Unit 5

Domestication

The action or fact of domesticating animals or plants; taming.

Transhumance

The seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

Pastoralism

A type of animal husbandry where livestock are moved seasonally to find fresh pastures.

Nomadic Herding

The practice of moving herds of animals from place to place in search of pasture and water.

Mixed Farming

Growing crops and raising livestock on the same farm.

Subsistence Agriculture

Farming primarily to provide food for the farmer's family, with little surplus for sale.

Extensive Subsistence Agriculture

Using large areas of land with minimal labor input per area.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

Using small areas of land with high labor input per area.

Cash-Cropping

Growing crops for sale rather than for personal consumption.

Collectivization

A system where agricultural land is removed from private ownership and organized into large, state-run collective farms.

Crop Rotation

The practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health and manage pests.

Multi-Cropping

Growing two or more crops on the same field in a year.

Irrigation

The artificial application of water to land to assist in the production of crops.

Conservation Agriculture

A farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance (no-tillage), crop rotation, and inter-planting to maintain soil health and sustainable yields.

No-Tillage

A farming practice that avoids disturbing the soil through tillage, reducing erosion and conserving soil moisture.

Inter-Planting

Planting different crops in close proximity to each other.

Shifting Cultivation

An agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned and allowed to revert to their natural vegetation while the cultivator moves on to another plot.

Extensive Pastoralism

Relying on large areas of land for grazing livestock.

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Soil Salination

The increase in salt concentration in the soil, often due to irrigation in arid regions.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural innovation from the 1940s to the 1960s that increased crop yields, particularly in developing countries, through the use of high-yielding crop varieties, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Industrial Agriculture

Intensive farming practices involving mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation.

Genetic Engineering

Modifying the genetic material of plants to enhance traits such as yield, pest resistance, or nutritional content.

Corporate Agriculture

Large-scale, industrialized farming operations often owned by corporations.

Specialized Agriculture

Focusing on the production of specific crops or livestock to meet particular market demands, often leading to increased efficiency and higher quality products.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming practices that prioritize environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity for future generations.

Organic Farming

A method of agriculture that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms, focusing instead on natural processes and biodiversity.

Permaculture

A holistic design approach that integrates agriculture, ecology, and sustainable living to create self-sufficient ecosystems.