AP Human Geography - Chapter 10 Agriculture

Agriculture

The deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through plant cultivation and animal domestication

Difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture

Subsistence is for farmer’s family use; commercial is for sale off the farm

Where did agriculture originate?

Multiple hearths: Southwest Asia, East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America

Crops first domesticated in Southwest Asia

Barley, wheat, lentils, and olives

Where was rice first domesticated?

East Asia, along the Yangtze River

Animals domesticated in Southwest Asia

Cattle, goats, pigs, sheep

Crop

Any plant cultivated by people

Shifting cultivation

Slash-and-burn farming with rotating fields to allow soil to recover

Pastoral nomadism

Subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals

Intensive subsistence agriculture

Farming with high labor input on small plots of land

Wet rice

Rice planted on dry land, then moved to flooded fields

Double cropping

Two harvests per year from one field

Where is plantation farming found?

In tropics and subtropics—Latin America, Africa, and Asia

Crops commonly grown on plantations

Cotton, sugarcane, coffee, rubber, and tobacco

Crop rotation

Rotating different crops in a field to maintain soil health

Agribusiness

The system of commercial farming integrated into the food industry

What are Derwent Whittlesey’s 11 agricultural regions based on?

Climate and agricultural practices

Mixed crop and livestock farming

Farming where crops feed animals and manure fertilizes fields

Where is mixed crop and livestock farming common?

U.S. Midwest and parts of Europe

Corn Belt

U.S. region from Ohio to Iowa where corn dominates agriculture

Dairying

Commercial agriculture focused on milk products near urban areas

Grain farming

Growing crops like wheat for human consumption

Where is grain farming common?

North-central U.S., Canada, and Eastern Europe

Livestock ranching

Commercial grazing of livestock over extensive areas

Where is livestock ranching most common?

Western U.S., Argentina, and parts of Australia

Mediterranean agriculture

Farming in Mediterranean climates with crops like olives and grapes

Commercial gardening

Intensive fruit and vegetable farming in MDCs

Truck farming

Commercial gardening and fruit farming, typically near urban areas

Main goal of subsistence farming

Feeding the farmer’s family

Main goal for commercial farming

Selling products for profit

What percentage of labor is in agriculture in LDCs?

Around 50%

What percentage of labor is in agriculture in MDCs?

Around 5% or less

How does farm size differ in MDCs vs. LDCs?

MDCs have larger, mechanized farms

What role does machinery play in MDC agriculture?

It increases productivity and reduces the need for labor

Prime agricultural land

The most productive farmland, often lost to urban sprawl

Environmental concern with deforestation

Loss of biodiversity and increased greenhouse gas emissions

Green Revolution

Spread of new agricultural technologies to LDCs in the 20th century

Food-processing companies’ role in agribusiness?

They buy and process farmers’ crops and livestock

Swidden

A cleared area used in shifting cultivation

Transhumance

Seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowlands

Why is shifting cultivation declining?

Deforestation, inefficiency, and economic development pressures

Sawah

A flooded field for growing wet rice

Why is the wet-rice method labor-intensive?

It requires constant attention and manual labor

Winnowing

Blowing away chaff from threshed grain

Why do farmers terrace land?

To allow wet rice farming on hillsides

Rest crops in rotation systems

Crops like clover that restore soil fertility

Why do some LDCs engage in plantation farming?

To supply cash crops to MDCs for export

Primary economic sector

The part of the economy involved with extracting natural resources (like farming, fishing)