APHuG Unit 5 Vocabulary Terms

Agribusiness

Large-scale, corporate-owned farming that uses advanced technology, mechanization, and global distribution networks.

Agriculture

Growing crops and raising animals for food, fiber, and other products.

Animal domestication

Breeding and managing animals for human use such as food, labor, or companionship.

Aquaculture

Farming of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in controlled environments.

Bid Rent Theory

Explains how land users compete for land based on distance from a market; closer land is more expensive.

Biotechnology

Use of living organisms or genetic engineering to improve crops and livestock.

Cadastral system

Method of land ownership identification using surveys, titles, and boundaries.

Cash crop

Crop grown primarily for sale and profit rather than personal use (e.g., cotton, coffee).

Commercial agriculture

Large-scale farming for sale, using machinery, technology, and hired labor.

Commodity chain

Sequence of processes from production to consumption of a product.

Cool chains

Refrigerated transport systems that preserve perishable foods during distribution.

Crop rotation

Alternating crops each season to maintain soil fertility and reduce pests.

Dairy farming

Raising cows or other animals for milk and dairy products.

Deforestation

Clearing forests for agriculture or development, often harming ecosystems.

Desertification

Degradation of land into desert-like conditions due to overuse or climate change.

Double cropping

Growing two different crops on the same land in one year.

Extensive agriculture

Farming with low labor and capital per unit of land (e.g., ranching).

Fair trade movement

Effort to ensure fair wages and sustainable practices for farmers in developing regions.

Feedlot

Confined area where livestock are fattened using grain feed (common in industrial farming).

First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution)

Transition from hunting-gathering to farming about 10,000 years ago.

Food desert

Area with limited access to affordable, nutritious food, often in low-income regions.

Food insecurity

Lack of consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

Food processing

Transforming raw agricultural goods into consumable food products.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Crops altered through genetic engineering to improve yield, resistance, or nutrition.

Grain farming

Large-scale production of cereal crops such as wheat, corn, and rice.

Green Revolution

20th-century increase in food production due to high-yield seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation.

Horticulture

Intensive cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants.

Hunting and gathering

Obtaining food by collecting plants and hunting animals; earliest human subsistence method.

Intensive agriculture

Farming using high labor or capital inputs to maximize yield per land unit.

Intercropping

Growing multiple crops together to maximize space and reduce pests.

Intertillage

Removing weeds between crop rows using tools or machinery.

Livestock fattening

Feeding animals high-energy diets to increase weight before market.

Livestock ranching

Raising animals for meat on large tracts of land (common in dry regions).

Long lots

Narrow land parcels extending from rivers, designed for equal water access.

Luxury crops

Non-essential crops grown for profit (e.g., coffee, tea, tobacco).

Market gardening

Small-scale production of fruits/vegetables for local markets.

Mediterranean agriculture

Farming system in dry-summer, wet-winter climates (grapes, olives, citrus).

Metes and bounds

Land survey system using physical landmarks and directions.

Milkshed

Region surrounding a city that supplies its dairy products.

Monoculture

Growing a single crop or livestock type, increasing efficiency but reducing biodiversity.

Organic farming

Agriculture without synthetic chemicals, pesticides, or GMOs.

Pastoral nomadism

Seasonal movement of livestock to find fresh pasture and water.

Paddy rice farming

Intensive rice cultivation in flooded fields, common in Asia.

Plant domestication

Genetically modifying plants over time to make them useful for humans.

Plantation agriculture

Large-scale monocrop farming in tropical regions, often for export (e.g., bananas, sugar).

Primary economic activities

Extraction of natural resources (agriculture, mining, fishing).

Primogeniture

System where the eldest child inherits all land, preventing fragmentation.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Advances in farming (mechanization, crop rotation) during Industrial Revolution.

Seed agriculture

Growing crops from seeds, dominant in modern farming.

Shifting cultivation (slash-and-burn)

Clearing land by cutting/burning vegetation; soil loses fertility quickly.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming for personal or family consumption rather than sale.

Terrace farming

Carving steps into hillsides to reduce erosion and allow farming.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Modern farming with GMOs, chemicals, and advanced technology.

Township-and-range

Rectangular land division system used in the U.S. (grid pattern).

Truck farm

Commercial farming of fruits/vegetables for sale to distant markets.

Value-added crops

Crops that gain higher value due to processing or branding (e.g., organic, specialty).

Value-added farming

Processing raw products into higher-value goods (e.g., milk → cheese).

Vegetative planting

Growing new plants from cuttings rather than seeds.

Vertical integration

Company controls multiple stages of production, processing, and distribution.

Von Thünen’s Model

Model explaining agricultural land use based on distance from a central market (transport cost vs. land value).