AP Human Geography: Agricultural Patterns and Processes

Mediterranean climate

Hot, dry summer climate, mild winters and defined rainy season.

Location of Mediterranean climate

Shores of the Mediterranean, parts of California, Chile, and Oregon.

Foods produced in Mediterranean climate

Olives, oranges, Mediterranean diet.

Tropical climate

Hot, humid climate, produces plants like cassava, bananas, sugar cane, etc. Found just north and south of the equator.

Intensive farming practices

Market gardening, plantation agriculture, mixed crop/livestock systems.

Intensive agriculture

Farming that uses significant amounts of labor and money.

Market Gardening

Small scale food production for sale at local markets.

Plantation Agriculture

Cash crops grown on large estates, usually for exports, use lots of human labor.

Mixed crop/livestock farming

Combination of cash crops and livestock, benefits farms year-round.

Extensive Farming

Farming that uses significant amounts of land and less labor and money.

Extensive farming practices

Shifting cultivation, slash and burn, nomadic herding, ranching.

Metes and bounds

Irregularly shaped, don't conform to a rectangular system, from this tree to that rock to the river, created by the British, found in New England.

Township and Range

Rectangular survey system used by the US government to divide up the west.

Long Lot

Divided into narrow panels stretching from roads, rivers, or canals giving each household equal access to resources, found in French parts of the US.

First Agricultural Revolution

Occurred roughly 10,000 years ago, humans achieved plant and animal domestication, occurred around the world by multiple groups of people at roughly the same time, shift from hunter gatherers to agriculture, advancements in society because everyone doesn't have to be hunting, constant source of food.

Early hearths of domestication

Fertile crescent (Middle East), Indus River Valley (India), Southeast Asia (China), and Central America.

The Columbian Exchange

One of the first examples of globalization, resulted in the global spread of various plants, animals, ideas, and diseases.

The Second Agricultural Revolution

Occurred from the 1700s-1900s and caused an increase in food production and more factory workers, closely related to the Industrial Revolution.

Advancements of the Second Agricultural Revolution

Enclosure system, selective breeding, new crops, and improved tools.

The Green Revolution

Did not include GMOs, caused the increased use of chemicals, high yield seeds, and mechanized farming from the 1950s - 1980s.

Positive impacts of the Green Revolution

Increased the food supply, more crops could be grown on the same size land, and there was an improvement in variety.

Negative impacts of the Green Revolution

Destroyed local land, traditional farming practices, decreased biodiversity, and caused impacts from chemicals which are not entirely known.

Subsistence Agriculture

only enough food is cultivated to survive, variety of crops

Commercial agriculture

production of crops for sale and profit, single crop

Monoculture

commercial, growing one crop in a farm system at a given time, may change from year-to-year

Mono-Cropping

commercial, growing one crop in a farm system year after year

Multi cropping

growing several crops in a farm system, typically subsistence

Bid-Rent Theory

various land users are prepared and able to pay for access to the central business district, the further from the CBD, the lower the price of land

Agribusiness

large-scale mechanized farming that is controlled by corporate interests, agriculture is gradually being controlled by a small number of large corporations instead of many independent farmers

Commodity Chain

activities involved in the creation of a product

Example of a Commodity Chain

cotton grown in the US, then turned into fabric in Indonesia, sewn in Bangladesh, and then shipped to other countries to sell.

Economies of Scale

cost advantages gained by an increased level of production

Von Thunen's model

helps explain rural land use by emphasizing the importance of transportation costs associated with distance from the market

First sector of Von Thunen's model

Dairy farming and market gardening

Second sector of Von Thunen's model

Forests

Third sector of Von Thunen's model

grains/field crops

Fourth sector of Von Thunen's model

Ranching and livestock

Global Supply Chain

worldwide network to maximize profits in production, countries sell their agricultural products to other countries in exchange for their products so they don't have to grow everything

Consequences of agriculture practices

include pollution, land cover change, desertification, soil salinization, and more conservation efforts

Pollution

agriculture is a big pollutant, process by which soil and water are contaminated by chemicals

Land Cover Change

Process by which agricultural areas are lost to development. Happens twice, first when land is changed into agricultural land, and second when agricultural land is changed into suburbs

Desertification

process by which fertile land becomes a desert as a result of human activities, like inappropriate agriculture and overgrazing. Example: Aral Sea

Soil Salinization

salt increases in the soil due to pesticides or over irrigation

Conservation Efforts

primarily to improve soil structure and protect against erosion and nutrient losses

Terraces

Flat steps are created on the sides of hills to create more land for farming, risks of erosion, affects animal migrations.

Irrigation

Artificial application of water to land for the facilitation of agriculture, NOT RAIN.

Deforestation

Clearing of the forest to make the land available for other uses.

Pastoral Nomadism

Pasture land used for animal grazing, can cause overgrazing.

Social effects of agricultural practices

Changing diets, role of women, economic purpose.

How does changing agricultural practices cause changing diets

MDCs continue their demand for meat, LDCs see an increase in their demand for meat as well as convenient processed foods.

Changing roles of women (contemporary)

Women used to do most of the work in agriculture but got little recognition or respect. Now women are increasing their role in rural agricultural economies.

Changing economic purposes of ag

LDC farmers grow cash crops to sell to MDC as opposed to local sales. More people also grow crops for illegal purposes or bio-fuels.

Agricultural innovations

Have been accompanied by debates over sustainability, soil and water usage, reductions in biodiversity, and extensive fertilizer and pesticide use.

Biotechnology

Use of scientific tools and techniques to modify plants and animals.

GMOs

Plant or animal whose DNA has been genetically modified, causing less biodiversity.

Aquaculture

Raising of fish in ponds and controlled saltwater hatcheries.

Value Added Foods

Foods increased in value due to alterations in production, size, shape, appearance, location, or convenience.

Organic Farming

Crops produced without synthetic or industrially produced pesticides and fertilizers or genetically engineered seeds.

Fair Trade

Trade between MDC and LDC in which fair prices are paid to the farmers.

CSA

Community supported agriculture, individuals who pledge support to a farm to the farm can have a stable amount of consumers.

Local Food Movements

Push to eat food grown and harvested nearby where it is purchased.

Contemporary dietary shifts

Movement from processed foods, meat, and sugars toward one more based on fruits and vegetables.

Food insecurity

State of being without reliable access to a grocery store or a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Food Desert

Geographic area where residents have limited access to fresh, nutritious foods.

Distribution Issues

Increased demand for grain to be used to feed animals and biofuels, lack of roads or proper transportation.

Weather

Agriculture is affected by high/low temperatures, drought, flooding, storms, and freezing.

Suburbanization

Growth of residential areas.

Female participation in agriculture

Varies by region, with higher amounts of participation in LDCs.

What came from the New World in the Colombian Exchange and what came from the Old World?

New world: maize (corn), chiles, tobacco, white and sweet potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, papaya, pineapples, squash, pumpkins, and avocados, cacao, vanilla, tobacco, turkey. Old World: rice, wheat, sugar cane, and livestock, diseases, turnips, coffee, peaches, onions, citrus, grapes, bananas, honeybees.

What type of rural land settlement is this?

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