Agricultural Territory

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Agricultural Territory
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• The image above is a wheat harvester.
• In Canada, wheat is a staple.
• Staple is a crop that a territory can produce
  very easily and makes lots of money from selling
  it (exporting).
• The western provinces in Canada, especially
  Saskatchewan produce wheat.
• Canadian wheat is exported (send goods or
  services to another country for sale) all over
  the world.
• This generates large profits for Canada and its
  farmers.

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• Wheat is primarily used to make flour.
• The grains are grinded into a powder and then
  treated in order to preserve the product.
• Some products that use wheat include
• Breads (white and whole grain)
• Pasta
• Any type of dough (pizza, pastries, etc.)
• Cereal
• Beer and liquors
• Flour

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Whole-wheat vs. White flours

• Not all flours are created equal White flour is
  made from heavily refined and processed wheat
  grains, while whole-wheat flour is made from
  grains that have not undergone heavy processing.
  Whole-wheat and white flours differ in their
  nutritional value.

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• Fiber Content
• Effect on Blood Sugar
• Vitamin Content
• Eat More Whole-Wheat Flour

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Sharing a territory

• All over the world, cities and farmland are
  located at a short distance from one another.
• It is important that farmland is preserved
  because humans need to consume food in order to
  survive.
• Also, it would only be logical to conclude that
  food production will increase as the population
  nearby rises.

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• However, there is a problem with a growing
  population.
• For example, in Quebec most of the population
  lives in the St. Lawrence Plain.

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• This is also where most of Quebecs farmland is
  located.
• As the Quebec population increases, more land
  will be needed to build new communities or expand
  existing ones.
• The growing cities begin to take up space that
  would normally be used for farmland.
• In the future, we may not have enough farmland to
  produce enough food for the entire population if
  cities continue to grow.

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Agricultural Territories in Quebec

• In Quebec, cities and farms have developed
  alongside one another for many years.
• The first farms and cities were started in the
  St. Lawrence valley.
• This area has a suitable climate and fertile
  soil, which made it ideal for farming.
• Also, the river made shipping and travel very
  easy which allowed cities to develop.

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• Some crops are adaptable to less fertile land.
• Adaptable able to change or be changed in order
  to fit or work better in some situation
• Also, these type of crops tend to survive in
  harsh climate too (ex cold winters).
• Unfortunately, they are less profitable for the
  farmers.
• Farmers are concerned about this because they
  rely on profits from crop sales to cover their
  farming costs.
• In Quebec, farmers make the most profit producing
  or selling the following dairy products, cattle,
  pork and fodder.
• Fodder is crops used to feed livestock.

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• Over the years, cities in Quebec have been
  encroaching on farmland.
• Encroaching to gradually move or go into an area
  that is beyond the usual or desired limits
• Although Quebecs land is considered fertile, its
  soil and climate are not suitable for the most
  profitable (moneymaking) types of farming.

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Divided Space

• Seigneurial system
• This system of dividing farmland was used in many
  French colonies over 400 years ago (17th
  century).
• Land was given to a wealthy seigneur (landlord)
  by the king of France.
• The landlord would then divide up his land into a
  system of ranges.
• Ranges are long narrow rectangles that usually
  boarder a road and water.

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• Farmers would be allowed to farm the land.
• Farmers would give the landlord a tithe (tax).
• The ranges were very close together.
• There was a strong sense of community and mutual
  help.
• Today, disputes arise over farming techniques.
  For example A farmer that uses a lot of chemical
  fertilizers may accidently contaminate the
  neighbouring farm which only grows organic crops.

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• Today, the number of farms in Quebec is
  decreasing.
• However, the size of farms is getting bigger.
• This means that wealthy farmers and large
  corporations are buying smaller family farms.
• Many of these farms are producing high profit
  crops.

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Quebec Dairy Production

• Farming has changed a lot over the last few
  decades.
• Today, most farmers use chemical fertilizers and
  smart crops (genetically modified).
• However, dairy farming practises have not changed
  in any significant way over years.
• Dairy farming is the most important agricultural
  industry in Quebec.

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• In Quebec, one in four farms are dairy farms.
• Quebec produces 1/3 of Canadas dairy production.
• There are 3 major dairy producers in Quebec.
• Agropur, Saputo, and Parmalat produce more than
  75 of all of Quebecs milk.

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Organized Space

• Rural countryside, farmland, less developed,
  small population.
• Urban city, highly developed, large population

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Farms contribution to the development of rural
communities

• Farms provide jobs, development of retail
  (merchandise that is sold at a set price) and
  public services.
• Pubic services the business of supplying
  something to the members of a community
• something that is done to help people rather
  than to make a profit

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Farming associations

• Veteran farmers (experienced) develop groups to
  help young farmers.
• They also set prices and allocate (set aside)
  money for the purchase of new equipment.

