ap human geo unit 5: agriculture

township and range systems

rectangular/square system

divided int 1 square mile section

metes and bounds survey system

natural features demarcate; weird shaped plots of land

eastern US

long-lot survey

divide land into narrow parcels stretching stretching from roads, rivers, or canals

system developed in quebec

primary economic activity

jobs closest to the ground (natural resources jobs)

eg: farming, mining, logging, fishing

secondary economic activity

manufacturing: taking raw material+making something

eg: corn → cereal, wood → paper

tertiary economic activity

service sector jobs: jobs that serve others

eg: doctor, lawyer, fast food

quaternary economic activity (part of tertiary)

highly skilled jobs; takes lots of training

eg: engineering, research developement

(part of tertiary) quinary economic activity

highest level of decision making

eg: president, government workers, ceo, etc

1st agriculture revolution (10,000 years ago)

domestication of plants+animals

2nd agriculture revolution (1700-1900)

goes with the industrial revolution

machines, internal combustion, engine, better farming, organic, fertilizer

saw an increase in food production, decrease in farmers

3rd agriculture revolution (in progress)

GMOs, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, artificial fertilizer

huge increase in food production

green revolution

diffusion of agricultural technologies and practices to less developed areas

impacts of green revolution

• increase in food production

• places that can’t afford it get left behind

agribusiness

development of business side of farming resulting in branding

increase in connectedness of farming and business (rural+urban blend)

value added

 raw agricultural products that have been modified or enhanced to have a higher market value.

eg: strawberry to jam, organic food, gluten-free

4th agriculture revolution

core countries

Farming in warehouses- planting crops in a controlled environment.

substinence agriculture

family/social groups work together

people live on the food they grow

small surplus is traded or sold locally

commercial agriculture

products are for the market

low consumption of food by farmer

capitol intensive

lots of machines and money

MDCs

labor intensive

most work done by hand

little money

LDCs

intensive use of land

small amount of land

labor-intensive

large output per acre

extensive use of land

lots of land

slash and burn, nomadic herding

less labor

small output per acre

shifting cultivation/slash+burn/swidden

steps:

1. clear forest

2. burn forest (let ash into soil)

3. plant/farm on land

   can only farm for 2-5 years before the soil goes bad

   can’t reuse land for another 15-20 years (unsustainable)

   • practiced in tropical rainforests( amazon, congo, east indies)

wet rice cultivation

paddy rice farming

tropical region, nutrient rich, with monsoon (hurricane) season

nomadic herding

subsistence agriculture, but moving to commercial

becoming less popular

in arid to sem-arid climate

eat local/farm to table

businesses use regional farms to supply their business

environmental impacts of commercial agriculture

• overfishing

• changes in environment

• overgrazing

• deforestation

• desertification

• farmland being developed

intercropping

2 diff crops planted on the same field

limited space uses this

same/similar latitude=

similar climates and crops

2 types of subsistence farming that take up the most land

shifting cultivation

nomadic herding

feedlots

intensive

cheap to run, higher profits

cash crop

crop that is grown for profit and to meet some luxury

eg: coffee and tobacco

mixed/general farming

crops and livestock

crop rotation

practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil

monoculture

cultivation of only one single crop in a large land area

double cropping

growing two crops per growing season to double the harvest

triple cropping

growing of three crops per growing season to triple the harvest

winter wheat

type of wheat crop that is planted in the late fall and harvested in the summer

plantation agriculture

the production of one or more usually cash crops on a large plot of land

most common in (semi) tropical climate and in periphery countries

luxury crop

crop that is grown to serve some purpose other than sustaining human life

eg: coffee, tobacco, tea

market gardening/truck farming

commercial gardening and fruit/vegetable/horticulture farming

comparative advantage

the ability of an individual, company, or country to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than other producers

food desert

places with limited acces to fresh food

fair trade

promote sustainable development by providing farmers with direct access to international markets

greenbelt

ring of land maintained as parks, agriculture, or other types of open space to limit the sprawl of an urban area

aquaculture

cultivation or farming (in controlled conditions) of aquatic species, such as fish

blue revolution

emergence of aquaculture as an important and highly productive agricultural activity

terrace farming

building a series of steps or flat land for farming on the sides of hills or mountains

deforestation

destruction of forest or forested areas by human or natural means

draining wetlands

clearing water from wetlands and swamps to make land accessible to farmers

genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

organisms that genetic makeup has been altered to encourage some positive traits and eliminate some negative traits

genetically engineered

genetic makeup has been altered

biotechnology

use of living organisms or their components, such as cells and proteins, to develop products and processes that enhance human life

desertification

the process by which previously fertile lands become arid and unusable for farming

soil salinization

occurs when soil in an arid climate has been made available for agricultural production using irrigation

fallow

land that is left unsown in order to restore its fertility

von thunen 1st layer

market

von thunen 1st ring

Horticulture and dairying

Milk products, fruits, and vegetables have short shelf lives so need to be located close to city

Difficult to transport

von thunen 2nd ring

timber/wood/forestry

harder to transport so needs to be close to the market

von thunen 3rd ring

grain and mixed crops

large scale farms that allow for growing large

amounts of food

usually lighter but bulkier so more difficult to transport than animals

von thunen fourth ring

ranching and livestock

large areas for farm animals.

animals can walk themselves to market