Unit 5 HUG

agriculture

farming

climate

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

subsistence agriculture

the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer's family

commercial agriculture

large scale farming and ranching operations, vast land bases, large mechanized equipment, factory type labor, and latest technology

intensive agriculture

any agricultural system involving the application of large amounts of capital and/or labor per unit of cultivated land; may be part of either subsistence or commercial economy

extensive agriculture

a crop or livestock system characterized by low inputs of labor per unit area of land. May be part of either a subsistence or a commercial economy

Intensive Commercial Agriculture

any kind of agriculture activity that involves effective and efficient use of labor on small plots of land to maximize crop yield

intensive subsistence agriculture

A form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land.

extensive subsistence agriculture

consists of any agricultural economy in which the crops and/or animals are used nearly exclusively for local or family consumption on large areas of land and minimal labor input per acre

Captial

money for investment

Extensive Commercial Agriculture

A crop or livestock system in which land quality or extent is more important than capital or labor inputs in determining output

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals.

shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field to another; each field is used for crops for relatively few years and left fallow for a relatively long period.

Plantation

A large farm in tropical and subtropical climates that specializes in the production of one or two crops for sale, usually to a more developed country.

mixed crop and livestock farming

Commercial farming characterized by integration of crops and livestock; most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed directly by humans.

Grain Farming

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

Commercial Gardening

The intensive production of nontropical fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale off the farm.

market gardening

The small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers as cash crops sold directly to local consumers. Distinguishable by the large diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, during a single growing season. Labor is done manually.

Dairy Farming

a farm that produces milk or milk products, and are usually around big urban areas

milk shed

The area surrounding a city from which milk is supplied.

Mediterranean agriculture

specialized farming that occurs only in areas where the dry-summer Mediterranean climate prevails

Transhumance

The seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

Livestock Ranching

An extensive commercial agricultural activity that involves the raising of livestock over vast geographic spaces typically located in semi-arid climates like the American West.

Clustered (Nucleated) Settlements

A development pattern whereby people live close together so they may use the surrounding land for agriculture.

Often found in Europe, this settlement pattern dates back to when European (especially English) farmers used to farm the land in common.

Dispersed Settlements

A rural settlement pattern characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages.

linear settlement

a pattern of settlements in which homes and other buildings follow the lines taken by the road

Metes and Bounds

A method of land description which involves identifying distances and directions and makes use of both the physical boundaries and measurements of the land.

Public Land Survey System (township and range system)

method for surveying and identifying land, primarily dividing it into a 6-by-6-mile grid of townships

Townships

a subdivision of a county that has its own government

section

a separate part of something

French long-lot system

Linear settlements stretched out along a road or river.

First (Neolithic) Agricultural Revolution

The origin of farming marked by the first domestication of plants and animals

Animal Domestication

genetic modification of an animal such that it is rendered more amenable to human control

plant domestication

genetic modification of a plant such that its reproductive success depends on human intervention

Fertile Crescent

A geographical area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates

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 exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

Second Agricultural Revolution

tools and equipment were modified, methods of soil preparation, fertilization, crop care, and harvesting improved the general organization of agriculture made more efficient

Enclosure Acts

a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land in the country, creating legal property rights to land that was previously considered common.

crop rotation

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

Irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land

Third Agricultural Revolution

Currently in progress, the Third Agricultural Revolution has as its principal orientation the development of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's)

Green Revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

Hybridization

Breeding technique that involves crossing dissimilar individuals to bring together the best traits of both organisms

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

an organism produced by copying genes from a species with a desirable trait and inserting them into another species

Bid-Rent Theory

geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the Central Business District (CBD) increases.

capital intensive

using more capital than labor in the production process

labor intensive

Type of industry in which labor cost is a high percentage of expense.

factory farming

when animals are used for meat or dairy products but are kept indoors in very small places

aquaculture (aquafarming)

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

double cropping

Harvesting twice a year from the same field.

intercropping (multicropping)

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

Monoculture

farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year

Monocropping

An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety

Feedlots

Places where livestock are concentrated in a very small area and raised on hormones and hearty grains that prepare them for slaughter at a much more rapid rate than grazing; often referred to as factory farms.

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.

Transnational Corporations

A company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located.

Vertical Integration

Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution

Economies of Scale

factors that cause a producer's average cost per unit to fall as output rises

commodity chain

series of links connecting the many places of production and distribution and resulting in a commodity that is then exchanged on the world market

cool chains

transportation networks that keep food cool throughout a trip

location theory

A logical attempt to explain the locational pattern of an economic activity and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated.

Von Thunen Model

An agricultural model that spatially describes agricultural activity in terms of rent. Activities that require intensive cultivation and cannot be transported over great distances pay higher rent to be close to the market. Conversely, activities that are more extensive , with goods that are easy to transport, are located farther from the market where rent is less.

isotropic plain

A hypothetical portion of the earth's surface assumed to be an unbounded, uniformly flat plain with uniform and unvarying distribution of population, purchasing power, transport costs, accessibility, and the like.

Horticulture

The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

bid-price curve (bid-rent curve)

can be used to determine the starting position for each land use relative to the market, as well as where each land use would end.

free market economy

an economic system in which decisions on the three key economic questions are based on voluntary exchange in markets

comparative advantage

the ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another producer

supply chain

the connected chain of all of the business entities, both internal and external to the company, that perform or support the logistics function

luxury crops

Non-subsistence crops such as tea, cacao, coffee, and tobacco

Neocolonialism

Also called economic imperialism, this is the domination of newly independent countries by foreign business interests that causes colonial-style economies to continue, which often caused monoculture (a country only producing one main export like sugar, oil, etc).

fair trade movement

an alternative method of international trade which promotes environmentalism, fair wages, alleviation of global poverty and a fair price for growers

Subsidies

a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive.

infrastructure

the basic framework of a building or a system

Land cover change

process by which agricultural areas are lost to development

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

Salinization

Accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth.

Terrace Farming

a farming system that is in the form of steps going up a mountain

irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land

center pivot irrigation

a type of irrigation that waters crops using sprinkler systems on huge turning wheels

Wetlands

a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife.

deforestation

Destruction of forests

slash and burn agriculture

Another name for shifting cultivation, so named because fields are cleared by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris.

Blue Revolution

New techniques of fish farming that may contribute as much to human nutrition as miracle cereal grains but also may create social and environmental problems.

overgraze

to allow livestock to strip areas so bare that plants cannot grow back

Organic Foods

foods grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers

value-added crops

entails changing a raw agricultural product into something new through packaging, processing, cooling, drying, extracting or any other type of process that differentiates the product from the original raw commodity. Examples: orange juice, bacon, bagged salad mix, artisan bread, things that are worth way more than the product used to make them

Value-added farming

occurs when farmers process their crops into high-value products, rather than simply selling it as it comes from the field

Local food movement

Produced within a fairly limited distance from where it is consumed

Urban farming

The growing of fruits, herbs, and vegetables and raising animals in towns and cities, a process that is accompanied by many other activities such as processing and distributing food, collecting and reusing food waste.

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

a technique of growing plants (without soil) in water containing dissolved nutrients

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A system in which consumers pay farmers in advance for a share of their yield, usually in the form of weekly deliveries of produce.

Food Insecurity

a condition in which people do not have adequate access to food

food desert

An area in a developed country where healthy food is difficult to obtain

food distribution system

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

food processing

The cooking, canning, drying, or freezing of food and the preparing of it for market.

Tariff

A tax on imported goods

Quota

legal, numerical limits placed on the number of immigrants allowed to enter a country annually