Chapter 9 Agriculture Flashcards

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary from Chapter 9 on Agriculture.

Agriculture

The deliberate modification of Earth's surface through the cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain.

Crop

Any plant cultivated by people.

Agricultural Revolution

The period when humans began to domesticate plants and animals, transitioning from hunting and gathering.

Environmental Factors

Natural elements that influenced the first domestication of crops and animals, coinciding with climate change.

Cultural Factors

Social influences that led to the preference for fixed living, contributing to the Agricultural Revolution.

Agricultural Hearths

Regions where agriculture first originated, including Southwest Asia, East Asia, Central and South Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Subsistence Agriculture

Agriculture designed primarily for consumption by the farmer's family, typically found in developing countries.

Commercial Agriculture

Agriculture aimed at producing cash crops for sale off the farm, typically found in developed countries.

Cash Crop

A crop grown for sale rather than for the farmer's own use.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

A type of agriculture in developing countries characterized by high inputs of labor and capital on small plots of land.

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture involving the herding of animals in a seasonal migration.

Mixed Crop and Livestock

A farming system that integrates growing crops and raising livestock.

Second Agricultural Revolution

A period of increased agricultural productivity through improved crop rotation and livestock breeding.

Green Revolution

A period in the 1970s and 1980s characterized by the introduction of high-yield seeds and expanded fertilizer use.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

An organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through modern biotechnology.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

A type of agriculture in developing countries characterized by high inputs of labor and capital on small plots of land.

Wet Rice Dominant

A form of intensive subsistence agriculture primarily practiced in monsoon regions of East Asia, where rice is the major crop cultivated in flooded fields.

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture involving the herding of animals in a seasonal migration.

Commercial Grain Farming

A form of commercial agriculture focused on producing staple grains like wheat and barley, common in developed countries.

Mediterranean Agriculture

A specialized farming system found in Mediterranean climates, characterized by horticulture, olives, grapes, and vegetables.

Mixed Crop and Livestock

A farming system that integrates growing crops and raising livestock, typical in both developed and developing regions.

Shifting Cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture involving the clearing and use of land temporarily, followed by a return to previously farmed areas.

Dairy Farming

A type of commercial agriculture focused on producing milk and other dairy products, prominent in developed countries.