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Von Thunen’s Model

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Required Reading

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  • Pgs 308-310: Ag. Production Begins
  • Pgs 311-314: Spatial Org. of Agriculture
  • Pgs 315-321: Von Thunen Model
  • Pgs 322-325: Global Ag. System

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Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns

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Farming Forces

Land values influence farming practices.

  • If land is plentiful farmers use it extensively, if land is scarce or expensive they use it intensely.

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  • Extensive Land Use: more land is used and fewer inputs of capital and labor is needed.
    • Ex. shifting cultivation, nomadic herding, and ranching.

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  • Intensive Land Use: less land is used and greater inputs of capital and labor is needed.
    • Ex. paddy rice farming, market gardening, and plantation farming.

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Free Range & Feedlots

Free range (extensive)

FEEDLOTS (Intensive)

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Johann von Thünen

  • Von Thünen was a German farmer

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  • Produced a model in 1826 to explain land use by farmers
    • Assumed that farmers only took their products to a single market

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  • What was produced was based on transportation costs
    • Intensity of land diminishes with distance from the market (distance decay)

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Von Thünen’s Model

Perishable products that need to get to market quickly

Slow to grow & heavy to transport

Did not perish as quickly & easy transport

Cheap & plentiful land, livestock marched

Understanding Agricultural Location

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Von Thünen’s Model

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Von Thünen Applied

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Supply Line for Food

FOOD TWIN

By the Plotline

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Veggies

Dairy

Forestry

Corn & Soybeans

Wheat

Beef

Specialty Crops

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Veggies

Dairy

Forestry

Corn & Soybeans

Wheat

Beef

Specialty Crops

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Bid Rent Curve

  • The bid rent curve reflects a farmers willingness to pay for land with relation to it’s distance to the market.

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    • The closer to the market, the more expensive the land value.

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Bid Rent Curve

  • This map shows the average amount of rent paid for non-irrigated cropland in Wisconsin

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Impact of Technology

Advancements in technology have increased the distribution of goods over long distances.

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Advances in refrigeration have allowed Perishables items to be transported further from the production site.

  • Cool chains are transportation networks keep food cool throughout the trip.
  • Fruits and vegetables from the tropics can be transported to North America and Europe quickly and cheaply.

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Food & Technology

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