Studied by 686 people
Fertile Crescent
the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia where agriculture first began.
First Agricultural Revolution
the change from hunter-gathering to living in permanent settlements that relied on planting and sustaining crops
Cereal crops
grains like wheat, rice and corn that have high yields (many grains per plant)
Domestication
the process of adapting plants and animals for human use
Hearth
where something begins, area of origin
Columbian Exchange
the exchange of biological organisms, mainly foods and diseases, between the Old World of Europe and Africa and the New World in the Americas
Second Agricultural Revolution
increased production of food as a result of changes in selective breeding and the application of new tools and mechanized labor
Selective breeding
The use of observation and experiments to naturally breed animals and plants for desirable traits.
Third Agricultural Revolution
the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on farms to allow commercial farmers to grow more food with less labor
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
an organism whose genetic material has been altered through genetic engineering by scientists in a laboratory
Green Revolution
the spread of Western style agricultural practices to the rest of the world
Commercial Agriculture
farming done for the purpose of selling products
Subsistence Agriculture
when farmers primarily produce food for their own family to eat
Pastoral nomadism
a form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers graze herds of grass eating animals, moving from one location to another.
Shifting cultivation/ slash and burn
where farmers cut down forests and burn the trees to provide nutrients to the soil
Intensive Subsistence, wet rice dominant
rice plants are grown in nurseries and then transplanted to flooded rice paddies, most of the work is done by people
Intensive Subsistence
wet rice not dominant - farmers grow cereal crops using subsistence methods, mostly by people and animals
Plantations
growing cash crops in LDCs using a large labor force on farms mainly owned by corporations
Mixed Crop and livestock
a form of commercial agriculture where the focus is growing crops to feed livestock for sale at markets
Crop rotation
changing what crops are grown on a field each year to prevent the soil from using up its nutrients
Factory farms
large enclosures for feeding livestock with the goal of producing as many animals as fast as possible
Free range farming
livestock production where animals are allowed space to roam
Dairying
focused on the production of milk and cheese products
Commercial grain
wheat and other grain crops are grown for sale at market using large scale farming practices
Livestock ranching
animals are raised to be sold for their meat, typically on large grasslands
Mediterranean Agriculture/ horticulture
growing of fruits and vegetables that require warm wet winters and dry hot summers
Commercial Gardening
production of fruits and vegetables using modern machines and chemicals for sale in markets often far from farms
Market gardening
producing smaller amounts of fruits and vegetables closer to urban centers for sale in local markets.
Note 
Flashcard (266)