Unit 5: Agriculture and Land Use

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering terms, revolutions, agricultural methods, and economic sectors from the Unit 5 Agriculture and Land Use lecture notes.

Commercial agriculture

Large-scale production of crops and livestock for sale, characterized by heavy use of pesticides, technology, and economies of scale.

Subsistence agriculture

Farmers raise just enough animals and crops to feed themselves with very little trade involved.

Economies of Scale

The reduction in the cost of production for a product as it is produced in larger quantities; as a farm grows larger, the cost per bushel of corn decreases.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

A form of extensive subsistence agriculture found in tropical rainforests where land is cleared by burning. Also known as swidden, milpa, or patch agriculture.

Pastoral Nomadism

A subsistent nomadic lifestyle centered on the herding of domesticated animals and following them as they move.

Transhumance

A form of pastoral nomadism where livestock is moved to lowlands in the winter and highlands in the summer.

First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic)

The transition from hunting and gathering to the cultivation of plants and rearing of animals for food or money.

Root Crops

Crops grown using parts of an old plant to grow new ones, specifically the part eaten is underground (e.g., potatoes).

Seed Crops

Crops grown from seeds, where the part eaten is typically above ground (e.g., corn and wheat).

Columbian Exchange

The physical transport of plants and animals between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, such as horses to the Americas and maize to Europe.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Occurred in the 1700s in England; improvements in agricultural technology and techniques like the iron plow and crop rotation greatly increased yields.

Crop rotation

The practice of planting different crops in different fields each year to restore nutrients to the soil.

Enclosure system

Land enclosed by fences, hedges, or walls by private owners, allowing for improved farming practices and creating a labor pool for the Industrial Revolution.

Green Revolution (Third Agricultural Revolution)

Begun in the 1940s, it aimed to increase food production and prevent famine in the developing world through high-yield seeds and chemical inputs.

GMO seeds

Crops manipulated using genetic engineering to express new traits, such as pesticide resistance or increased yields.

Hybridization seeds

Seeds created by cross-pollinating different varieties of the same plants to produce desired characteristics.

Intensive Agriculture

Farming that requires a high amount of labor and capital relative to the land area to yield high productivity (e.g., market gardening, plantation agriculture).

Extensive Agriculture

Farming characterized by crops or animals being widely spaced, requiring lower inputs of labor and capital per unit of land (e.g., nomadic herding, ranching).

Market Gardening

Small-scale growing of produce (an acre or two) for local markets, often referred to as 'farm to table'.

Truck Farming

A scaled-up version of market gardening with more acreage where products are shipped long distances to processing facilities.

Aquaculture

The breeding, raising, and harvesting of fish and shellfish in contained water environments.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert due to drought, deforestation, overgrazing, or inappropriate agriculture.

Salinization

The buildup of salts in the soil caused by rapid evaporation of irrigation water, which can eventually prevent plants from growing.

Von Thünen Model

An agricultural model that explains spatial patterns of production based on transportation costs, land costs (Bid Rent Theory), and perishability.

Bid Rent Theory

Determines that land located closer to the market is more expensive, while land further away is cheaper.

Dispersed settlement pattern

A rural settlement where houses and farm buildings are far apart, commonly found in the American Midwest.

Nucleated settlement pattern

A rural settlement where people live in villages or clusters and travel to their farms each day.

Metes and bounds survey system

A land survey method originating in England that uses natural features like trees or streams to demarcate irregular parcels.

Township and Range system

A rectangular survey system that imposed a grid pattern on the landscape; common in the United States.

Long lots survey system

A survey method originating in France where land is divided into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals.

Primary Economic Sector

Economic activity focused on collecting natural resources, also described as 'Getting Stuff' (e.g., farming, mining).

Secondary Economic Sector

Economic activity focused on turning raw materials into finished products, described as 'Making Stuff' (e.g., factories).

Tertiary Economic Sector

Economic activity that provides a service, described as 'Doing Stuff' (e.g., retail, sales).

Quaternary Economic Sector

Economic activity involving high-level process and information analysis, described as 'Thinking Stuff' (e.g., finance, computer sciences).

Quinary Economic Sector

Economic activity facilitating complex decision-making that affects large amounts of people, described as 'Deciding Stuff' (e.g., CEOs, politicians).

Agribusiness

The trend where agriculture is treated like a business, including everything from growing crops to processing and distributing them to consumers.

Vertical Integration

When one company controls multiple stages of the production and distribution process, such as seed production, farming, and packaging.

Food Desert

An area where it is difficult to find good, organic, or affordable crops and healthy food choices.

Sustainable Yield

Agriculture that can be repeated indefinitely without significant adverse side effects on the environment.

Fair Trade

A movement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and promote industrial sustainability.