Ap Hug Unit 5

agriculture

The deliberate modification of Earth's surface through crop cultivation and livestock raising for food or economic gain.

plant requirements

The five vital environmental elements needed for growth: water, light, nutrients, space, and temperature.

Cold Mid-Latitude

Climate found in northern US and southern Canada; ideal for wheat, barley, dairy farming, and livestock.

Warm Mid-Latitude

Climate found in the southern US and southern China; ideal for growing fruits, vegetables, and rice.

Mediterranean

Climate with warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters; ideal for cultivating grapes, olives, and dates.

Grasslands Climate

A semiarid, dry climate type that is ideal for grazing animals and ranching.

sub-tropical

Climate with heavy rainfall and warm temperatures year-round; ideal for rice, tobacco, and cotton.

tropical

Hot, high-rainfall climate near the equator; ideal for cash crops like sugar, coffee, tea, cacao, and pineapple.

human modifications for agriculture

Environmental alterations made by farmers, including land clearing, terracing, irrigation, and greenhouses.

environmental possiblism

The theory that the environment sets limits, but humans have the cultural ability to adjust and overcome them.

irrigation

The deliberate human process of supplying controlled amounts of water to fields to assist crop growth.

Draining wetlands

The process of removing water from swampy areas and bulldozing them into flat, arable plains for farming.

Terracing

Carving flat platforms into steep hillsides to create plantable surfaces and drastically reduce soil erosion.

deforestation

The permanent destruction and clearing of forested lands to repurpose the area for agricultural use.

intensive agriculture

Farming that requires large amounts of labor and capital investment relative to the size of the land.

Intensive Commercial Agriculture

High-investment, high-yield commercial farming on smaller plots, including market gardening and plantations.

market gardening

The small-scale commercial production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers sold directly to local consumers.

plantation agriculture

Large-scale intensive commercial farming in tropical developing nations, specializing in cash crops for export.

mixed crop and livestock

Farming where crops (like corn and soy) are grown intensively specifically to fatten livestock for slaughter.

intensive subsistence agriculture

Farming where a family expends heavy manual labor on a small plot to maximize food yield for survival.

Extensive Agriculture

Farming or ranching that uses large expanses of land with minimal labor and capital inputs per acre.

Extensive Commercial Agriculture

Large-scale commercial farming that uses massive tracts of land and minimal human labor.

Ranching

An extensive commercial farming practice where livestock graze freely over massive geographic areas.

extensive subsistence agriculture

Using large areas of land with low labor inputs to produce food solely for family survival.

Pastoral Nomadism

An extensive subsistence practice based on traveling with and herding domesticated animals.

nomadic herding

Another common term used to describe pastoral nomadism.

shifting cultivation

Subsistence farming where fields are cleared, used for a few years, and abandoned to recover naturally.

slash and burn agriculture

Another name for shifting cultivation, where vegetation is cut down and burned to use the ash as fertilizer.

economic factors for farmers

The critical financial costs that dictate farming decisions: land costs, labor costs, and machinery costs.

agricultural hearth

A specific geographic region of the world where farming and crop domestication independently began.

early domesticated animals

The first species tamed by humans, including sheep, goats, dogs, cattle, pigs, and horses.

Fertile Crescent

The Middle Eastern hearth where wheat, barley, rye, oats, and olives were first domesticated.

Southeast Asia

The historic agricultural hearth for crops like taro, mangoes, and coconuts.

East Asia

The historic agricultural hearth where rice and soybeans were first domesticated.

Americas

The early agricultural hearth for maize (corn), potatoes, squash, and peppers.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The early agricultural hearth where yams, sorghum, and coffee originated.

agricultural diffusion through trade

The spreading of crops to entirely new global regions along established commerce routes.

Silk Road

The ancient overland trade route connecting China and the Mediterranean, facilitating early crop exchange.

Indian Ocean Trade Route

A massive maritime trade network that connected East Africa, the Middle East, India, and China.

Columbian Exchange

The historic global transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

agricultural diffusion through migration

The spreading of crops to new regions via the physical relocation of moving populations.

agricultural diffusion by the Green Revolution

The rapid 20th-century spread of high-yield seeds and chemical inputs to developing nations.

high-yielding varieties

Scientifically improved strains of cereal crops (like rice and wheat) that grow faster and produce more food.

settlement patterns

The distinct physical layout and distribution of homes, farms, and buildings across a rural landscape.

clustered, dispersed, linear

The three primary classifications of rural human settlement configurations.

linear settlement

A rural layout where houses and farm buildings are arranged tightly along a road or river.

clustered settlement

A rural layout where homes and farm buildings are packed closely together around a shared village center.

dispersed settlement

A rural layout characterized by isolated farmsteads situated far apart from neighboring homes.

rural survey methods

The historical and mathematical systems used by societies to divide and boundary lines on farmland.

metes & bounds, long lot, township & range

The three major rural land survey methods used historically.

