Ap Hug Vocab Unit 5.6-5.9

Subsistence agriculture

Farming in which production is primarily for the farmer’s household or local community rather than for sale in distant markets

Commercial agriculture

Farming in which production is primarily for sale in regional, national, or global markets, often tied to larger-scale production systems

Bid-rent theory

A model explaining how land users are willing to pay different amounts for land based on accessibility; in agriculture, land costs help shape intensive vs. extensive practices

Commodity chains

Links connecting agricultural production to consumption through steps like processing, transporting, and selling (often across long distances)

Economies of scale

Cost advantages that occur when production becomes larger, often because technology allows farms to produce more at a lower per-unit cost

Von Thünen model

A model of rural land use that explains agricultural patterns by emphasizing how distance to market and transportation costs influence what farmers produce and where

Concentric rings (in the von Thünen model)

The idea that different agricultural activities form rings around a market based on transport costs and land value (though real patterns may not perfectly match)