APHG Unit 5

agriculture

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

Cold Mid-Latitude

climate found in northern US, southern Canada, Eastern Europe' suitable for growing wheat and barley, raising livestock, dairy farming

Warm Mid-Latitude

climate found in southern US, southern China, India; suitable for growing vegetables, fruits, rice

Mediterranean

a climate marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters; found in California, Chile, South Africa, Italy, Greece; suitable for growing grapes, olives, dates

Grasslands Climate

semiarid (dry, but not as dry as deserts) climate suitable for grazing; found in western US, North Africa, Mongolia

sub-tropical

climate characterized by moderate to heavy rainfall and warm temperatures year-round; found in Southeast Asia, India, parts of Central America; suitable for growing rice, tobacco, cottton

tropical

climate characterized by heavy rainfall and warm to hot temperatures near the equator; found in Central Africa, Indonesia, Caribbean; suitable for growing sugar, coffee, tea, cacao, pineapple

human modifications for agriculture

clearing land, terracing, artificial lights, irrigation, fertilizers, greenhouses

possibilism

Theory that physical environment may limit some human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to their environment.

irrigation

The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

Draining wetlands

Some areas are too moist to be productive agricultural lands. To convert them into arable lands, the water is drained away and the land is bulldozed into flat plains for agriculture.

Terracing

creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface, which reduces soil runoff from the slope.

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.intensive agriculture

intensive agriculture

agriculture where lots of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land

Intensive Commercial Agriculture

yields a large amount of output per acre through concentrated application of labor and/or capital usually to small holdings (includes market gardening and plantation agriculture)

market gardening

production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants (a type of intensive commercial agriculture)

plantation agriculture

Growing specialized crops such as bananas, coffee, and cacao in tropical developing countries, primarily for sale to developed countries (a type of intensive commercial agriculture)

mixed crop and livestock

farmers grow crops to fatten livestock for slaughter (corn and soybeans fed to cattle or pigs). A type of intensive commercial agriculture.

intensive subsistence agriculture

A form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land.

Extensive Agriculture

agriculture where crops and/or animals are found on large areas of land with less effort put in by farmers

Extensive Commercial Agriculture

Commercial farming using large areas of land and relatively small amount of labor

Ranching

A form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over an extensive area.

extensive subsistence agriculture

Using a large amount of land to farm food for the farmer's family to eat. (such as pastoral nomadism and shifting cultivation)

Pastoral Nomadism

form of agriculture based on herding domesticated animals (type of extensive subsistence agriculture)

shifting cultivation/slash and burn

A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field to another; each field is used for crops for relatively few years and left fallow for a relatively long period - fields are cleared by cutting down the vegetation and burning the debris as fertilizer (a type of extensive subsistence agriculture)

agricultural hearth

where agriculture first developed and spread.

Fertile Crescent

early hearth of wheat, barley, rye, oats, and olives located in the Eastern Mediterranean / Middle East

agricultural diffusion through trade

the movement of crops to new regions over trade routes (an example of contagious diffusion)

Silk Road

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire.

Indian Ocean Trade Route

A sea route of trade that connected India, China, the Middle East, and Eastern Africa.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

agricultural diffusion

The spread of agricultural practices, crops, and livestock from one region to another, significantly impacting societies and economies.

Green revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers, in the 1950s and 1960s

settlement patterns

distribution of homes, farms, villages, towns, and cities in an area

linear settlement

a pattern of settlements in which homes and other buildings follow the lines taken by the road

clustered settlement

A pattern in which houses and other buildings are laid out closely together.

dispersed settlement

Settlements characterized by widespread farms, relatively isolated from neighbors.

rural survey methods

different ways that the farmland was divided up in different areas, leaving behind specific patterns

Metes and Bounds

A system of land surveying that uses natural landmarks and descriptions to define property boundaries.

Long Lot

A farm or other property consisting of a long, narrow strip of land extending back from a river or road.

Township and Range

rigid grid-like pattern used to facilitate the dispersal of settlers evenly across farmlands

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.

carrying capacity

advances in agriculture have increased the ability for more humans to survive on the same amount of land - this increased the __________

commodity chain

A chain of activities from the manufacturing to the distribution of a product

Agricultural Density

The ratio of the number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture

Physiological Density

the number of people per unit of area of arable land (land suitable for agriculture)

capital

money for investment

migrant labor

work performed by persons who move regularly, especially to plant and harvest crops

Von Thunen Model

a model explaining agricultural land use in relation to market distance and land rent.

dairy farming and market gardening

near the city in Von Thunen model

grain farming

further from the market in Von Thunen model

livestock/ranching

farthest from the market in Von Thunen model

bid rent

geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate lowers as the distance from the city center increases.

factors that have changed the Von Thunen model

refrigeration, improved transportation, industrial processing and preservation of food

Dairy farming/market gardening

what is closest to the market in the von thunen model

Forest

what is closer to the market in the von thunen model

truck farming

A commercial gardening and fruit farming practice that is typically intensive and relies on trucks to transport produce to markets.

container shipping

a system of packing and tracking goods that has made it easier to combine water transportation with land transportation

LDC

A country that is at a relatively early stage in the process of economic development; a.k.a. a poorer country - earlier stage of DTM

MDC

A country that has progressed relatively far along a continuum of development. a.k.a a richer country - later stage of DTM

export commodities

goods or services sold to a foreign country

global supply chain

Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer

fair trade movement

an alternative method of international trade which promotes environmentalism, fair wages, alleviation of global poverty and a fair price for growers

infrastructure

Fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or area, as transportation and communication systems, power plants, and schools

female employment in agriculture

Usually this percent is higher in less developed countries. A low percentage is an indicator of economic development - women

undernourishment

food consumption that is continuously below the minimum requirement for maintaining a healthy life

food desert

An area characterized by a lack of affordable, fresh and nutritious food.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A system in which consumers pay farmers in advance for a share of their yield, usually in the form of weekly deliveries of produce.

organic farming

the use of natural substances rather than chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enrich the soil and grow crops

Specialty Crops

high-value crops like berries, organic fruits, organic vegetables that may be produced in small amounts but generate decent profits

food insecurity

the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food

urban farming

The practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around a town, or city.

Second Agricultural Revolution

improvements in agriculture techniques during the Industrial Revolution that improved agricultural output and enabled increased life expectancy

Industrial Revolution

A series of improvements in industrial technology staring in the late 1700s that transformed the process of manufacturing goods.

Steel Plow

an improved tool for digging up the ground for planting

agricultural productivity

The rate at which crops are produced

grain elevator

tall buildings equipped with machinery for loading, cleaning, mixing, and storing grain

urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

hybridization

Breeding technique that involves crossing different plant strains to bring together the best traits of both

GMO

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

High Yield Plants

plant varieties that have been bred or genetically modified to produce extremely high amounts of crops

advantages of hybridization

resistance to insects, shorter growing seasons, higher yields

double cropping

Harvesting twice a year from the same field.

multi-cropping

growing two or more crops in the same space during a single growing season

capital intensive farming

Farm that makes heavy use of machinery in the farming process.

soil depletion

the loss of soil fertility caused by removal of minerals by continuous cropping

soil erosion

the movement of the top layer of soil due to wind, water, or human activity.

algae bloom

a rapid growth of algae in a lake or pond. due to over abundance of food that is used quickly.

marginalize

to put or keep (someone) in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group

Commercial Agriculture

the production of food primarily for sale off the farm

Monoculture/monocroppping

farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year

subsistence agriculture

Agriculture designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmer and the farmer's family

arable land

land suitable for growing crops

desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes increasingly arid and unproductive, often as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

terrace farming

a farming practice that involves constructing stepped levels on sloped land to prevent erosion and manage water.