Unit 5 Human Geography Vocab

agribusiness

commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in food-processing industry. usually large corporations

agriculture

modify portion earth through cultivation of crops + raising of livestock for economic gain

cereal grain

grass yielding grain for food

chaff

husks of grain separated from the seed by threshing

combine

machine that reaps, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field

commercial agriculture

agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off farm

crop

grain of fruit gathered from a field as a harvest during a particular season

crop rotation

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

desertification

degradation of land

double crossing

harvesting twice a year from the same field

grain

seed of cereal grass

green revolution

rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology

horticulture

growing of fruit, vegetables, or flowers

hull

outer covering of seed

intensive subsistence agriculture

farmers must expend a large amount of effort to produce max feasible yield from parcel land

milkshed

area surrounding a city from which milk is supplied

winnow

remove chaff by allowing it to be blown away by wind

winter wheat

wheat planted in the fall and harvested in early summer

vegetation planting

reproduction of plants by direct cloning from existing plants

wet rice

farming method that involves cultivating rice in flooded fields

paddy

malay word for wet rice, commonly but incorrectly used to describe a sawah

pasboral nomadism

form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domestic animals

pasture

grass or other plants grown for feeding grazing animals, as well as land used for grazing

plantation

large farm that specializes in one or two crops for sale

prime agriculture land

most productive farmland

ranching

commercial agriculture, livestock graze over an extensive area

reaper

machine that cuts grain standings in field

ridge tillage

planting crops on ridge tops, to reduce production costs + promote greater soil conservation

sawah

a flooded field for growing rice

seed agriculture

reproduction of plants through arrival introduction of seeds, result from sexual fertilization

slash + burn agriculture

farming method where vegetation is cut down and burned to clear land

shifting cultivation

farming method where farmers cut and burn vegetation, and then cultivate crops on the ash

spring wheat

cereal grain planted in early spring and harvested in late summer

subsistence agriculture

farming to produce just enough food for the farmers family and local community with little surplus for sale

sustainable agriculture

a farming approach meeting current food needs without harming future generations

swidden

a patch of land cleared for planting through slashing and burning

thresh

beat out grain from stalks by tramping it

transhumance

seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures