APHUG Unit 5 -- Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes

agriculture

the process when humans change the landscape to raise crops and livestock to eat and trade

climate

the long-term weather patterns in a region

subsistence agriculture

when farmers consume crops they grow and raise

commercial agriculture

when farmers focus on raising one specific crop to sell for profit

intensive agriculture

greater inputs by capital and paid labor relative to space used (various regions and conditions) INTensive- inside capital's hands

extensive agriculture

fewer inputs by capital and paid labor relative to the amount of space (shifting cultivation, nomadic herding, ranching) EXTensive- outside capital's hands

capital

money invested in land, equipment and machines

intensive subsistent agriculture

labor and animal intensive

Example: rice paddies in Southeast Asia

extensive commercial agriculture

uses low inputs of resources but has the goal of selling the product for profit

Example: ranching (USA, Canada, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia)

extensive subsistent agriculture

few inputs used - most often practiced in climatic extreme areas

Examples: nomadic herding, shifting cultivation

pastoral nomadism

Drylands (Southwest, Central, and East Asia) and (North Africa)

groups that move around to trade their livestock

shifting cultivation

Tropical (Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia)

to move from one field to another, slash and burn agriculture

plantation

Tropical/Sub Tropical ( Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia)

large commercial farm specializes in one crop

mixed crop and livestock farming

Midwestern US/Canada

Large-scale mixed crop and livestock farming is an intensive commercial integrated system that demonstrates an interdependence between crops and animals.

grain farming

The mass planting of grain crops such as wheat, barley, and millet.

China, India, Russia, USA

spring wheat

planted early spring and harvested early autumn, colder regions

winter wheat

planted in fall and harvested in early summer, warmer regions

market gardening

The small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers as cash crops sold directly to local consumers. mostly in California and southeast to take advantage of long growing seasons

truck farming

same as market gardening

milk shed

geographic distance that milk is delivered

Mediterranean agriculture

Warm Mid-Latitude (Southern coast of Europe, Northern coast of Africa, Pacific coast of US, southern tip of Africa, Chile) includes figs, dates, olives, and grapes

dairy

Cold and Warm Mid-Latitude (Northeastern US, Southeastern Canada, Northwestern Europe) supply dairy products to local areas or close areas

transhumance

seasonal herding of animals from higher elevation in summer to lower valleys in winter

ranching

Drylands (Western North America, Southeastern South America, Central Asia, Southern Africa ) for of commercial agriculture practiced in developed world, livestock eat large areas while owners stay in same place

clustered/nucleated settlements

these settlements had groups of homes located near each other in a village and fostered a strong sense of place and often shared of services, such as schools

dispersed settlements

patterns in which farmers lived in homes spread throughout the countryside

(found more so in North America)

linear settlement

buildings and human activities are organized close to a body of water or along a transportation route

metes and bounds system

a system of plat boundaries in England and by English colonists in colonial North America (so east of the Appalachians)

Ex: "from oak tree, 100 yards north, to the corner of the barn"

Public Land Survey System

aka township and range system

United States -
created rectangular plots of consistent size

township

Areas 6 miles long and 6 miles wide

section

640 acres

French long-lot system

farms were long thin sections of land that ran perpendicular to a river

First Agricultural Revolution

origin of farming, marked by first domestication of plants and animals

Fertile Crescent

an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began

independent innovation

Invention of the same phenomenon by two culture hearths without each knowing about the other's invention or, sometimes, existence.

Columbian Exchange

The global movement of plants and animals between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas.

Second Agricultural Revolution

(1700's) used advances of Industrial Revolution to increase food supplies and support population growth

Enclosure Act

Law passed in England in the late 1700's that converted public lands into private property

crop rotation

the technique of planting different crops in a specific sequence on the same plot of land in order to restore nutrients back into the soil

irrigation

taking water from its course or location to aid production of crops

Third Agricultural Revolution

(began 1970's, includes Green Revolution) agribusiness model of companies controlling development, planting, processing, and selling of food products to consumers.

