AP HUG Unit 5: Agriculture & Rural Land Use

agricultural hearths

an area where different groups began to domesticate plants and animals

clustered

when objects in an area are close together

commercial grain farming

crops are primarily grown for human consumption, farms sell their output

crop rotation

the varying of crops from year to year to allow for the restoration of valuable nutrients and the continuing productivity of the soil

dairy farming

typically sell their milk to wholesalers who later distribute it to retailers

dispersed

spread out

domestication

the deliberate effort to grow plants and raise animals, making plants and animals adapt to human demands and using selective breeding to develop desirable characteristics

enclosure movement

the process of consolidating small landholdings into a smaller number of larger farms in England during the eighteenth century

environmental determinism

the idea that human behavior is strongly affected, controlled, or determined by the physical environment

extensive agriculture

an agricultural practice with relatively few inputs and little investment in labor and capital that results in relatively low outputs

green revolution

movement beginning in the 1950s and 1960s in which scientists used knowledge of genetics to develop new high yield strains of grain crops

hearth

the geographic origin or center where a particular cultural trait, innovation, or practice begins and then spreads to other areas

independent innovation

the term for a trait with many cultural hearths that developed independent of each other

industrial revolution

the radical change in manufacturing methods that began in Great Britain in the mid-18th century and was marked by the shift from small-scale, hand-crafted muscle-powered production to power-driven mass production

intensive agriculture

an agricultural practice in which farmers expend a great deal of effort to produce as much yield as possible from an area of land

linear settlements

a rural settlement pattern in which houses and buildings form in a long line that usually follows a land feature or aligns along a transportation route

livestock ranching

commercial grazing of livestock, eventually they will be sent to feedlots and then be sent to slaughter

long lot

long strips of land that start at a river or lake with the intention of providing all land owners with equal access to the resources (soil and water) and transportation

market gardening / commercial gardening / truck farming

some of the fruits and vegetables are sold fresh to consumers

metes and bounds

utilization of landmarks and physical features to establish boundary lines

mixed crop and livestock

most money comes from the sale of livestock rather than crop outputs

nomadic herding

a type of agriculture based on people moving their domesticated animals seasonally or as needed to allow the best grazing

plantation agriculture

a plantation specializes in one crop that is transported for sale on the global market

shifting cultivation

farmers more from one field to another; aka slash-and-burn agriculture

the first agricultural revolution

the slow change from hunter and gather societies to more agriculturally based ones through the gradual understanding of seeds, watering, and plant care

township and range

rectangle and grid system, 6×6

agribusiness

the large-scale system that includes the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products and equipment

irrigation

a man-made system whereby water is spread from its natural source over a large geographic range to aid in agricultural production

soil salinization

the accumulation of soluble salts in soil, which can hinder plant growth and reduce agricultural productivity

bid-rent theory

a theory that describes the relationships between land value, commercial location, and transportation using a bid-rent gradient or slope; used to describe how land costs are

monocropping

the cultivation of one or two crops that are rotated seasonally

subsistence farming

the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer and mostly found in in LDCs

commercial farming

large-scale farming practices that are primarily geared towards producing crops and livestock for sale in the marketplace rather than personal consumption

pastoral nomadism

a form of nomadism that revolves around moving with large herds of domesticated livestock

terrace farming

an agricultural practice that involves creating stepped levels on sloped terrain to cultivate crops

commodity chains

a network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribution a commodity or product

shifting cultivation

the agricultural practice of growing crops or grazing animals on a piece of land for a year or two, then abandoning that land when the nutrients have been depleted from the soil and moving to a new piece of land where the process is repeated

wetlands

area of land that is covered by water or saturated with water

deforestation

loss of forest lands

slash and burn agriculture

existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown; often used when clearing land

biodiversity

the variety of organisms living in a location

biotechnology

the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests

agricultural biodiversity

the variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture

precision agriculture

a farming management concept that uses technology to apply inputs with pinpoint accuracy to specific parts of fields to maximize crop yields, reduce waste, and preserve the environment