AP Human Geography Unit 5

This is the vocab set for Ap Human unit 5

Agribusiness

large corporation that provides a vast array of goods and services to support the agricultural industry

Aquaculture

cultivation and harvesting of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions

bid rent theory

explains how the demand for and price of land decrease as its distance from the central business district increases

Biodiversity

variety and variability among species and ecosystems

Biotechnology

the use of genetically altered crops in agriculture and DNA manipulation in livestock in order to increase production

cash crop

crop raised to be sold for profit rather than to feed the farm family, examples: cotton, flax, coffee, tobacco

cereal grains

seeds that come from a wide variety of grasses cultivated around the world, including wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, and maize

clustered settlement pattern

lightly bunched farm settlement that has anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred inhabitants

columbian exchange

interaction and widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, disease, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the 15th & 16th centuries

commercial agriculture

farming oriented exclusively toward the production of agricultural commodities for sale in the market

commodity

in agriculture, a primary product that can be bought and sold, such as coffee, rice, or milk

commodity chain

series of links connecting a commodity's many places of production, distribution, and consumption

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

a model where consumers buy shares of a farm's harvest in advance, and in return receive a share of the farm's products

cool chain

system that uses refrigeration and food

Dairying

farming system that specializes in the breeding, rearing, and utilization of livestock (primarily cows) to produce milk and its various by

deforestation

clearing and destruction of forests to clear land for agriculture use

desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

dispersed settlement pattern

families live relatively distant from one another

division of labor

how a group divides the range of tasks within a social system, in subsistence tasks are generally divided based on age and gender

domestication of animals

the long term process through which humans selectively breed, protect, and care for an animal that depends on people for food and shelter is different from wild ancestors

domestication of plants

deliberately planted, protected, cared for, and used by humans

double cropping

planting another crop on the same plot of land as soon as the first crop has been harvested

Enclosure Movement

wealthy landowners in England began to enlarge their farms or fence large blocks of land, changes the cultural landscape

extensive farming

crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that require little hired labor or monetary investment to successfully raise crops and animals

fair trade

certification program that supports good crop prices for farmers and environmentally sound farming practices

Fertile Crescent

area in SW asia that includes the river valleys of the tigris and euphrates; the earliest center for domestication of seed plants

food desert

area with limited access to fresh, nutritious foods

food insecurity

occurs when large numbers of people experience long periods of inadequate diets

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

crops and livestock produced through genetic engineering

global supply chain

agribusinesses, organized at the global scale, encompasses all elements of growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposing of food for people

Grain Farming

highly mechanized commercial farming system that specializes in the production of cereal grains; requires large farms and widespread use of machinery, synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, and genetically engineered seeds

Green Revolution

US supported development of high

herbicide

type of pesticide designed to kill or inhibit the growth of unwanted plants (weeds)

high yield seeds

seeds first developed during Green Revolution by cross breeding to increase crop production

intensive farming

crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that use high levels of labor and capital relative to the size of the landholding

linear settlement pattern

buildings are arranged in a line, often along a road or river, limited to areas where legal systems dictated that property lines must be rectangular

Livestock Ranching

practice of using extensive tracts of land or rear herds of livestock to sell as meat, hides, or wool

Local Food Movements

A collaborative movement to create more locally based and self

long lot survey system

unit-block surveying system whose basic unit is a rectangle that is typically 10 times longer than it is wide

Market Gardening

small scale farming system in which a farmer plants one to a few acres that produce a diverse mixture of vegetable and fruits, mostly for sale in local and regional markets

Mechanical Reaper

machine used to harvest grain crops mechanically; patented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831

metes and bounds

survey system that uses natural features such as trees, boulders, and streams to delineate property boundaries

Mixed Crop and Livestock

diversified system of agriculture based on the cultivation of cereal grains and root crops (potatoes & yams) and the rearing of herd livestock

monocropping

cultivation of a single commercial crop on extensive tracts of land

Nomadic Pastoralism

system of breeding and rearing herd livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or goats, by following the seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasturelands

organic farming

production of crops and livestock using ecological processes, natural biodiversity, and renewable resources rather than industrial practices and synthetic inputs

Paddy Rice Farming

system of wet rice cultivation on small level fields bordered by impermeable dikes; the fields (paddies) are flooded with 4 to 6 inches of water for about three

Pesticide

material used to kill or repel animals or insects that can damage, destroy, or inhibit crop growth

Plantation Agriculture

large landholding devoted to capital intensive, specialized production of a single tropical or subtropical crop for the global marketplace

proprietary seeds

seeds that are developed and entirely owned by a company

runoff

flow of rain or irrigation water over land

seed drill

machine for planting seeds in a row, primary innovation of 2nd agricultural revolution

Shifting Cultivation

farming a plot of land until it becomes less productive, typically over a period of about three to five years; when productivity drops the farmer shifts to a new plot of land that has been prepared by slash and burn agriculture

Slash and Burn Agriculture (swidden)

involves cutting small plots in forests or woodlands, burning the cuttings to clear the ground and release nutrients and planting in the ash of the cleared plot

soil salinization

concentration of dissolved salts in the soil (high soil salinity results from poor irrigation practices)

sorghum

grain plant native to northeast Africa

subsidies

guaranteed prices for staple food crops

subsistence agriculture

food production mainly for consumption by the farming family and local community

sustainable agriculture

commitment to satisfying human food and textile needs and to enhancing the quality of life for farmers and society as whole, now and in the future it requires a balance among feeding the growing population, minimizing environmental impacts, and ensuring social justice

synthetic fertilizer

industrially manufactured introgen, phosphorus, and potassium, made from petroleum by

terrace farming

a type of farming that consists of different "steps" or terraces that were developed in various places around the world.

township and range

land survey system created by Land Ordinance 1785, divides most of the country's territory into a grid of square shaped townships with 6 mile sides

Truck farm

a scaled

urban farming

practice of growing fruits and vegetables on small private plots or shared community gardens within the confines of a city

value added specialty crops

crop whose physical state or form has bas been changed; example cotton candy grapes

von Thunen

German scholar-farmer developed a model that combined bid-rent theory with the notion of transportation cost to understand spatial distribution and intensity of agriculture