AP Human Unit 5 Vocab

Intensive Farming

focuses on investing a lot of resources and labor into small tracts of land in order to increase yield

Extensive Farming

an agricultural production system that uses small inputs of labor, fertilizers, and capital, relative to the land area being farmed

Market Gardening

the commercial production of vegetables, fruits, flowers and other plants on a large scale

Plantation Agriculture

flat land for large-scale commercial growing of one particular crop

Mixed Crop/Livestock

agricultural systems that involve the production of both crops and livestock on the same piece of land

Shifting Cultivation

a type of agriculture that involves clearing a small area of land, planting crops for a few years, and then moving on to a new plot of land when the soil fertility declines

Nomadic Herding

herders that roam in small tribal or extended family groups and have no home base

Clustered Settlement

a type of rural settlement in which homes and other structures are concentrated in a specific area

Dispersed Settlement

a rural settlement characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages

Linear Settlement

a type of rural settlement in which homes and other structures are arranged in a long, narrow configuration along a transportation corridor, such as a river, a road, or a rail line

Metes and Bounds

this system uses physical features of local geography along with directions and distances to define and describe boundaries of land parcels

Township and Range

a rectangular land division scheme designed by Thomas Jefferson to disperse settlers evenly across farmlands of the U.S. interior

Long Lot System

land is divided into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals and is found in the Canadian Maritimes, parts of Quebec, Louisiana, and Texas

Second Agricultural Revolution

it involved the mechanization of agricultural production, advances in transportation, development of large-scale irrigation, and changes to consumption patterns of agricultural goods

Crop Rotation

the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure

Selective Breeding

choosing parents with particular characteristics to breed together and produce offspring with more desirable characteristics

Industrialization

the development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale

Green Revolution

the increase in agricultural production that has been made possible by the use of new types of crops and new farming methods, especially in developing countries

High-Yield

a farming approach that results in consistent, significantly higher yielding crops

Subsistence Agriculture

form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer's family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade

Commercial Agriculture

when food is produced for sale

Monocropping

the agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land, in the absence of rotation through other crops

Bid-Rent Theory

a geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases

Von Thunen Model

a predictive theory that predicts humans will use land in relation to the cost of land and the cost of transporting products to market

Microloans

a small sum of money lent at low interest to new businesses

Agribusiness

economic activities derived from or connected to farm products

Pollution

the introduction of harmful materials into the environment

Desertification

land degradation in typically dry areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities

Soil Salinization

the accumulation of salts within soil layers above a certain level that adversely affects crop production, environmental health and economic welfare

Slash and Burn Agriculture

a widely used method of growing food in which wild or forested land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation burned

Terrace Farming

an agricultural practice farmers employ on steep slopes, hilly areas and higher altitudes; land farmed in layers

Irrigation

the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays

Deforestation

the action of clearing a wide area of trees for lumber, grazing, extraction or development

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

a plant, animal or microbe in which one or more changes have been made to the genome, typically using high-tech genetic engineering, in an attempt to alter the characteristics of an organism

Aquaculture

breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants

Fertilizer

a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility

Pesticide

a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals

Urban Farming

the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas

Food Insecurity/Desert

low-income tracts in which a substantial number or proportion of the population has low access to supermarkets or large grocery stores

Complementarity

the actual or potential relationship between two places, usually referring to economic interactions

Comparative Advantage

an economic concept related to Free Trade that says a country should specialize in certain products for export when they hold an advantage in producing those products, and import other products in which they do not have an advantage as compared to other countries

Free Trade Agreement

allow for goods from foreign countries to be imported without a tariff, that is, without being taxed for the sake of being foreign goods

World Trade Organization (WTO)

a supranational organization that creates policies on global trading

Mercosur

a regional integration process, initially established by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and subsequently joined by Venezuela and Bolivia

OPEC

an intergovernmental organization of 13 oil-producing countries that aims to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member states

NAFTA/USMCA

a free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico

Rostow's Stages of Economic Growth

Traditional Society; Transitional Phase; Takeoff; Drive to Maturity; High Mass Consumption

Wallerstein's World Systems Theory

the world economic system is divided into a hierarchy of three types of countries: core, semi-periphery, and periphery

Human Development Index (HDI)

common statistic used to measure an area's development; is determined by measuring the average life expectancy, amount of education, and per capita income of a country