unit 5 aphug

Climate

An area’s long-term pattern of weather.

Topography

An area’s landforms or features that can impact agricultural activities.

Terracing

Steps carved into hillsides to provide more arable land.

Shifting Cultivation

A form of agriculture in tropical regions involving slash and burn techniques.

Nomadic Pastoralism

A form of agriculture where domesticated animals are raised and only killed when necessary.

Intensive Agriculture

Agriculture that requires greater inputs of capital and labor, often located closer to populations.

Boserup Thesis

The concept that population growth independently forces a conversion from extensive to intensive subsistence agriculture.

Double Cropping

The practice of harvesting twice a year on one plot of land.

Intercropping

The practice of growing two or more crops at the same time on the same field.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of disease, crops, people, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.

Second Agricultural Revolution

A period characterized by technological change in agriculture, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution.

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)

An organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.

Commercial Agriculture

Large scale farming that uses modern technologies to produce food for sale.

Bid Rent Theory

The principle that land value decreases as distance from the market increases.

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages obtained due to the scale of operation, with cost per unit of output generally decreasing with increasing scale.

Von Thünen Model

A model that explains the location of agricultural activities based on distance from a central market.

Food Network

The interconnected system that allows food products to move from production to consumption.

Food Desert

Urban or rural areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A system where consumers purchase shares from local farmers in advance.

Organic Farming

Farming that focuses on using natural methods without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Value-Added Crops

Agricultural products that have been processed to increase their overall value.