by
Agricultural
landscapes,
when
viewed
from
space,
reveal
distinct
patterns
shaped
by
historical
practices,
local
geography,
and
technological
influences. These
visible
patterns
range
from
precise
geometric
designs
to
complex
mosaics.
Germany’s
Random
Agricultural
Field
Pattern
Germany’s
irregular
agricultural
pattern
is
a
legacy
from
the
Middle
Ages.
Fields
of
varying
sizes
can
be
seen
with
villages
and
towns
interspersed.
The
landscape
of
Germany
inspired
geographer
Johann
Heinrich
von
to
create
the
first
geographical
models
related
to
agricultural
land
use.
agricultural
fields
in
Germany.
Satellite
image:
NASA,
public
domain.
Minnesota’s
Grid
Agricultural
Pattern
These
agricultural
fields
in
Minnesota
are
shaped
in
regular
rectangular
grids.
The
very
regular
grid
layout
in
Minnesota
follows
early
nineteenth-century
surveying
where
the
size
of
the
fields
was
based
on
the
requirement
that
they
be
large
enough
area
to
make
machinery
use
efficient.
Dirt
roads
separate
each
field.
fields
in
Minnesota.
Image:
NASA,
public
domain.
Narrow-strip
farming
in
Poland
Satellite
imagery
taken
over
Sułoszowa,
near
Kraków,
Poland,
shows
distinctive
narrow-strip
farming
patterns.
Known
as
strip
farming
or
“long-lot
agriculture,”
this
method
originated
in
medieval
Europe
to
ensure
each
farmer
had
equitable
access
to
essential
resources
like
roads
or
waterways.
These
elongated,
thin
strips
create
a
recognizable
visual
pattern
of
parallel
agricultural
plots
that
persist
today.
These
historical
land
divisions
remain
a
prominent
feature
of
the
rural
landscape
as
these
plots
have
been
passed
down
from
generation
to
generation.
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fields
near
Sułoszowa,
Poland.
Image:
Landsat
9,
August
13,
2024,
NASA,
public
domain.
Crop
Circles
in
Egypt
This
view
of
circular
farming
patterns
in
Sharq
El
Owainat,
southwest
Egypt,
was
taken
by
an
astronaut
onboard
the
International
Space
Station.
The
crop
circles
are
the
result
of
center-pivot
irrigation.
With
center-pivot
irrigation,
water
is
extracted
from
a
well
and
fed
into
the
system
via
a
tube
coupled
to
metal
frames.
The
metal
frames
are
mounted
on
wheels,
and
electric
motors
propel
them
in
a
circle
and spraying
water
as
they
go.
The
Sahara
Desert’s
distant
agricultural
outpost
is
around
290
kilometers
(180
miles)
from
the
nearest
city
and
210
kilometers
(130
miles)
from
the
Toshka
lakes.
circles
as
seen
from
space
in
Sharq
El
Owainat,
Egypt.
Image:
NASA.
These
crop
circles
are
able
to
exists
thanks
to
the
Nubian
Sandstone
Aquifer
System
found
buried
beneath
the
sand.
For
Egyptians
who
live
outside
of
the
reaches
of
the
Nile
River,
the
aquifer
is
their
only
supply
of
water.
Land
in
parts
of
Egypt
outside
the
region
of
the
Nile
Delta
are
considered
“hyper-arid”
–
with
an
average
yearly
precipitation
of
0
millimeters,
more
than
95%
of
Egypt
is
inhospitable
desert.
Center
Pivot
Farming
in
Kansas
The
practice
of
center
pivot
agriculture
can
also
be
seen
in
this
satellite
image
of
Kansas.
pivot
agriculture
in
Kansas.
Satellite
image
from
NASA,
public
domain.
Radiating
Agricultural
Fields
In
this
planned
community
near
Santa
Cruz
in
Bolivia,
agricultural
fields
radiate
out
from
small
communities
among
the
rainforest.
radiate
out
from
small
communities
in
Bolivia.
Image:
NASA,
public
domain.
Taking
Pictures
of
Agricultural
Patterns
from
the
International
Space
Station
Astronauts
living
in
the
International
Space
Station
are
part
of
an
important
effort
to
document
irrigation
methods
around
the
world
and
find
out
how
effective
they
are.
Astronauts
provided
high
definition
photographs
of
a
region
of
Libya
near
to
a
town
called
Al
Jawf.
The
region
is
highly
isolated;
you
would
have
to
go
more
than
560
miles
to
get
to
the
nearest
major
city.
Agriculture
in
this
region
is,
therefore,
highly
essential
to
the
people
and
animals
living
in
Al
Jawf.
image
of
a
variety
of
agricultural
patterns
near
an
oasis
in
eastern
Libya
was
taken
by
astronauts
onboard
the
International
Space
Station
using
a
1150
mm
lens.
The
photo
captures
different
agricultural
patterns
in
the
desert,
each
of
which
represents
a
unique
irrigation
method.
The
honeycombed
center
is
the
remnants
of
the
first
planned
agricultural
efforts
in
the
1970s,
while
the
larger
circles
were
later
dug
as
a
pivot
irrigation
system
designed
to
conserve
as
much
water
as
possible.
Another
smaller
grid
irrigation
system
is
also
visible
as
an
older
but
still
viable
method
of
irrigating
crops. (Related:
What
are
Qanats?)
A
nearby
oasis
gives
the
residents
of
Al
Jawf
a
break
from
the
desert,
all
thanks
to
the
largest
known
fossil
water
aquifer
in
the
world.
This
aquifer
is
known
as
the
Nubian
Sandstone
Aquifer.
This
underground
water
source
is
all
that
is
left
of
the
Sahara
Desert
when
it
was
a
lush,
green
jungle.
Unfortunately,
the
aquifer
is
a
non-renewable
resource,
as
the
region
around
Al
Jawf
only
gets
a
tenth
of
an
inch
of
rain
every
year.
Despite
the
water
shortage,
the
residents
of
Al
Jawf
are
doing
all
they
can
to
conserve
as
much
water
as
possible.
References
Hansen, K.
(2017,
March
11). Cultivating
Egypt’s
desert.
NASA
Earth
Observatory. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/89820/cultivating-egypts-desert
Hollier, A.,
&
Wilkinson, J.
(2017,
January
2). Al
Jawf,
eastern
Libya.
NASA
Earth
Observatory. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/89341/al-jawf-eastern-libya
Hollier, A.
(2017,
September
18). Crop
circles
in
Sharq
el
Owainat.
NASA
Earth
Observatory. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/90937/crop-circles-in-sharq-el-owainat
This
article
was
originally
written
on
November
2,
2017
and
has
since
been
updated.
Go to Source
Author: Elizabeth Borneman
