Unit 5 Lecture 4

Von Thunen Model of Agricultural Land Use

• purpose of commercial farming is to sell produce off the farm, so the distance of the farm to the market influences the farmer’s choice of crop to plant
• Johann Heinrich von Thunen proposed the model in 1826 in his book An Isolated State
• In this model, a commercial farmer considers what crops to cultivate based on market location

Draw and label Each Ring of the Von Thunen Model

The Von Thünen Model�

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• His model was created before industrialization

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• but, Von Thunen did realize the model could vary according to physical conditions

• The Von Thünen model is an excellent illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation costs.

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➢      As one gets closer to a city, the price of land increases.

The farmers of the Isolated State balance the

cost of transportation, land, and profit

and produce the most cost-effective product for market.

➢      In the real world, things don't happen as they would in a model.

In this ‘Isolated State’ Von Thünen hypothesized that the following pattern would develop: �

➢      Four rings of agricultural activity surrounding the city.

• o       1. Dairying and intensive farming occur in the ring closest to the city.
• Since vegetables, fruit, milk and other dairy products must get to market quickly, they would be produced close to the city in the ‘milkshed’ area (remember, we don't have refrigerated oxcarts!)

➢      2. Timber and firewood would be produced for fuel and building materials in the second zone.

• o       Before industrialization (and coal power), wood was a very important fuel for heating and cooking. Wood is very heavy and difficult to transport so it is located as close to the city as possible.

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➢      3. The third zone consists of extensive fields crops such as grains for bread.

• o       Since grains last longer than dairy products and are much lighter than fuel, reducing transport costs, they can be located further from the city.

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• ➢      4. Ranching is located in the final ring surrounding the central city.
• o       Animals can be raised far from the city because they are self-transporting. Animals can walk to the central city for sale or for butchering.

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➢      5. Beyond the fourth ring lies the unoccupied wilderness, (hinterland) which is too great a distance from the central city for any type of agricultural product.

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VT’s model is based on the following �limiting assumptions �

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• The city is located centrally within an "Isolated State" which is self sufficient and has no external influences.
• The Isolated State is surrounded by an unoccupied wilderness.
• The soil quality and climate are consistent throughout the State.
• Farmers act to maximize profits.

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* Paraphrase, don’t copy word for word :)

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Weaknesses of Von Thunen

• the model does not consider social customs or government policies
• model was developed for a small region with a single market center so it is not terribly applicable
• however, the underlying theory behind it is...farmers in remote locations in North America are less likely to grow highly perishable and bulky products if they intend to ship to Europe
• there are no truly isolated states
• trade may be cheaper or more readily available than certain types of agriculture
• some territories have multiple climates (US, Russia, etc)

Von Thunen

• Land closer to the center is more indicative of intensive agriculture.
• Because of its proximity to the market, land is higher value
• Land further from the center will rely on more extensive agriculture
• land lower value, further from market, more expensive to transport goods
• The underlying basis of Von Thunen is applicable to a national or global scale: Farmers in remote locations who wish to sell output in the major markets of W Europe and North America are less likely to grow highly perishable and bulky products
• Farmers located closer to the market tend to select crops that have slightly higher costs to transport

Extensive agriculture refers to types of agriculture where an extensive amount of land is used to produce a crop (ex. wheat)

Intensive agriculture is when a small piece of land is used intensively; the land is worked all or most of the year

World Food Supply

Review: What do we know about Boserup and Malthus!

Strategies to increase Global Food supply

• Increasing exports from countries with surpluses
• US still leading grain exporter
• Expanding the land area used for agriculture
• but, few scientists think this is realistic- in some regions farmland is being abandoned due to lack of water or even desertification

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Strategies to Increase Global Food Supply

• Expanding fishing
• aquaculture or aquafarming- cultivating seafood under controlled conditions (vs. fishing is capture of wild fish)
• global fish production has increased
• Increasing the productivity of land now used for agriculture
• Green Revolution- GMOs, expanded use of fertilizers, ‘miracle seeds’

China is responsible for ⅓ of the world’s fish. Other leading countries include Chile, Indonesia and Peru (extensive ocean boundaries)

Environmental Issues

• fertilizer and chemicals can lead to soil degradation
• irrigation can lead to river and aquifer depletion
• overgrazing can lead to fields becoming fallow
• desertification is also a threat to arable farmland

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Organic farming, fair trade and eat-local movements have emerged in an attempt to rectify environmental issues or issues in the local markets.

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Sustainable Agriculture

• another strategy to increase the world’s food supply
• sustainable agriculture refers to agricultural practices that preserve and enhance environmental quality
• 3 practices distinguish sustainable agriculture (and organic farming) from conventional agriculture:
• sensitive land management
• limited use of chemicals
• better integration of crops and livestock

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