How Where and Why Does the Von Thunen Model Continue to Have Relevance Today
Von Thunen's model of agricultural land use is an important model. The analysis of land use in geography is a basic concern. It is Johann Henrich von thunen (1983-1850) a German economist to solve this, developed a theory of agricultural location that is still worth considering. Von thunen model is based on the econometric of his state in Mecklenburg, near Rostock in Germany. He used most of the data through his practical experience.
he attempted to construct a theoretical model of land use pattern, giving a particular arrangement of towns and villages in a situation experienced in Mecklenburg. However, the main aim of Von Thunen's analysis is to show how and why agricultural land use varies with the distance from a market.
He had two basic models
1. The intensity of production of particular crops declines with the distance from the market. The intensity of production is a measure of the number of inputs per unit of land for instance the greater the intensity of agricultural production.
2. The type of land use will vary with the distance from the market
ASSUMPTIONS OF VON THUNEN MODEL OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE THEORY.
- There is an isolated state with one city at the center of an agricultural area.
- The city is the market for surplus products from the hinterland and receives product from no other areas.
- The hinterland is surplus to know another market except for the city.
- The agricultural area is an isotropic surface having homogeneity in terrain topography and climatic conditions.
- The hinterland is inhabited by farmers who wish to maximize their profit and adjust automatically to the market demands.
- There is only one mode of transport-the horse and wagon.
- Transport cost is directly proportional to distance.
Von thunen model examines the location of several crops in relation to the market. The location of crops according to him is determined following
- The market prices.
- Transport.
- The yield per hectare.
GENERAL THEORY OF LAND USE
On the basis of the above-mentioned assumptions, Von Thunen constructed a general land-use model having a number of concentric zones around a market town. Von Thunen recognized the following six concentric zonal rings of agricultural production.
- Market gardening and milk production– The production of fresh milk (In the context of Europe ) and vegetables were concentrated in this zone because of nearest to the city. In this zone the fertility of the land was maintained by means of manuring and if necessary additional manure was brought from the city and transport to a short distance to the farm.
- Firewood and lumber production- The zone was used for the production of wood, a bulky product in great demand in the city as a fuel in the early 19th century. He showed on the basis of his empirical data that forestry yielded a higher locational rent since its bulkiness meant relatively higher transport cost.
- Crop farming without fallow- The zone represents crops farming where rye was an important market product, followed by another farming zone with a difference in the intensity of cultivation. As the distance from the market increased so the intensity of rye production decrease with a consequent reduction in yields. There was no following and maturing to maintain soil fertility.
- Crop farming and fallow pastures- Farmer in this zone followed seven years of crop rotation in which rye occupied only one-seventh of the land. There was one year of rye, one-year of barley, one year of oats three years of pastures, and one year of fallow
- Three field system– The fifth zone, rye was an important cereal crop. In this zone, the farmer followed three filed system, whereby one-third of the land was used for field crops(Rye). Another one third for pastures and the rest follow.
- Livestock farming- livestock farming is in the last zone, because of the distance to the market.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF VON THUNEN MODEL OF LAND USE
The theory of agricultural location was presented by Von Thunen in the early 19th century. since then several scholars including geographers have applied it in various part of the world and have pointed out certain aspect which is not applicable in a way as pointed by Von Thunen. The main points are raised by scholars regarding these theories are as following.
- An isolated space is hardly available in any region of the world.
- Man is not rational or economic always as assumed by Von Thunen.
- In his model, the elements of risk and uncertainty are ignored.
- The advantage of physical factors shouldn't be ignored.
- At present cargo ships are fitted with refrigeration facilities and milk, butter, cheese and meats are send to the market in Britain from Newzeland and Australia at a distance of over 1700km and now it is not necessary that perishable commodities be produced near the market.
RELEVANCE OF VON THUNEN MODEL
It is almost two hundred years, Johann Heinrich Von Thunen demonstrated that the geographical pattern of agriculture used was highly regular and predictable.
The VonThunen logical framework has been important in the evolution of our thinking of how land values and land uses have been important in the evolution of thought. The villages of the great plain of Indian concentric patterns of land use can be observed around the rural settlement, the highly and heavily manured lands around villages settlement are devoted to the perishable commodities like vegetables, potatoes, and orchards. While inland lying in the middle belt is given cereal crops like rice, wheat, barley, maize, pulses, and sugarcane. The land in the fringe zone is generally devoted to inferior cereals like bajra, guar, and millets.
professor M -Shafi tested the model in the koil tehsil of the Aligarh district in (up) in India.
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Source: https://geohelpyou.com/von-thunen-model-of-agricultural-land-use/
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