Green Revolution

development of higher-yielding, disease-resistant, faster-growing varieties of grains

hybridization

the process of breeding two plants that have desirable characteristics to produce a single seed with both characteristics

genetically modified organism (GMOs)

process of humans genetically re-engineering seeds

bid-rent theory

a geographical economic theory to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the CBD increases

capital intensive

uses expensive machinery and other inputs; almost always labor-intensive

factory farming

animals are kept in close quarters, bred and fed and in a controlled environment.

aquaculture (aquafarming)

practice of raising and harvesting fish and other forms of food that live in water

double-cropping

planting and harvesting same parcel twice a year from the same field.

intercropping (also called multicropping)

when farmers grow two of more crops simultaneously on the same field

monoculture

raising of a single cash crop on large plots of land

feed lots

small spaces where hogs and cattle are kept with limited movement

agribusiness

multiple different steps of production line in food processing industry

vertical integration

when a corporation merges with another involved in different steps of production

economies of scale

an increase in efficiency to lower per-unit costs - results in greater profits

commodity chain

a process used by corporations to gather resources and transform them into goods and then transport them to consumers

carrying capacity

number of crops or people that an area can support

cool chains

transportation networks that keep food cool throughout a trip

location theory

why people choose certain locations for various types of economic activity

Von Thunen Model

An agricultural model that spatially describes agricultural activity in terms of rent. (market, intensive farming/dairy, forest, crops, ranching) used to study relative value of land and transportation costs

isotropic plain

flat and featureless with similar fertility and climate throughout

horticulture

The growing of fruits, vegetables, dairy and flowers.

bid rent curve/bid price curve

used to indicate the starting and ending position for each land use relative to the market

free-market economy

supply and demand, not government policy, determines the outcome of competition for land

comparative advantage greenbelt

naturally occurring beneficial conditions that prompt farmers to grow crops there

supply chain

all the steps required to get a product/service to customers

neoclonialism

the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies.

fair trade movement

an effort to promote higher incomes for producers and more sustainable farming

infrastructure

determining cost of consumer products made from them

land cover change

the study of how land is used and the impact of changing land use

desertification

transition of land from fertile to desert

deforestation

removal of large tracts of forest

salinization

occurs when salts from water used by plants remain in the soil

terrace farming

farmers build a series of steps into side of hill for better irrigation

center pivot irrigation

watering equipment rotates around a pivot and delivers specific amounts of water, fertilizer, or pesticides to the field

wetlands

low-lying areas that contain a significant amount of water at or near the surface

slash-and-burn

all vegetation in area of forest is cut down and burned in place

pastorl nomadism / migratory husbandry

amount of land available to herders and their families has shrunk in recent decades

Blue Revolution

modern aquaculture, producing fish, shellfish, and other products

biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

overgrazing

damage to the land so bad it won't grow again

organic food

a type of food that is produced without pesticides, bioengineering, or high-energy radiation

value added farming

consumers are willing to pay higher prices because of special qualities or they are difficult to acquire, such as organically grown meats

local-food movement

seeking out food produced nearby

urban farming

the production of farm goods within an urban area with the goal of providing locally grown food

community gardens

areas where residents can grow their own food

vertical farms

grow crops inside in stackable trays, using greenhouses, artificial lights, and hydroponics.

hydroponics

allows crops to grow without soil using mineral-enriched solutions

community-supported agriculture

brings producers and consumers into a type of partnership

food insecurity

households that lack access to food because of limited money or other resources

food desert

a neighborhood where residents have little to no access to healthy and affordable food

food distribution system

a network of trade and transportation that get food from farms to consumers

food processing

transformation of agricultural products into food or taking food items and transforming them into a different type of food

tariff

tax on imports

quota

limit on the quantity of goods imported

gender inequality

the unequal opportunities, treatment, or rights of a person based on gender

gender-specific obstacles

discriminatory practices that prevent female farmers from reaching their potential productivity

crop gap

the lack of gender equality has resulted in a 20% - 30% in terms of productivity between male- and female-run farms