APHUG | Unit 5

Yield

the amount of an agricultural product produced in an area of cultivation

Transhumance

moving flocks into the highlands for summer (cooler) and returning to lowlands for the winter (warmer)

Agriculture

modifying the environment to raise plants or animals for food or other uses

Climate

the prevailing weather conditions in general over a long period of time

Extensive agriculture

agriculture that uses small amounts of labor on a large area of land

Intensive agriculture

agriculture that uses a lot of labor on a small area of land

Market gardening

small-scale, manual labor agricultural production of a variety of crops to be sold locally

Mediterranean climate

a climate with warm, dry summers and cool, mild winters mainly found around the Mediterranean Sea

Mixed crop/livestock

a farm that raises animal but also feed for those animals and makes money selling the animal products

Nomadic herding

raising animals and traveling from place to place with them to find pasture for their animals

Plantation

a usually large commercial farm that specializes in one or two crops, usually semi-tropical or tropical areas

Ranching

commercial agriculture that allows livestock to wander a large area to feed using for meat or wool

Shifting cultivation

subsistence agriculture form used in tropical areas that cuts down vegetation for burning which provides nourishment to the soil - every few years the farmer must move to a new location as the nutrients are gone and repeat

Slash-and-burn agriculture

subsistence agriculture form used in tropical areas that cuts down vegetation for burning which provides nourishment to the soil - every few years the farmer must move to a new location as the nutrients are gone and repeat

Tropical climate

(Usually around the equator) areas that have an average temperature above 64° and get substantial precipitation

Base line

in the United States a baseline is the principal east-west line (i.e., a parallel) upon which all rectangular surveys in a defined area are based

Clustered

a pattern of rural settlement in which the houses and farm buildings of each family are situated close to each others' fields and surround the settlement.

Dispersed settlement

settlement pattern with people living relatively far from each other on their farms

Linear settlement

a rural land use pattern that creates a long, narrow settlement around a river, coast, or road that looks like a line

Long Lot

a rural land use pattern that divides land into long, narrow lined up along a waterway or road used by French when settling North America

Metes and bounds

a system by the British, adopted along the eastern seaboard of describing parcels of land where the metes are the lines (including angle and distance that surround the property) and bound describes features such as a river or public road

Surveying

examining and measuring the surface of the Earth for planning, preparing to build, or mapping

Township and range

a system of dividing large parcels of where the townships describe how far north or south from the center point

Columbian Exchange

a widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations, communicable diseases, and ideas between the American and Afro-Eurasian hemispheres that was launched by Columbus's voyages

Domestication

the process of taming plants or animals for human use

Fertile Crescent

a crescent-shaped area in Southwest Asia where settled farming first began to emerge leading to the rise of cities

First Agricultural Revolution

time when people first domesticate plants and animals which allows people to live in one place

Second Agricultural Revolution

coincides with the Industrial Revolution; increasing yield and access through machines and transportation

Green Revolution

the spread of new technologies like high yield seeds and chemical fertilizers to the developing world in the 1960s and 1970s

Bid-rent theory

a geographic theory that states the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases

Commercial agriculture

when the focus of agriculture is to produce a product to sell to other people

Monocropping

agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land

Monoculture

the cultivation of a single crop in a given area

Subsistence agriculture

when the focus of agriculture is to produce enough for to feed the family but with little, if any, profit

Agribusiness

system of commercial agriculture that links various industries to the farm

Commodity chain (supply chain)

links that connect production and distribution of goods

Economies of scale

cost advantages that come producing a large amount of an item

Export commodity

goods sent from one country to another for sale

Conservation

the protection of wildlife and natural resources

Deforestation

human-driven and natural loss of trees for not forest use

Desertification

the process of a dry area becoming drier and losing vegetation

Irrigation

moving water to where you need it

Pastoral nomadism

herding animals and migrating with them to find pasture areas without a permanent pasture area

Soil salinization

the slow build up of salt in soil, particularly in irrigated areas, that makes soil unable to grow plants

Terrace farming

method of growing crops on the sides of hills or mountains by planting on man-made steps (terraces)

Aquaculture

raising and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants

Biodiversity

the variety of life forms - used a measure of the health of a biological system

Biotechnology

the use of living organisms in the manufacture of drugs or other products or for environmental management

Community supported agriculture (CSA)

a system in which a farm operation is supported by shareholders within the community who share both the benefits and risks of food production

Food deserts

an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food

Genetically Modified Organism

living thing that has been altered through genetic engineering

Local food movements

encouraging people to eat foods which are grown or farmed relatively close to the places of sale and preparation

Organic farming

farming that uses natural fertilizers and natural methods of pest control instead of artificial

Urban farming

integrating growing crops or raising animals into an urban ecosystem

Value added specialty crops

changing the physical state or form of an agricultural product in a way that increases its worth (wheat into flour or berries into jam)

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

a farm where many animals are kept in tight quarters in a small area

Pasture

large area of grassy land where it is appropriate to keep livestock

Sustainable agriculture

using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare and can go on indefinitely

Combine

machine that reaps, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field

Crop rotation

temporarily changing crops to limit the depletion of soil nutrients