Chapter 7

Agriculture

The practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock for food and other purposes.

Vegetative planting

Propagating plants using cuttings or other vegetative parts.

Seed agriculture

Planting seeds to grow crops.

First Agricultural Revolution

Originated in the Fertile Crescent, innovations included domestication of plants and animals.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Emerged in Western Europe, advancements in machinery and technology improved agricultural productivity.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Known as the Green Revolution, focused on high-yield crop varieties, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides.

Green Revolution

Agricultural transformation with increased crop yields, criticized for environmental impacts and unequal distribution.

Corporate/industrial agriculture

Large-scale farming managed by corporations, criticized for monoculture and environmental degradation.

Subsistence agriculture

Small-scale farming for self-sufficiency, common in developing countries.

Shifting cultivation

Rotating fields for planting, prevalent in tropical regions.

Pastoral nomadism

Herding of livestock, practiced in arid and semi-arid regions.

Commercial agriculture

Large-scale farming for profit, common in developed countries.

Plantation agriculture

Large estates producing cash crops, found in tropical regions.

Labor intensive

Relies heavily on human labor, Capital intensive:Relies on machinery and technology.

Intensive agriculture

High inputs per unit area, Extensive agriculture:Large land areas with minimal inputs.

Sedentary agriculture

Permanent settlement farming, Nomadism:Moving with livestock.

Von Thünen's model

Illustrates agricultural land use based on transportation costs and land value.

Von Thünen's assumptions

Isolated state, uniform flat terrain, consistent soil and climate, single market center.

Factors in land use

Transportation costs and land value.

Reasons for differences

Technological advancements, globalization, urbanization.

Township and range

Rectangular land division, originated in the U.S., found in the Midwest.

Long lot

Narrow land division along waterways, originated in France, found in Quebec.

Metes and bounds

Irregular land division based on natural features, originated in England, found in the Eastern U.S.