why are farmers today not as tightly bound by geography and climate as they were in the past

Improved irrigation, seeds and fertilizers.

Farmers today are not as tightly bound by geography and climate as they were in the past due to several factors:

1. Advancements in technology: Modern farmers have access to advanced agricultural technologies that can mitigate the impact of adverse weather conditions and challenging geography. For example, greenhouses, hydroponics, and vertical farming techniques allow crops to be grown in controlled environments regardless of the external climate or limited arable land.

2. Improved transportation and logistics: The development of transportation infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and refrigerated trucks, enables farmers to transport their produce efficiently over long distances. This has reduced the dependency on local markets and opened up opportunities to reach consumers in distant regions, increasing market access for farmers.

3. Global trade and market integration: With the expansion of trade networks and globalization, farmers today can sell their products to markets around the world. This means that they are no longer solely dependent on local demand or constrained by regional climate and geography. Farmers can now adapt their practices to focus on crops that have higher demand in other regions or take advantage of favorable exchange rates to export their products.

4. Access to information and knowledge: The internet and advances in communication technology have made it easier for farmers to access information and share knowledge globally. This allows them to learn about new farming practices, cutting-edge techniques, and climate-smart agriculture from other parts of the world. Farmers can now adapt and implement these techniques in their own regions, making them less dependent on traditional methods and local conditions.

Overall, these factors have contributed to the decreasing geographical and climatic constraints on modern farmers, giving them more flexibility in terms of where and how they can practice agriculture.