Unit 5: Agricultural and Rural Land Use Patterns and Processes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms from Unit 5 on Agricultural and Rural Land Use Patterns and Processes.

Aquaculture

A type of agriculture that harvests aquatic organisms, crucial for meeting food demand but can lead to overfishing.

Bid-rent theory

The principle that rent decreases as distance from a city increases, influencing agricultural location.

Biotechnology

The use of living organisms to enhance products, significantly improving agriculture and crop yields.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and populations between the Old World and the New World post-Columbus.

Commercial agriculture

Agriculture aimed at producing crops for sale, prominent in developed countries.

Community-supported agriculture

A model where consumers invest in local farms, receiving shares of crops in return.

Complex commodity chains

The various processes involved in transforming raw materials into finished products.

Deforestation

The large-scale removal of trees to clear land for agriculture or development.

Desertification

The process where fertile land becomes dessert-like due to factors like climate change and poor agriculture.

Dietary shifts

Changes in food consumption patterns influenced by factors such as urbanization and globalization.

Draining wetlands

The removal of water from wetlands for agriculture, resulting in ecological impacts.

Extensive farming

Agricultural practice using large plots of land with low labor input.

Fair Trade

A movement ensuring fair wages and working conditions for producers in developing countries.

Fertile Crescent

A region in the Middle East known for its rich soil and early agricultural innovations.

Food deserts

Areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, often in low-income regions.

Food insecurity

The lack of access to sufficient food due to poverty, social inequality, and other factors.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Organisms whose genetic material has been altered to enhance food production and resistance.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural transformation featuring new technologies and practices to increase crop yields.

Hearths of domestication

Geographical points where specific crops or animals were first cultivated or domesticated.

High-yield seeds

Genetically modified seeds designed to increase agricultural production.

Intensive farming

Agricultural practice focusing on high yields per small area using significant labor and inputs.

Local food movements

Efforts promoting consumption of food grown close to its source to support local economies.

Long Lot

A land division system used by colonial French, organizing land into narrow strips.

Market gardening

Growing fruits and vegetables on small plots for sale in nearby markets.

Mechanized farming

Agriculture using machinery to replace human labor, increasing efficiency.

Mediterranean climate

Characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, favorable for certain crops.

Mixed crop/livestock systems

Farming approach that combines crops and livestock for mutual benefit and sustainability.

Neolithic Revolution

The transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture and permanent settlements around 10,000 years ago.

Organic farming

Agricultural method avoiding synthetic inputs, focusing on natural growth processes.

Pastoral nomadism

Subsistence agriculture relying heavily on livestock and migration for pasture.

Plantation agriculture

Commercial farming of a single cash crop on large estates, usually in tropical regions.

Ranching

Agriculture that raises livestock extensively on large areas of land for food production.

Rural settlement patterns

The arrangement of society and land use in rural environments.

Rural survey methods

Techniques for demarcating land ownership, including township and range and metes and bounds.

Second Agricultural Revolution

An increase in agricultural productivity and efficiency marked by new technologies and practices.

Shifting cultivation

A farming method involving rotating between different plots for sustainable soil fertility.

Slash and burn

An agriculture practice of cutting and burning land for temporary farming use.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming primarily for personal consumption with little or no surplus for sale.

Terrace farming

Creating step-like fields on slopes to grow crops, preventing soil erosion.

Urban farming

Growing, processing, and selling food in urban environments, often using small spaces.

Value-added specialty crops

Crops that undergo processing to enhance economic value.

Von Thünen Model

An economic model that explains land use patterns in relation to city centers.