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• FCC extends Young Farmer Loan Program
• Regina, Saskatchewan, November 6, 2013 Farm
  Credit Canada (FCC) has extended its loan program
  designed to help young farmers purchase or
  improve farmland and buildings.
• Young people are seeing a bright future in
  agriculture and we share that vision, said FCC
  President and CEO Greg Stewart. We listen to our
  customers and are committed to developing
  products and services tailored to young farmers
  and the unique needs of the agriculture
  industry.
• Launched in March 2012, the Young Farmer Loan
  Program offers qualified producers who are under
  40 years of age loans of up to 500,000 to
  purchase or improve farmland and buildings. The
  loan includes features and options that address
  this demographic and support their long-term
  success, including variable rates at prime plus
  0.5, a special fixed rate and no loan processing
  fees.
• FCC has approved more than 500 million in loans
  since the program was announced, and is now
  doubling its commitment to 1 billion for lending
  to young farmers.

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Global Ties

• Quebec is linked to the larger global network.
• The system of importing and exporting connects
  most countries in the world.
• Today, a large portion of the food we eat comes
  from far away especially outside of the growing
  season.

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Concentration Phenomenon

• Concentration farming It refers to big
  corporations that buy farms to meet their own
  needs.
• One example is McDonalds Corporation.
• It regularly buys farms in order to grow products
  such as wheat, potatoes, vegetables, and raise
  cattle/chicken.
• Concentration also means that there will be less
  variety (less choice) in the types of farms found
  in a specific area.

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Consequences of Concentration

1. Overall drop in the number of farms in a specific
   area.
2. Increase in size of the remaining farms.
3. Loss of family farms and farming communities.
4. Less diversity of produce.
5. Increase in food prices (because certain foods
   will become rare).
6. Higher pollution levels.

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Agriculturally Zoned Land

• Since 1978, agricultural land has been protected
  by law.
• Agricultural land is zoned as a green zone
• In Quebec 6.4 million hectares are protected.
• 10,000 square metres (100 m by 100 m)
• The law states that only farming and
  farming-related activities are allowed in these
  green zones.
• The reason for this law is to protect farmland
  for future generations.

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Why is this law necessary?

• Keep family farms and farming communities alive.
• Ensure food production (enough farmland to
  produce food!)
• Protect against urban sprawl
• When the city takes up more and more space for
  its activities, such as highways, housing, golf
  courses, etc., thus reducing farming space.

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Are these laws effective?(Are they working?)

• This law continues to remain controversial
  (debatable).
• Those that agree with the law, say that it would
  put a stop to greedy developers buying and
  building over farmland.
• Those that are against the laws say that they do
  not go far enough.

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Production without destruction

• Many seem to associate farming with a natural
  and simple way of life.
• However, the creation of a farm means land and
  forests need to be cleared.
• Furthermore, an active farm requires the use of
  heavy machines, pesticides, and diversion (change
  the direction of) of steams and rivers.

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Today farming has the following effects on the
environment

• The use of heavy fertilizers and pesticides will
  erode the soil. The pesticides will make their
  way into streams and groundwater.
• Destruction of animal habitats. This may lead to
  the extinction of certain plants and animals.
• The use of heavy chemicals may be hazardous to
  the health of farm workers and consumers.

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• Changes to farming occurred around the 1950s.
• During this time farming became more intensive.
• Farmers started to produce crops and products
  that are more profitable animal feed, livestock.
• These intensive farming practices also damage
  soil and pollutes water.

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Three Sources of Pollution

• There are three types of pollution
• 1. Agriculture
• 2. Urban (city)
• 3. Industrial sector
• Industry and urban form point source pollution,
  which means the source of pollution is identified
  and well-known.
• Laws have been put in place to help fix the
  situation.
• Agriculture is non point source pollution,
  which means pollution spreads outside of farms.

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Watershed Management

• It is an area that is drained by a single lake or
  river.
• They have natural borders usually hills or
  mountains. All the water that runs off these
  borders ends up in the water.
• The problem is that farms are usually located
  within these borders.
• Therefore, all of the waste, pesticides and
  fertilizers that are not absorbed by the crops
  will end up in the water.

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Hog Farming in Quebec

• Quebec is the largest producer of pork in Canada.
• Hog farms produce a lot of waste.
• Waste which eventually ends up in our watersheds.
• Hog waste contains high levels of methane and
  other types of chemicals that can damage our
  water supply.
• In Quebec, the number of hog farms has been
  increasing and crop farms have been decreasing.

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• Hog waste does make an excellent fertilizer.
• However, Quebec is running out of farmland
  therefore, there is less land to spread this
  waste.
• Another problem is that hog waste is liquid,
  which makes it very easy to end up in our water
  supplies.

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Intensive vs. Sustainable Agriculture

• Intensive Farming
• It is based on high productivity and high profit
  over a short period of time.
• Farms are larger and use fertilizers and
  pesticides.
• Highly competitive
• Usually one type of crop is grown on site.
• Sustainable Farming
• It is based on meeting the food needs of a small
  number of people (ex family).

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• This type of farming uses natural seeds and
  environmentally safe farming methods.
• One example is organic farms.
• Organic means that farmers work as much as
  possible with natural products and practices.
• Organic crops do not have any chemicals or
  genetic materials mixed into them.
• Close to a third of Quebec farms have become
  organic.