Metes and Bounds

A land survey method that uses distances, angles, and natural land landmarks to outline property boundaries.

Long Lot

A land survey layout featuring long, narrow strips of property stretching backward from a shared river or road.

Township and Range

A rigid, grid-like land survey system designed to disperse settlers evenly across expansive farm properties.

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture completely integrated into a corporate food-processing and distribution network.

family farms

A farm owned, managed, and physically operated primarily by a single family with little outside help.

carrying capacity

The maximum population size that a specific environment's resource base can sustainably support over time.

commodity chain

The sequential network of corporate steps required to process, manufacture, and distribute a product.

Agricultural Density

The ratio comparing the total number of manual farmers directly to the total amount of farmable land.

Physiological Density

The ratio comparing a region's total human population directly to its available arable land area.

capital

The financial funds, machinery, or investments required to establish and run an enterprise or farm.

migrant labor

Workers who relocate periodically throughout the year to follow the seasonal planting and harvesting of crops.

consolidate

The corporate process of buying small family operations and merging them into massive commercial farms.

agricultural commodity chain

The step-by-step corporate journey of food from the field to the kitchen table.

agricultural labor force

The total count of individuals working in farming, categorized by the exact type of labor they perform.

Von Thunen Model

An economic model explaining how transportation costs and market proximity dictate agricultural land use patterns.

bid rent

An economic theory stating that land prices and real estate demand drop steadily as distance from the market center increases.

near the city in Von Thunen model

Highly intensive, perishable operations like dairy farming and market gardening.

further from the market in Von Thunen model

Extensive field crop operations that are non-perishable, such as extensive grain farming.

farthest from the market in Von Thunen model

Highly extensive livestock grazing and open ranching operations requiring vast space.

factors that have changed the Von Thunen model

Modern advancements like industrial refrigeration, rapid transport networks, and chemical food processing.

intensive and extensive in Von Thunen model

Intensive operations sit close to the market; extensive operations sit far away on cheap land.

produce

A collective term describing fresh, un-processed fruits and vegetables.

truck farming

Large-scale intensive commercial fruit and vegetable gardening focused on a few high-demand crops for shipping.

multiple markets

Modern agricultural networks offering farmers numerous local, regional, and international selling channels.

container shipping

A standardized global tracking and cargo system making it seamless to transition goods from ships to trains or trucks.

refrigeration

Artificial temperature cooling networks that stall food spoilage and extend global shipping distances.

LDC

Less Developed Country; a nation in the earlier stages of industrialization and wealth accumulation.

MDC

More Developed Country; a wealthy, highly industrialized nation with advanced infrastructure.

monocropping

The intensive practice of growing the exact same crop on a single plot of land year after year.

export commodities

Agricultural goods produced primarily to be sold abroad to an entirely different nation.

global trade

The international system of commercial exchange operating across sovereign national borders.

global supply chain

The cross-border network tracking natural resources as they transform into consumer-ready products.

fair trade movement

An alternative trade system promoting ethical wages, social equity, environmental safety, and direct grower payouts.

infrastructure

The foundational physical systems of a region, including roads, power grids, and transit networks.

Patriarchal Society

A social organization where men hold primary political authority, economic power, and property ownership.

female employment in agriculture

The share of women in the farming workforce; typically higher in LDCs and lower in MDCs.

female land ownership

A key metric of societal equality, which is significantly lower in highly patriarchal regions.

undernourishment

A physiological state where food consumption consistently falls below required daily nutritional thresholds.

food desert

A geographic area characterized by a severe lack of affordable, healthy, and fresh food options.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A subscription farming model where consumers buy shares of a harvest ahead of time for regular fresh food delivery.

organic farming

An agricultural practice strictly avoiding synthetic inputs, utilizing natural processes to cultivate crops.

Specialty Crops

High-value agricultural items produced in smaller batches but yielding strong corporate profits.

food insecurity

The economic state of lacking reliable, consistent access to sufficient quantities of nutritious food.

urban farming

The deliberate cultivation, processing, and distribution of food directly inside municipal town or city limits.

community garden

A shared city lot or property cultivated collaboratively by neighborhood residents for personal food consumption.

eat local

A consumer movement encouraging people to purchase food items sourced nearby to support local farms.

Second Agricultural Revolution

The historical shift coinciding with the Industrial Revolution that boosted food outputs using machinery.

Industrial Revolution

A wave of technology advancements starting in the late 1700s that mechanized manufacturing and agriculture.

Steel Plow

An improved, durable iron tool used to easily cut through tough soil for planting.

agricultural productivity

The rate or efficiency at which crops and agricultural outputs are produced per unit of land.