Johann Heinrich von Thünen

Johann Heinrich von Thünen was a 19th-century German economist who developed a model to explain how different types of farming activities are organized around a city. He proposed that the location of agricultural production depends on the cost of transporting goods and their value. For example, high-value, perishable products like dairy are produced closer to the city, while less perishable crops like grains are farther away. His model helps us understand land use patterns based on transportation costs, farm profitability, and product characteristics, influencing economic and geographical studies of rural land organization.