APHUG Unit 5 review

Agriculture

Influenced by the physical environment.

Space (for plants)

Plants need suitable room to grow or they will have to compete for resources with other plants.

Light (for plants)

Plants need sufficient light to perform photosynthesis.

Water (for plants)

Plants need water to help absorb nutrients.

Nutrients (for plants)

Plants need nutrients for nourishment (phosphate or nitrogen).

Suitable temperature (for plants)

Plants need a temperature suitable for growth.

Cold mid-latitude crops

Examples include wheat, barley, livestock, dairy, and cows, found in north central USA, southern Canada, and eastern Europe.

Warm mid-latitude crops

Examples include vegetables, fruits, and rice, found in southern China and southern USA.

Mediterranean crops

Examples include grapes, olives, and dates, found in California, Chile, and the Mediterranean Sea area.

Grasslands/continental steppe crops

Examples include cattle ranching, sheep, goats, horses, and camels, found in northern Africa, western USA, and Mongolia.

Subtropical crops

Examples include rice, cotton, and tobacco, found in Indonesia and the West Indies.

Tropical crops

Examples include coffee, sugar, tea, cacao, and pineapple, found in equatorial Africa and Indonesia.

Human modifications in agriculture

Include clearing land for more space, providing artificial grow lights, irrigating crops, using fertilizers, and maintaining suitable temperatures in greenhouses.

Environmental possibilism

Modifications made by humans to supplement plant needs.

Intensive agricultural systems

Require large amounts of labor and capital, use small plots of land near large populations, and are characterized by high yields per acre.

Extensive agricultural systems

Low capital and labor inputs, large plots of land away from population centers, and low yields per acre.

Plantation agriculture

Labor-intensive agriculture system that exploits cheap labor in former colonies, raising cash crops like coffee, cacao, and sugar.

Mixed crop and livestock

Labor-intensive system where farmers grow crops to fatten livestock for slaughter.

Market gardening

Farms that specialize in fresh fruits and vegetables transported to markets.

Shifting cultivation

Farmers in tropics control a large area and clear only part of it at a time to farm.

Nomadic herding

Nomadic herders graze cattle, sheep, goats, and more in arid and semi-arid climates.

Ranching

Ranchers own large areas for grazing cattle and sheep to sell on the markets.

Clustered settlement

Homes are near one another, creating a sense of community and shared resources.

Dispersed settlement

Buildings spread out, with less community connection but access to resources.

Linear settlement

Houses built along transportation systems like roads or rivers.

Metes and bounds

Survey method primarily used in England based on short distances and landmarks.

Long lot

Survey method seen in France based on relationship to rivers.

Township and range

Survey method in North America using grid systems.

Agricultural hearths

Different areas around the world where agriculture developed.

Fertile Crescent crops

Wheat, rye, oats, barley, and olives were first domesticated here.

Southeast Asia crops

Taro, mango, and coconut were first domesticated here.

East Asia crops

Rice and soybeans were first domesticated here.

Central America crops

Maize, potato, squash, and peppers were first domesticated here.

Sub-Saharan Africa crops

Yams, sorghum, and coffee were first domesticated here.

Columbian exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world.

Green Revolution

Diffused modern agricultural farming methods to developing countries after the mid-20th century.

Hybridization

The process of breeding plants to have superior characteristics.

Double cropping

The growing of two crops per growing season to double the harvest.

Chemical fertilizers

Increase crop yields but can pollute water and soils.

Sustainable agriculture

Meets present agricultural needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.

Food deserts

Geographic areas where access to affordable, healthy food options is limited.

Monocropping

The practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land.

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry.

Bid-rent Theory

The further you move away from town, the cheaper the land gets.

Commodity chains

A linked system of processes that gather resources, convert them into goods, package them for distribution, and sell them on the market.

Environmental impacts of agriculture

Includes pollution, soil salinization, and deforestation.

Urban farming

Urban households raise crops and small animals to alleviate food insecurity.

Community supported agriculture

Farmers sell shares of their crops to local consumers who contract to buy the products throughout the year.

Fair trade movements

Bypasses traditional multinational corporations and contracts directly with farmers.

wildfires in the western US

events affecting grapes

derecho winds in Iowa

events affecting corn and soybeans

late freeze in Colorado

events affecting peaches

hurricane in Texas

events affecting cotton

drought in Colorado

events affecting wheat

farmland lost to urban growth

expanding cities often take prime agricultural land

suburban sprawl

takes over farms near the city

farmland lost between 1992 and 2012

America lost 31,000,000 acres to development

urbanization in Africa and Asia

will result in large decreases in agricultural output

wheat crop loss in Africa by 2030

Africa could lose up to 26% of its wheat crop

rice output loss in Asia by 2030

Asia could lose 9% of its rice output

percentage of women employed in agriculture in the US

1%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in Brazil

4%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in Paraguay

14%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in China

22%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in Indonesia

26%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in The Gambia

32%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in India

54%

percentage of women employed in agriculture in Pakistan

64%

agriculture

the deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for subsistence or economic gain

agrarian

the land and its ownership and cultivation

aquaculture

the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants

sustainability

a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged

crop

a plant cultivated by people

primogeniture

where all land owned by the father is passed to the eldest son

animal domestication

altering the behaviors, size and genetics of animals to benefit humans

nomadic herding

the wandering, but controlled movement of livestock, solely dependent on natural forage

second agricultural revolution

Began in W.

intensified agriculture

promoting higher yields per acre/per farmer

crop rotation

the practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil

truck farm

farms that produce high consumer demand products and either trucks them to market or to processing plants

feedlot

a plot of land on which livestock are fattened for market

Third Agricultural Revolution

began in mid 1950s; modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock and crops

biotechnology

the use of genetically altered crops and DNA manipulation in order to increase production

agribusiness

the system of agriculture found in developed countries

organic agriculture

crops that are grown without fertilizers and pesticides

debt-for-nature swap

developing countries have some of their foreign debt forgiven in exchange for enacting conservation measures

vegetative planting

the reproduction of plants by direct cloning from existing plants, such as cutting stems and dividing roots

seed agriculture

the reproduction of plants through annual planting of seeds; practiced by most farmers

subsistence agriculture

the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer's family; found in LDC's

commercial agriculture

farmers and ranchers sell all of their output for money and buy their families' food at stores

intensive agriculture

yields a large amount of output per acre through concentrated farming (uses a small amount of land)

extensive agriculture

yields a large amount of output per acre through less intensive farming (uses a large amount of land)

intensive subsistence agriculture

a form of subsistence agriculture where farmers expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum crop yield

extensive subsistence agriculture

a form of subsistence agriculture that involves large areas of land with minimal labor

plant domestication

altering the behaviors, size and genetics of plants to benefit humans

slash-and-burn

farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning the debris

swidden

an area cleared for farming using the slash and burn technique

shifting cultivation

a form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift crop activity from one field to another

Neolithic Revolution/First agricultural revolution

time period when society went from hunters and gathers to farming and domestication of animals, 10,000 BCE

pastoral nomadism

a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals (sheep, goats, cows, etc)