Cities." Future Cities and Environment 2 (1). doi:10.1186/s40984-016-0022-2.
Geospatial Technology and Challenges of Contemporary Agriculture
Storing Carbon in the Soil Through Regenerative Farming
Use of GIS in Agriculture
Von Thünen Model of Agricultural Land Use
Tags agricultural geography, economic geography
Enter your email to receive the Geography Realm newsletter:
These Elephants and Dogs Enjoy a Prelapsarian Rescue
This Oikofugic Dog Rides the Bus All By Herself
Explore More Geography Articles
A View of Hokkaido's Lattice Windbreaks From Space
Geography Newsletter
Enter your e-mail address to receive our free newsletter:
Help Map the World's Coral Reefs
First High Resolution Map of the U.S. Food Supply Chain
Mapping Where Planting Trees Can Help with Climate Change Mitigation
© 2021 Geography Realm unless otherwise noted. Privacy Policy