Environmental Determinism

One of the first things most geography grad students learn is that the theory of environmental determinism had been thrown out years ago. Jared Diamond, author of Collapse and Guns, Germs, and Steel, brought this theory back, earning him popularity as a geographical author, but not within the field of geography. At least in my department, Jared Diamond is a bad word. Just for background information, environmental determinism is the theory that environmental, climatic, and geographical conditions affect people's behaviors and determine their culture. Environmental determinism leaves out social, political, and economic conditions that affect societies. While many geographers look at the relationship between people and the environment, that relationship is reiterative, not deterministic.

One of the questions I ask people about northeast rice production is the relationship between growing rice and the environment. Most of the responses I get are why the physical features of the environment and the climate in the northeast are advantageous for producing good rice. There is good soil here, the weather is cool at night and warm during the day, there is a lot of sunlight during the day in the growing season. Yes, these are all very true responses. Japonica rice responds well to these conditions. When I ask about the effects of rice production on the environment, the responses are that it uses a lot of land and water. True, water especially is a problem in the northeast.

Yet, what is missing from these responses is the role that social and economic conditions play in this relationship. For instance, much of the technology that Chinese use to grow quality rice here has come from the Japanese. While the climate and environment here are advantageous, scientists have spent years breeding seeds that work best in these conditions. Chinese government policies have established standards that farms must reach to ensure that the rice has been produced to meet the conditions which produce quality. There is a lot of man-made actions that go into producing high quality rice. The historical connections this area of China has with Japan have been advantageous for scientific collaboration and the establishment of Japanese joint-venture rice businesses.

I know that rice production is not the same as culture, so the equivalence between environmental determinism is not quite the same. However, there is a lot of similarities here. The Chinese are not exactly best friends with the Japanese. Twenty years ago, they welcomed their scientific expertise and economic aid. I am not suggesting that they are purposefully leaving the Japanese out of this story, but that this side of the story where quality rice grows in the natural conditions of the northeast is not complete. To say that the reason northeast rice is quality is a result of natural environmental and climatic factors leaves out the complex role that international politics and economy have played in making this quality rice. This also leaves out the role of marketing this rice plays in convincing consumers that it is quality (that story will come later).