Unit Five Vocab

Agriculture

is the purposeful cultivation of plants or raising of animals to produce goods for survival

Domestication

the deliberate effort to grow plants and raise animals, making plants and animals adapt to human demands, and using selective breeding to develop desirable characteristics

Intensive Farming

an agricultural practice that aims to maximize crop yield per unit of land by using large amounts of labor, capital, and inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, and water, often requiring a smaller land area but demanding high levels of management and investment to achieve high production rates

Extensive Farming

a type of agricultural practice that uses relatively low inputs of labor, capital, and chemicals per unit of land, often relying on large land areas with minimal intervention, typically found in regions with low population density

Subsistence Farming

For some farmers, growing food is a matter of survival. They grow and raise a diverse range of crops and livestock for their family’s consumption

Commercial Farming

Other farmers grow crops and raise livestock for profit to sell to customers, who buy these goods in a form of agriculture

First Agricultural Revolution

the historical shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities, marked by the domestication of plants and animals, leading to the development of permanent settlements and complex societies, usually occurring around 10,000 BCE and also known as the Neolithic Revolution; essentially, the transition from hunting and gathering to farming.

Second Agricultural Revolution

It involved the mechanization of agricultural production, advances in transportation, development of large-scale irrigation, and changes to consumption patterns of agricultural goods

Green Revolution

a period of significant agricultural advancements, primarily in the mid-20th century, where new technologies like high-yield crop varieties, chemical fertilizers, and improved irrigation systems were introduced, leading to a major increase in food production globally, particularly in developing countries, aimed at alleviating food shortages

Agribusiness

The set of economic and political relationships that organize food production for commercial purposes

GMO

Genetically Modified Organism," meaning a plant, animal, or microbe whose genetic makeup has been altered using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits like pest resistance or increased yield

Aquaculture

the farming or cultivation of aquatic organisms like fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in controlled environments

Columbian Exchange

the widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the "New World" (Americas) and the "Old World" (Europe, Africa, Asia) following Christopher Columbus' voyages

Desertification

the process where fertile land gradually degrades into a desert-like environment

Deforestation

the clearing or destruction of forested areas, primarily by human activity, to convert the land into non-forest use like agriculture, urbanization, or logging, often resulting in significant ecological disruption and biodiversity loss.

Soil Salinization

the process where excessive salts accumulate in the soil, typically due to irrigation in arid climates, causing the land to become infertile as water evaporates, leaving behind salt deposits

Monocropping

the cultivation of one or two crops that are rotated seasonally—commonly corn, soybeans, wheat, or cotton

Intercropping

the agricultural practice of growing two or more different crops simultaneously in the same field

Bid-Rent Theory

This explains how land value determines how a farmer will use the land—either intensively or extensively.

Pastoral Nomadism

People who practice this type of agriculture move their animals seasonally or as needed to allow the best grazing. It requires far-reaching areas of land to prevent overgrazing—the destruction of feed plants that results from livestock overpopulation or overfeeding.

Agricultural Hearth

Each area where different groups began to domesticate plants and animals.

Food Insecurity

the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life

Organic Farming

an agricultural practice that focuses on growing crops and raising livestock without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Food Desert

an area where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, often characterized by a lack of supermarkets or grocery stores within a convenient traveling distance

Ranching

a type of commercial agriculture where livestock, primarily cattle, are allowed to roam over a large, established area of land to graze, with farmers remaining settled in one location, essentially raising animals on extensive grazing pastures

Market Gardening

smaller scale farming that produces a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers to be sold at closeby markets or urban areas to local grocery stores, restaurants, and more!