PE Exam 2

1. Know approximately how many times more resources middle class goods require to produce as opposed to basic or essential goods like food

6 times more

Be able to define carrying capacity

maximum amount an environment can support

Be able to define and differentiate between proven resources and projected resources

proven: amount of resources we know exist and are more economically feasible to extract

projected: amount that could become viable if they are proven to exist in amounts that are cost feasible or we develop technology to feasibly and economically exploit them.

Under the category of renewable resources, know examples of flow resources and  example of stock resources

flow: water and sunlight

stock: soil, vegetation and animals

Be able to explain how the renewal of renewable resources is not automatic

renewable resources can be damaged, depleted, or permanently reduced by human misuse

Be able to define maximum sustainable yield

yield that can maintain consistent future productivity

Be able to explain the concept known as The Tragedy of the Commons (preferably in the context of an example)

when public resources are ruined by the actions of individuals. Ex: grazing land; there will always be someone who will use the maximum amount of grazing land if someone else does not use it first

Be able to explain why an examination of only daily caloric intake is not sufficient when looking at human food consumption

Daily caloric intake masks the degree of malnutrition throughout the world. A daily intake is no measure of how they are eating on a weekly bases

Know which continent has NOT seen food production outpace population growth

africa

Be able to briefly explain how urbanization has contributed to the food problem (think about what rural-to-urban migration means in terms of agricultural production and demand)

During urbanization the food demand is increased. Those who can afford it will buy it, and since the demand is so high, the price of food will increase

Be able to explain some of the complications that arise during famine (especially in a capitalist system), particularly those that can be extremely disastrous for the poor

During a famine the cost of food will increase because the demand is so high. Aid and assistance will become increasingly harder to obtain as that is also in high demand

Be able to explain why price fixes for agricultural products rarely work as solutions to food problems

it reduces incentives for farmers to keep growing crops. There is no financial return for them

Be able to explain what the Green Revolution was, and some of the problems or flaws it had

The GR was an initiative to solve world hunger. By introducing grain seeds to breed. Theoretically, it was supposed to increase per acre yield, faster growth, resist pests and disease, and have a higher protein count. While the GR did increase the food supply, it required a lot of investment as there had to be updated technology, created unstable monocultures, and corporate farmers were the only ones that were benefitting

Be able to explain why we consume far more nonmetallic mineral resources than metallic ones

they are more abundant and widespread in nature

Be able to explain some of the issues with having to go to lower-grade ores for extraction of mineral resources

lower grade ores contain smaller percentages of the valuable mineral. More rock must be extracted and processed to obtain the same amount of metal

Know the four major problems associated with coal as a fuel source

pollution, leading to acid rain

dangerous to mine and environmentally devastating

bulkier and heavy to transport

not a good fuel source for transportation

Know some of the major issues or problems associated with nuclear energy

uranium is hard to mine. if there were to be an explosion or a spill, the habitat would become inhabitable for generations

Be able to generally describe the locational restrictions regarding geothermal power

has to be in locations that has enough surface heat. volcanic areas

Know some of the issues and controversies with wind power

needs constant wind and is extremely expensive to build

Know the energy source that accounts for 13-14% of global energy use, particularly in the developing world

Biomass; using arable land that could grow food but being used for fuel

Know the issues with air pollution at the local, regional, and global scales

local: a public health issue- smog pollution leading to respiratory issues

regional: acid rain contaminating water sources and killig natural life

global: climate change and warming

Know what the leading cause (generally speaking) of species endangerment and extinction is

habitat destruction

Be able to generally describe the difference between preservation and conservation

preservation is protection without use, conservation is protection with management

Know the two forms of agricultural settlement that the Europeans brought with them to the New World

farm family colonies and plantation colonies

Be able to generally explain how the percentage of a country’s workforce engaged in agriculture relates to that country’s level of development

in developing countries, new technology has not reached them yet. the agriculture work force is high. but as industrialization hits, new technology comes, the work force will decrease as the demand for human labor will deplete.

define land degradation

reduction of land capability

Be able to explain the general progression of Boserup’s Stage Model of Agriculture, especially the nature of cultivation and fallow at each stage; know the other changes that coincide with progression through the stages of this model

1- forest fallow. 1-3 years to cultivate and at least 20 years to fallow

2- bush fallow, 2-8 years to cultivate and 6-10 to fallow

3- short fallow. short time to cultivate and 1-2 to fallow

4- seasonal fallow

5- multicropping. more than one crop a year, and fallow of a few months or not at all

Know the major distinction between the peasant (preindustrial) systems of agriculture and the capitalist (commodified) systems of agriculture

peasant ag is more labor intensive

Know the 3 characteristics of regions where subsistence or preindustrial agriculture dominates

