ap hug unit 5 mod 33

Module 33

agriculture

The planting and harvesting of domesticated plants and the raising of domesticated animals for food

domesticated plant

A plant that is deliberately planted, protected, cared for, and used by humans and is genetically distinct from its wild ancestors

domesticated animal

An animal that depends on people for food and shelter and is different from its wild ancestors in looks and behavior as a result of close contact with humans

farmers

Individuals who practice agriculture by growing crops, raising animals, or some combination of the two

physical geography

The study of Earth’s physical characteristics and processes: how they work, how they affect humans, and how humans affect them

nutrients

Components of topsoil (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) necessary for plants to survive, grow, and reproduce

topography

The arrangement of shapes on Earth's surface

climate

The average pattern of weather over a 30 year region for a particular region

weather

The day to day atmospheric conditions that affect daily decisions

tropical wet climate

A climate located along the equator that experiences rain every day of the year

tropical wet and dry climate

A climate located along the equator that has a dry season with little to no rain, usually in the winter; is often subject to monsoons

monsoon

Seasonal reversal of winds with a general onshore movement in summer and a general offshore movement in winter; onshore winds bring monsoon rains

monsoon rains

Long periods of heavy rains every day at the end of a short dry season

arid climate

A climate that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually

semiarid (steppe) climate

A climate that receives about 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of rain annually that can support farming

moderate climate

A climate with an average yearround temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius); found north and south of the equator on the edges of tropical climates

humid subtropical climate

A climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters with variable precipitation; found on east coasts of continents

marine west coast climate

A climate found along western coasts of continents closer to the poles; characterized by moderate temperatures during long summers and cool winters

mediterranean climate

A climate with winter precipitation, unusually mild winters, and clear skies with abundant sunshine; found along the Mediterranean Sea and a few coastal regions

continental climate

A climate that has a large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation; found in the interior of continents, north of the moderate climate zones

humid continental climate

A climate with a wide range of temperatures, moderate precipitation, and four distinct seasons; experiences warm to hot summers, moderate to abundant rainfall (20

humid cold climate

A climate with frigid temperatures nearly year

intensive agriculture

Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that use high levels of labor and capital relative to the size of the landholding

subsistence agriculture

Food production mainly for consumption by the farming family and local community, rather than principally for sale in the market

commercial agriculture

Farming oriented exclusively toward the production of agricultural commodities for sale in the market

market gardening

A small scale farming system in which a farmer plants one to few acres of produce a diverse mixture of vegetables and fruits mostly for sale in local and regional markets

truck farm

A scaled up version of market gardening with more acreage and less crop diversity and a stronger orientation toward more distant markets

plantation

Large landholding devoted to capital

mixed crop/livestock agriculture

A diversified system of agriculture based on the cultivation of cereal grains and root crops (such as potatoes and yams) and the rearing of herd livestock

cereal grains

Seeds that come from a wide variety of grasses cultivated around the world, including wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, and maize (corn)

millet

A fast growing cereal plant that is widely grown in warm regions with poor soil

root crops

Vegetables that form below ground and must be dug at maturity, such as cassava, potatoes, and yams

cash crop

A crop raised to be sold for profit rather than to feed the farm family and the livestock; common cash crops are cotton, flax, hemp, coffee, and tobacco

peasants

Small scale farmers who own their fields rely chiefly and family labor and produce both for their town subsistence and for sale in the market

paddy rice farming

A system of wet rice cultivation on small level fields bordered by impermeable dikes; the fields (paddies) are flooded with 4

grain farming

A highly mechanized commercial farming system that specializes in the production of cereal grains; requires large farms and widespread use of machinery, synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, and genetically engineered seeds

livestock fattening

An intensive system of animal feeding utilizing fenced enclosures to fatten livestock, mostly cattle and hogs, for slaughter and processing for the market

feedlot

A fenced enclosure used for intensive livestock feeding that serves to limit livestock movement and associated weight loss

dairying

A farming system that specializes in the breeding, rearing, and utilization of livestock (primarily cows) to produce milk and its various by

extensive agriculture

Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that require little hired labor or monetary investment to successfully raise crops and animals

shifting cultivation

The cultivation of a plot of land until it becomes less productive, typically over a period of about three to five years; when productivity drops, the farmer shifts to a new plot of land that has been prepared by slash

slash and burn agriculture

Agriculture that involve cutting small plots in forests or woodland burning the cuttings to clear the ground and release nutrients and planting in the ash or cleared plots

intercropping

The farming practice of planting multiple crops together in the same clearing

nomadic herding (nomadic pastoralism or pastoralism)

A system of breeding and rearing herd livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or goats, by following the seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasturelands

tundra

The vast, flat, treeless arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen

livestock ranching

The practice of using extensive tracts of land to rear herds of livestock to sell as meat, hides, or wool