Agricultural Land Use Theory And Its Application With Reference To Africa

This paper is a follow-up on two earlier articles published in this journal which examined key geographical theories and their application to Zimbabwe, the first by Heath (1986) on central place theory and the second by Tevera (1986) on industrial location theory. In keeping with one of the objectives of the current Cambridge Higher School Certificate syllabus, the aim of this series of articles is to provide basic materials on spatial models of human behavior and to demonstrate their assumptions, processes, implications and limitations for use by geography teachers preparing their pupils for the A-level examination. This paper examines the principle features of von Thunen’s agricultural land use model and its application in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Further references from both developed and developing countries are provided for those who wish to establish a collection of empirical case studies.

A GEM article.