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V. Land Use and Location Models
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Web Sites
Narration
Like other forms of economic activity, agriculture is influenced by transportation costs or the friction of distance. The major variable of bio-climatic influences is modified by the accessibility factor. It has been observed many times that on areas of seemingly homogeneous landscape, a pattern of land use dependent on transportation costs has developed.
The most fundamental model of that pattern was developed by von Thünen in the nineteenth century to describe and explain land uses on the north German plain. The von Thünen model has been described in all the popular textbooks. The illustration presented here is one of many. The important thing about the von Thünen model is the way in which it enables students to think about accessibility. It also allows students to break free from explanations of agriculture that are based on out-moded notions of ethnicity and environmental determinism. The model is particularly useful in explaining the sequence of agriculture that occurred with the settlement of North America. A combination of so-called frontier crops -- primarily wheat and small grains mixed with ranching, particularly cattle ranching -- were developed. These activities moved from east to west across the continent with the expansion of the urban system and improved transportation. Therefore, even though the most ideal bio-climatic zone for wheat production is the Ohio Valley and the great prairies of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, wheat is also grown on the high plains in the arid regions farther west. Again, wheat is grown there not because those areas have the best growing climate, but because the crop will yield a profit in those regions and not suffer from competition with other agriculture types.
Extensive agriculture at the edge of the von Thünen models or rings involves large land areas. An average-sized farm in Saskatchewan is 1000 acres, while an average farm in North Dakota is 1300 acres. In contrast, farms engaging in intensive commercial agriculture close to the market may average 40 acres or less in size. Maps of relative value per acre of farmland show the von Thünen principal quite clearly. Land close to markets has much higher value than more distant land.
Web Sites
To view the following Web sites, please go to "See also" below.
The Teachers' Corner contains links to suggested Web sites. The College Board neither endorses, controls the content of, nor reviews the external Web sites included here. Please note that following links to external Web sites will open a new browser window. If you discover a link that does not work, please let us know by sending an e-mail to apctechsupport@collegeboard.org.
Von Thünen Explanation
Simple explanation of the von Thünen model with a graphic.
Von Thünen's Land Use Model
From the San Jose State University Economics Department. This is an illustrated example of von Thünen's Land Use Model using tomatoes, apples, and wheat.
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