An Overview of Agricultural Geography

An Overview of Agricultural Geography Around ten to twelve thousand years ago, humans began to domesticate plants and animals for food. Before this first agricultural revolution, people relied on hunting and gathering to obtain food supplies. While there are still groups of hunters and gatherers in the world, most societies have switched to agriculture. The beginnings of agriculture did not just occur in one place but appeared almost simultaneously around the world, possibly through trial and error with different plants and animals or by long-term experimentation. Between the first agricultural revolution thousands of years ago and the 17th century, agriculture remained pretty much the same. The Second Agricultural Revolution In the seventeenth century, a second agricultural revolution took place which increased the efficiency of production as well as distribution, which allowed more people to move to the cities as the industrial revolution got underway. The eighteenth centurys European colonies became sources of raw agricultural and mineral products for the industrializing nations. Now, many of the countries which were once colonies of Europe, especially those in Central America, are still heavily involved in the same types of agricultural production as they were hundreds of years ago. Farming in the twentieth century has become highly technological in more developed nations with geographical technologies like GIS, GPS, and remote sensing while less developed nations continue with practices which are similar to those developed after the first agricultural revolution, thousands of years ago. Types of Agriculture About 45% of the worlds population makes their living through agriculture. The proportion of the population involved in agriculture ranges from about 2% in the United States to about 80% in some parts of Asia and Africa. There are two types of agriculture, subsistence, and commercial. There are millions of subsistence farmers in the world, those who produce only enough crops to feed their families. Many subsistence farmers use the slash and burn or swidden agricultural method. Swidden is a technique used by about 150 to 200 million people ​and is especially prevalent in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. A portion of land is cleared and burned to provide at least one and up to three years of good crops for that portion of land. Once the land can no longer be utilized, a new patch of ground is slashed and burnt for another round of crops. Swidden is not a neat or well-organized method of agricultural production by it is effective for farmers who dont know much about irrigation, soil, and fertilization. The second type of agriculture is commercial agriculture, where the primary purpose is to sell ones product at market. This takes place throughout the world and includes major fruit plantations in Central America as well as huge agribusiness wheat farms in the Midwestern United States. Geographers commonly identify two major belts of crops in the U.S. The wheat belt is identified as crossing the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Corn, which is primarily grown to feed livestock, reaches from southern Minnesota, across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. J.H. Von Thunen developed a model in 1826 (which wasnt translated into English until 1966) for the agricultural use of land. It has been utilized by geographers since that time. His theory stated that the more perishable and heavier products would be grown closer to urban areas. By looking at the crops grown within metropolitan areas in the U.S., we can see that his theory still holds true. It is very common for perishable vegetables and fruits to be grown within metropolitan areas while less-perishable grain is predominantly produced in non-metropolitan counties. Agriculture uses about a third of the land on the planet and occupies the lives of about two and a half billion people. Its important to understand where our food comes from.

The Affects of Paranoid Schizophrenia In the Brain

The Affects of Paranoid Schizophrenia In the Brain Free Online Research Papers Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that can cause people to lose touch with reality. Some people are convinced they hear or see things that are not there, which are hallucinations and these people become delusional. In Paranoid Schizophrenia, some people that become delusional develop persecution of person dignity. It is caused by a chemical reaction in the brain and some are not even sure of how people come about to have this disorder. The first signs of Paranoid Schizophrenia maybe begin to show anywhere between the ages of 15 to 35.There is no permanent cure for this disorder but there is medication that can be given to show less symptoms of it. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are given antipsychotic medication that reduces the symptoms and usually allows the patient to live a more functional normal life. There are many different types of schizophrenia the affect a vast majority of people that live around the world. There is more of a chance being diagnosed with schizophrenia than developing AIDS. Paranoid Schizophrenia is a disorder that inhabits many people, both males and females. People with this condition have constant feelings that they are being watched, followed or betrayed all the time. Many people with schizophrenia do decide to end their lives. There have been studies conducted that show this can be caused by genetics, psychological and social process, and early environment. Some patients may be given medication that can make them better or it can make them feel worse. The onset for schizophrenia in men is usually within their teens or twenties while in women it may be in their twenties or early thirties although the paranoid schizophrenia tends to appear more towards the later end of this rage. Early signs of schizophrenia include social withdrawal, unusual behaviors, anxiety and a significant decline in daily abilities. Delusions and auditory hallucinations may be the part of psychotic symptoms in people associated with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Delusions are thoughts of people believing something is real or true that no one else believes. Often to be thoughts such as someone trying to spy on them, follow them, kill them or even know their thoughts. Auditory hallucinations are voices that no one else can hear and it can be more than one person talking or having conversations. These voices can also cause this person to conflict harm upon themselves and or others. This causes the person to talk aloud and shout to these voices that they only hear at t imes. The people with this type of schizophrenia do not have disorganized speech or behavior that may be seen in other types of schizophrenia. Researches believe that schizophrenia develops during early brain development and there have been studies that focus on the way brain cells communicate with each other through pathways. There are too many or too few connections in certain important communication pathways that have to do with emotion and the control of them. Usually it is in the parts of the brain that produce the most dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter. Technology we have today can be used, such as the MRI, in order to detect the differences in brain activity that occur in the hippocampus, the frontal and temporal lobes. Paranoid schizophrenia is a serious condition that requires a lifetime of treatment. There may be periods that the patient will feel better and may think that they might not need treatment anymore but is no guarantee that medication can work 100% in patients. Having effective treatment will help control these symptoms and can help live a normal functional life. Some forms of treatment are medication, psychotherapy, and hospitalization. The most common type of medication used to help treat symptoms is antipsychotic drugs but this type of drug also can have serious neurological side effects. This is often given to help manage the hallucinations and delusions. Other medications may also be antidepressants and anti-anxiety prescriptions, which can help with stabilizing moods and anxiety. Getting the right treatment is such an easy thing to do being that people react different to different medications and some may cause serious side effects that can make the person worse. Psychotherapy is another important form of treatment for schizophrenics. This can include family therapy or individual therapy. This type of treatment is not suitable for everyone with this condition but it can help some. People that do need hospitalization are often people that have severe symptoms, to ensure the safety of themselves and the people around them. Schizophrenia is a complicated mental disorder that cannot be explained as originating from a single factor. It is highly related to neurological malfunction and brain abnormality in some areas. The activities and structure of the brain are a lifetime developing process; however, certain external factors also play important roles contributing to the abnormal development of the brain. In the other words, nobody is born a schizophrenic, healthy child rearing practices and healthy life style might prevent the onset of this mental disorder but there is still a chance of developing it later on in life. 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