Mediterranean agriculture
An agricultural system practiced in the Mediterranean style climates of Western Europe, California, and portions of Chile and Australia, in which diverse specialty crops such as grapes, avocados, olives, and nuts, fruits, and vegetables
Tropical climate
A type of climate found in the areas just north or south of the equator, where weather is usually hot and moist.
Intensive agriculture
Use of large amounts labor and/or capital on a piece of land to increase its agricultural productivity
Market gardening
the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants
Plantation agriculture
Growing specialized crops such as bananas, coffee, and cacao in tropical developing countries, primarily for sale to developed countries.
Mixed crop and livestock farming
Commercial farming characterized by integration of crops and livestock; most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed directly by humans.
Extensive agriculture
An agricultural system characterized by lower inputs of labor per unit land area; often practiced on larger amounts of land such as ranching
Shifting cultivation
A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field to another; each field is used for crops for relatively few years and left fallow for a relatively long period.
Nomadic Herding/Pastoral Nomadism
A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals over open pastoral lands. As plant life and water are used up and consumed in one area, nomads herd their animals to the next plot of land
Ranching
A form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over an extensive area.
Rural Settlement Patterns
Way in which people living in rural and agricultural areas are arranged, includes clustered, dispersed and linear
clustered settlement pattern
A rural settlement where buildings are clustered around a particular point; can allow for sharing of machines and buildings
Dispersed settlement pattern
A rural settlement pattern characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages; can allow for larger farms
Linear settlement patterns
A rural settlement pattern characterized by buildings distributed along a straight line typically around a road, river or other physical feature; many farms are long and narrow
Metes and Bounds
A method of land description which involves identifying distances and directions and makes use of both the physical boundaries (bounds) and measurements of the land (metes).
Township-and-range survey system
Land is divided into six-mile square blocks (township), which is then divided into one-mile square blocks (range). Ranges were then broken into smaller parcels to be sold or given to people to develop.
long-lot survey system
divided land into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals
Domestication
the process of changing plants or animals to make them more useful to humans
Fertile Crescent
an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began
Indus River Valley
A valley and early civilization along the Indus River
Agricultural hearths
areas of settlement during the neolithic period, especially along major rivers, from where farming and cultivation of livestock began
Columbain Exchange
The exchange of animals, plants, and diseases between the Eurasia (Old World) and the Americas (New World)
First Agricultural Revolution
Dating back 10,000 years, achieved plant domestication and animal domestication
Second Agricultural Revolution
18th and 19th Century; advancements in tools and machinery to make agriculture more efficient and productive with fewer farmers
Green Revolution
Agricultural revolution that increased production through improved seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation; helped to support rising Asian populations; mid to late 1900s
High-yield seed
developed during Green Revolution; increased amount of crop production; pest and drought resistant; ex. wheat, rice
Mechanized farming
farming that uses machines to increase production and efficiency
Subsistence agriculture
Agriculture designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmer and the farmer's family
Commercial agriculture
Agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm.
Monocropping (monoculture)
An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or crop
Bid-rent theory
different land users are prepared to pay different amounts, the bid rents, for locations at various distances from the city center; higher land prices closer to market/city center
Commodity chain
A chain of activities from the manufacturing to the distribution of a product
Economies of scale
a proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production
Carrying capacity
Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support
Von Thunen Model
A model that explains the location of agricultureal activities in a commercial, profit-making economy. A process of spatial competition allocates various farming activities into rings around a central market city, with profit-earning capability the determining force in how far a crop locates from the market
Global supply chain
a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer
Export commodity
product grown with the intent of selling it to other countries for profit
Pollution
Release of harmful materials into the environment
Desertification
Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.
Irrigation
The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.
Terracing
Carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides to use for farming
Deforestation
The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.
Biotechnology
A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify plants and animals for specific purposes.
Fertilizer
any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile
Pesticide
A chemical intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops.
Urban farming
The practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around a city.
Community-supported agriculture
A process in which consumers buy shares from local farmers in exchange for weekly produce
Value-added specialty crops
increasing the economic value of a commodity through particular production processes to increase consumer appeal, e.g., organic produc, free-range chickens, hormone-free beef
Fair trade
trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.
Local-food movement
Purchasing food from nearby farms to minimize the pollution created from the transportation of food around the world
Food insecurity
the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food
Food desert
an area typically in a highly populated, lower income urban environment, where healthy, fresh food is difficult to find
Suburbanization
The process of population movement from within towns and cities to the rural-urban fringe; takes up agricultural land or potential agricultural land
Genetically modified organism (GMO)
an organism produced by copying genes from a species with a desirable trait and inserting them into another species; used in crops to increase productivity, pest resistance and other beneficial traits
Aquaculture
Raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages
Sustainability
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Soil Salinization
salt buildup in the soil
Conservation
Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment
Slash and burn agriculture
a farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land
Fallow
plowed but not sowed; uncultivated
Biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Agribusiness
Commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.
Bioclimatic zones
regions of the planet that share a common climate and biological makeup of plants and animals
Boserup Hypothesis- Esther Boserup
Population growth compels subsistence farmers to consider new farming approaches that produce enough food to take care of the additional people.
Cereal grain
A grass yielding grain for food. ex. oats, wheat, rye, or barley
Dairying
An agricultural activity involving the raising of livestock, most commonly cows and goats, for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter.
Milkshed
ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling
Transhumance
The seasonal migration of livestock and their herders between mountains and lowland pastures.
Export
A good or service produced in the home country and sold in another country.
Double-cropping
Harvesting twice a year from the same field.