AP human chapter 11-12

AMSCO

agriculture

the process where humans alter the landscape in order to raise crops

climate

long term weather patterns in a region

subsistence agriculture

the primary goal is to grow enough food to meet immediate needs

commercial agriculture

the primary goal is to grow enough crops to sell for profit.

intensive agriculture

practices in which farmers use large amounts of inputs to maximize yields

extensive agriculture

practices in which farmers use fewer amounts of inputs and typically result in less yield

intensive commercial agriculture

heavy investments in labor and capital are used which often results in high yields and profits

capital

the money invested in land, equipment, and machines

intensive subsistent agriculture

the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labor intensive

extensive commercial agriculture

uses low inputs of resources but has the goal of selling the product for profit

extensive subsistent agriculture

agriculture in which the crops are used nearly exclusively locally on large areas of land and minimal labor input

pastoral nomadism

a form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals

shifting cultivation

a form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift planting from one field to another, leaving a field fallow

plantation

large commercial farm that specialized in one crop

mixed crop and livestock farming

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

grain farming

in regions too dry for mixed crop, farmers raise wheat

commercial gardening

gardening on a larger scale to produce food in bulk

market gardening

when fruits and vegetables are grown near a market and sold locally

dairy farming

agricultural activity involving the raising of cows and goats for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter

milk shed

the geographic distance that milk is delivered

mediterranean agriculture

practiced in the Mediterranean-style climates of Western Europe, California, and portions of Chile and Australia, in which diverse specialty crops such as grapes, avocados

transhumance

the seasonal herdings of animals from high elevations int he summer to lower elevations int he winter

livestock ranching

commercial grazing of animals confined to a specific area

clustered settlements

settlements where families live in close to each other with fields surrounding them

dispersed settlements

patterns in which farmers lived in home spread throughout the countryside

linear settlements

where buildings are organized close to a body of water or along a transportation route

metes and bounds

used physical features of local geography along with directions and distances to define and describe boundaries of land parcels

township and range system

created rectangular plots of consistent size

townships

government organized land, areas 6 by 6 milkes.

section

each square mile in a township consisted of 640 acres

french long lot system

where farms were long, thin sections of land that ran perpendicular to a river

first agricultural revolution

origin of farming, marked by the domestication of plants and animals

animal domestication

the process by which wild animals are cultivated into a resource supply for humans

plant domestication

the process by which wild plants are cultivated into productive crops, often with more desirable traits

fertile crescent

first major hearth in southwest asia, extends from the mediterranean sea and continues along the tigris and euphrates.

independent innovation

crops and animals domesticated in multiple regions with no interaction among the people

columbian exchange

global movement of plants and animals between afro-eurasia and the americas

second agricultural revolution

began in 1700s, used advances of the industrial revolution in increase food supplies and support population growth

enclosure acts

a series of laws enacted by the british government that enabled landowners to purchase and enclose land for their own use

irrigation

the process of applying controlled amount of water to crops

crop rotation

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

third agricultural revolution

born out of science, continues today. Expanded mechanization of farming and developed new global agricultural systems.

green revolution

advanced in plant biology, foundation laid by norman borlaug

hybridization

the process of breeding two plants that have desirable characteristics to produce a single seed with both characteristics

generically modified organism

process by which humans use engineering techniques to change the DNA of a seed