Unit 5 Gradesavers

Mediterranean Climate

has hot, dry summers, and cool, wet winters

Tropical Climate

areas that are warm year-round, humid, and have heavy precipitation

Intensive Agriculture

type of agriculture where farmers use large amounts of inputs to maximize yields

Market Gardening

when fruits or vegetables are grown near an urban market and sold to local suppliers, stores, and restaurants.

Plantation Agriculture

the production of one crop in a large commercial farm

Mixed Crop/Livestock System

an intensive commercial integrated system that demonstrates an interdependence between crops and animals

Extensive Agriculture

type of agriculture where farmers use a small amount of inputs, resulting in less yields

Shifting Cultivation/Swidden Agriculture

type of subsistent extensive farming where farmers grow crops on a piece of a land for a year or two, and when the soil loses fertility, they move to another field

Nomadic Herding

when livestock are herded to seek for fresh pastures to graze on

Ranching

the commercial grazing of animals confined to a specific area

Transhumance

the seasonal herding of animals from higher elevations in the summer to lower elevations and valleys in the winter

Rural Settlement Pattern

the way in which people live and build communities in rural areas, away from the influence of urban areas

Clustered Settlement Pattern

groups of homes that are in close proximity to each other, with fields and pastures around their settlements

Dispersed Settlement Pattern

patterns in which people live in homes spread out throughout an area of land

Linear Settlement Pattern

when buildings and human activities are organized close to a body of water or along a transportation route

Rural Survey Method

different systems used to organize rural areas such as metes and bounds

Metes and Bounds

system used to describe plot boundaries using physical geography features along with distances and direction

Township and Range

system that creates rectangular plots of consistent size

Long Lot

system in which farms are long, with thin sections of land that run perpendicular to a body of water or road

Domestication

the cultivation of plants and animals in order to be used as a resource

Fertile Crescent

the first major hearth of agriculture, located in SW Asia

Indus River Valley

3rd major hearth of agriculture, located in South Asia

Southeast Asia

2nd major hearth of agriculture, with crops such as mangos, taros, and coconuts

Central America

5th major hearth of agriculture with crops such as maize (corn), squash, and peppers

Columbian Exchange

global movement of plants and animals between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas

First Agricultural Revolution

the transition from hunting and gathering to planting and sustaining

Second Agricultural Revolution

started in 1750 in Great Britain; used the advances of the Industrial Revolution to increase food supplies and support population growth

Enclosure Acts

series of laws enacted by the British Government that enabled landowners to purchase and enclose land for their own use

Crop Rotation

technique of planting different crops in a specific sequence on the same plot of land to restore nutrients back into the soil

Green Revolution

the advances in plant biology of the mid 20th century

High-Yield Seed

crops that produce more food because they’re genetically modified to do so

Hybridization

process of breeding two plants that have desirable characteristics into one seed

Mechanized Farming

farming techniques that rely on machines instead of labor to more efficiently produce crops

Capital Intensive Agriculture

uses expensive machinery and other inputs to produce large amounts of agricultural goods

Labor Intensive Agriculture

uses a lot of force by farmers and workers to produce large amounts of agricultural goods

Subsistence Agriculture

form of agriculture where the primarily goal is to feed the farmer and their family

Commercial Agriculture

form of agriculture where the crops produced are used for trade or to sell

Monocropping/Monoculture

when only one crop or one animal is raised on a piece of land

Bid-Rent Theory

refers to how the price and demand for real estate changes as the distance towards the Central Business District increases.

Feedlots (CAFOS)

confined spaces in which livestock have limited movement, raising them on hormones and hearty grains to prepare them for slaughter at a much faster rate

Agribusiness

large-scale system that includes the production, processing, and distribution, financial funding and research of agricultural products and equipment

Transnational Corporations

companies that conduct research, operate factories, and sell products in many countries.

Vertical Integration

occurs when a company controls more than one stage of the production process

Commodity Chain

process used by corporations to gather resources, transform them into goods, and then transport them to consumers

Carrying Capacity

the ability to sustain a certain amount of people

Cool Chains

transportation networks that keep food cool throughout a trip

Von Thünen’s Model

hypothesizes that perishability of the product and transportation costs to the market each factor into a farmer’s decisions regarding agricultural practices

Horticulture

type of agriculture that includes market gardening/truck farming and dairy farming

Comparative Advantage

areas having naturally occuring beneficial conditions such as better climate and soil

Global Supply Chain

a system of organizations, people, technology, activity, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from a supplier to a customer

Luxury Crops

crops that aren’t essential to human survival but have a high profit margin

Export Commodity

a good or service produced in the home country and sold to another

Subsidies

financial support provided by a government that supports a business or market

Pollution

introduction of harmful materials into the environment

Land Cover Change

study of how land is used and the impact of changing land use

Desertification

degradation of fertile land, causing it to become infertile (common in arid areas)

Soil Salinization

when salts from water used by plants remain in the soil

Conservation

the sustainable use and management of Earth’s natural resources

Slash and Burn Agriculture

early agricultural practice and type of shifting cultivation, takes place when all vegetation in an area of forest is cut down and burned in place

Terrace Farming

building a series of steps or flat land for farming on the sides of hills or mountains

Irrigation

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

Center-Pivot Irrigation

process in which equipment rotates around a pivot in order to water crops

Deforestation

large-scale removal of trees for human purposes

Wetlands

low-lying areas that contain a significant amount of water at or near the surface

Biotechnology

form of technology that uses living organisms (usually genetics) to modify and improve the quality of products

Genetically Modified Organisms

plants or animals that scientists have modified by extracting genes of one species and inserting them into the DNA of another species

Aquaculture

the practice of raising and harvesting fish and other forms of food that live in water

Sustainability

use of Earth’s resources in ways that ensure their availability in the future

Biodiversity

variety of life in the world or a certain area

Fertilizer

any substance added to soil or water to increase the productivity of crops

Pesticide

chemicals used to kill insects or other organisms that might harm crops

Urban Farming

the production of farm goods within an urban area with the goal of providing locally grown food

Community-Supported Agriculture

strategy used within the local food movement that brings producers and consumers into a type of partnership

Value-Added Speciality Crops

crops with special qualities or crops that are difficult to acquire and are able to be sold of higher profits

Fair Trade

concept used in developing countries to help create sustainability

Local-Food Movement

aims to connect food producers and consumers in the same area

Food Insecurity

lacking access to adequate food because of limited money/other resources

Food Desert

area where residents have little to no access to nutritious foods

Gender Inequality

unequal opportunities, treatment, or rights of a person based on gender

Gender-Specific Obstacles

discriminatory practices that prevent an individual of a certain gender from reaching their potential productivity