AP Human Geography Unit 5 CED

Mediterranean climate

Mediterranean climate

weather pattern characterized by mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

tropical climate

A type of climate found in the areas just north or south of the equator, where weather is usually hot.

Intensive Farming Practices

A form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land.

market gardening

The small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers as cash crops sold directly to local consumers. Distinguishable by the large diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, during a single growing season. Labor is done manually.

plantation agriculture

Production system based on a large estate owned by an individual, family, or corporation and organized to produce a cash crop. Almost all plantations were established within the tropics; in recent decades, many have been divided into smaller holdings or reorganized as cooperatives

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 Farming Practices

an agricultural production system that uses small inputs of labor, fertilizers, and capital, relative to the land area being farmed.

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

migratory but controlled movement of livestock solely dependent on natural forage

Ranching

A form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over an extensive area.

Clustered rural settlement

A rural settlement in which the houses and farm buildings of each family are situated close to each other and fields surround the settlement.

Dispersed rural settlement

A rural settlement pattern characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages.

linear rural settlements

Feature buildings clustered along a road, river, or dike to facilitate communications.

Metes and Bounds

A method of land description which involves identifying distances and directions and makes use of both the physical boundaries and measurements of the land.

township and range system

property lines in grid pattern, one square mile sections that display uniformity

long-lot survey system

divided land into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals

Early agricultural hearths

Fertile Crescent, Indus River Valley, Southeast Asia, and Central America

Colombian Exchange

the transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas and Europe, Asia, and Africa

First Agricultural Revolution

Dating back 10,000 years, the First Agricultural Revolution achieved plant domestication and animal domestication

Second Agricultural Revolution

dovetailing with and benefiting from the Industrial Revolution, the Second Agricultural Revolution witnessed improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm products.

Enclosure Movement

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

Green Revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

high-yield seeds

seeds that have been engineered to be stronger and more productive. They will produce more crops peer seed, need less water, and can survive in warmer climates

chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Were developed to kill weeds and pests that damage crops.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) were also developed; the DNA of these seeds is manipulated to increase yields, build resistance to diseases, and be protected from chemicals.

Today most corn, soybeans, and cotton grown in the U.S. are GMO varieties.

mechanized farming

Farming with machines, is easy on the large expanses of flat land.

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 variety

Bid rent theory

geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the Central Business District (CBD) increases.

commodity chain

series of links connecting the many places of production and distribution and resulting in a commodity that is then exchanged on the world market

economies of scale

factors that cause a producer's average cost per unit to fall as output rises

carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Von Thunen Model

An agricultural model that spatially describes agricultural activity in terms of rent. Activities that require intensive cultivation and cannot be transported over great distances pay higher rent to be close to the market. Conversely, activities that are more extensive , with goods that are easy to transport, are located farther from the market where rent is less.

First ring of Von Thunen's model

Market-oriented gardens and milk producers were located in the first ring out from the cities. These products are expensive to deliver and must reach the market quickly because they are perishable.

Second ring of Von Thunen model

The next ring out from the cities contained wood lots, where timber was cut for construction and fuel; closeness to market is important for this commodity because of its weight

Third ring of Von Thunen model

extensive field crops, crop rotation

Fourth ring of Von Thunen model

Ranching and Livestock (animal grazing)

Global Supply Chain

the firm's integrated network of sourcing, production, and distribution, organized on a worldwide scale and located in countries where competitive advantage can be maximized

export commodities

the export of just a few agricultural or mining commodities

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

world trade

the flow of goods and services among different countries - the value of all the exports and imports of the world's nations

pollution

Release of harmful materials into the environment

Land cover change

Refers to the changes that have taken place in natural environments due to a variety of natural and/or human induced causes

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

soil salinization

in arid regions, water evaporates leaving salts behind. (ex. Fertile crescent, southwestern US)

Conservation Efforts

Human activities that help to keep the natural resources of Earth available and clear of pollution

slash and burn agriculture

Another name for shifting cultivation, so named because fields are cleared by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris.

Terraces Farming

usually used in hilly of mountainous landscapes to create flat land areas to store water and allow crops to dig in soil. Very common in SE Asia

irrigation

The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

Draining wetlands

wetlands are not productive agricultural lands. In order to convert them into arable lands, the water is drained away and the land is bulldozed into flat plains for agriculture.

changing diets

- MDCs: continued demand for meat
- LDCs: growing demand for meat, as well as convenient, processed foods (western diet)

Biotechnology

A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify plants and animals, or to develop other microorganisms for specific purposes.

genetically modified organisms

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

Aquaculture

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

Sustainability

The ability to keep in existence or maintain. A sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained

Urban farming

The growing of fruits, herbs, and vegetables and raising animals in towns and cities, a process that is accompanied by many other activities such as processing and distributing food, collecting and reusing food waste.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A system in which consumers pay farmers in advance for a share of their yield, usually in the form of weekly deliveries of produce.

organic farming

the use of natural substances rather than chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enrich the soil and grow crops

Value-added specialty crops

increasing the economic value of a commodity through particular production processes, e.g., organic produce, or through regionally branded products that increase consumer appeal and willingness to pay a premium over similar but undifferentiated products. i.e. free-range chickens, hormone-free beef

fair trade

Alternative to international trade that emphasizes small businesses and worker owned and democratically run cooperatives and requires employers to pay workers fair wages, permit union organizing, and comply with minimum environmental and safety standards.

Local food movement

Produced within a fairly limited distance from where it is consumed

dietary shifts

movement from a diet of processed food, meat, fat, and sugar to one that will promote good health, ideal weight, and prevent chronic disease (fruits, vegetables)

food insecurity

the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food

food desert

An area that has a substantial amount of low-income residents and has poor access to a grocery store, defined in most cases as further than 1 mile.

Women in Agriculture

-this group of people have faced barriers in agriculture because they struggle to acquire land and water rights,, get services and training, and get loans for land, seeds, and fertilizers