Chapter 14-1 How We Use Land 3/08

Where does our food come from?

Land Use • Land use is what we do with a piece of land • Land cover is what you find on a patch of land • There are different uses for each cover type

Rangeland

Forest Land

Cropland

Parks and Preserves

Wetlands, Mountains, Deserts etc..

Urban Land

Where we Live • Habitation patterns changed with the Industrial Revolution

Until 1850 • Most people in the US lived in rural areas

• Machinery and Fossil fuels resulted in fewer people being needed to raise food • Movement from rural to urban is now happening in developing countries

Ecosystem Services • Resources produced by natural or artificial ecosystems

Clean Drinking Water

Fertile Soil

Farmland

Trees for wood, paper, oxygen

How much rural land do we need?

• Developed Country requires about 8 hectares (20 acres) • In US this figure is 12 hectares (30 acres)

Is it a good idea to replace valley farmland with houses?