• workers were engaged in agriculture instead of manufacturing or services

• methods and practices are technologically primitive

  • produces harvest on the farm, and is primarily used for direct consumption

Know the regions of the world where shifting cultivation (slash-and-burn) agriculture dominates; be able to explain the nature of this type of agriculture

tropical regions such as the amazon basin and central Africa. using machetes and other tools to take down vegetation and extra stuff is burned

Be able to define swidden

plot of land that is used for slash and burn agriculture

Be able to provide the main reason why shifting cultivation is fading away

governments do not think that it is economically feasible

Know the MAIN reason why pastoral nomadism takes place in the particular areas of the world that it dominates

takes place in north africa and parts of asia because they live in drier climates . They also require stage one areas with lose political boundaries

Know the major modern complication for nomadic herders as they still attempt to practice traditional pastoral nomadism

political boundaries

Know the characteristics of intensive subsistence agriculture; know what crop is dominant for this type of agriculture

in stage 4 or 5 areas . rice is the dominant crop with large population clusters

Be able to define physiological density

people per unit of arable farm land

Know the two main reasons why subsistence agriculture yields have not risen much

at the mercy of the elements and a lack of modern technology

Know the term that we used to describe the “seeding to supermarket” model of production typical of commercial agriculture

vertical integration

Be able to explain the relationship between crops and livestock in terms of amount of land needed for each and the amount of profit generated by each on mixed farms

grow crops to feed livestock, and profits are made from livestock

know which two crops are most significant for U.S mixed farms

soybeans and corn

Be able to explain why most fluid-milk-producing dairy farms are located near major population clusters

perishability

Know which crop is the dominant one in global cash grain farming operations

wheat

Know the major climate factor influencing the development of cattle ranching in particular areas (same as pastoral nomadism above); know the action taken by farmers that resulted in stationary ranching

dry climates, farmers fenced off their land forcing ranchers to become stationary

Be able to define viticulture

wine agriculture

Know the major threat to Mediterranean agriculture operations, and why it is a major threat

More people occupying more land. people flock to that temperature, the government needs to create more room for them and not crops

Be able to briefly explain why many horticulture and fruit farming operations are so labor-intensive; know the foreign regions that provide this inexpensive migrant labor to U.S. horticulture/fruit farming regions

it is a year around harvest that brings goods to the market nearly every day. South American and Caribbean regions bring in migrants for labor

Be able to explain what we mean when we say demand for food products is price-inelastic

people will purchase food regardless of the cost

Be able to explain the concept of the technological treadmill

Process of profits rising and farmers investing in new technology to increase per acre yields of lower production

Be able to define parity price, price floor, and target pricing (all three are types of subsidies, so you should know the specific differences between these terms)

parity: prices that allow farmers to break even

target: government paying the difference between market price and target pricing set by the government

price floor: setting an artificial minimum market price

Be able to explain why it is unlikely that agricultural subsidies in the U.S. will ever be eliminated

agribusiness spends millions in lobbying to keep this in place

market cannot arrive at an equilibrium price through normal supply and demand

farmers incomes are artificially raised by subsidies

Know the general qualities of goods for which water transportation is still ideal

water transportation is good for heavy or bulky good. For things that are inexpensive and have a long shelf life

Be able to define agglomeration economies and explain them in the context of why factories concentrated in large cities like New York and Chicago

Production and consumption in the same geographic area. In proximity of suppliers and major markets. Raw material directly to a finished product is great for the market

Know the MAJOR reason why the textile industry was attracted to the American South; know what needed to be developed in the American South before the textile industry could begin relocating there

the south had cheaper labor because of right to work laws

Know what event kickstarted the process of deindustrialization in the developed countries

the first oil shock of 1970

Be able to list the four reasons why deindustrialization occurred in the developed world and explain briefly how each contributed to deindustrialization

cost of wages

changes in technology

failure to invest in research and development to stay competitive

Be able to describe the nature of Fordism by listing several of the aspects associated with that type of manufacturing, including knowing the nature of the vertical integration at some of Henry Ford’s automobile plants, specifically

mass production- specialized tasks, interchangeable parts and the assembly line

division of labor- repetitive tasks that are suitable for unskilled labor

vertical intergration

Be able to define economies of scale

the cost savings derived from producing goods in large volumes by spreading fixed costs over a higher quantity of output

Be able to identify the most important characteristic of the Post-Fordism manufacturing process

flexibility

Be able to explain just-in-time inventory systems/just-in-time manufacturing (Toyotaism)

organized immediate manufacturing and supply relationships among companies to reduce inefficiency and delivery times

In terms of the “make or buy” decision firms face, be able to explain which option Post-Fordist firms choose, and the MAIN reason why they choose that option

they chose to buy it. it pushed risks to subcontractors making parts rather than company manufacturing final product; reducing inefficiency and delivery times