Modern Agriculture and Rural Land Use (AP Human Geography Unit 5)

Green Revolution

A mid-20th-century package of agricultural innovations (HYV seeds, fertilizers, pesticides/herbicides, irrigation, and sometimes mechanization) that greatly increased crop yields, especially in parts of Asia and Latin America.

High-Yield Variety (HYV) seeds

Scientifically bred crop seeds (notably wheat and rice) designed to produce higher potential yields, often responding strongly to added fertilizer and reliable water.

Chemical fertilizers

Concentrated nutrient inputs (especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) used to speed plant growth and increase yields.

Pesticides and herbicides

Chemicals used to reduce crop losses by controlling insects/diseases (pesticides) and weeds (herbicides).

Irrigation

Artificial watering that stabilizes crop production by reducing dependence on rainfall and can enable multiple cropping in some regions.

Mechanization

Use of machines and capital-intensive equipment in farming to increase efficiency and support large-scale production.

Salinization

Salt buildup in soil, often caused by irrigation in dry areas when water evaporates and drainage is poor, reducing soil productivity.

Agribusiness

The corporate, industrialized side of agriculture (inputs, processing, distribution, and large-scale operations) that can shift decision-making power away from individual farms.

Eutrophication

Water-quality degradation when excess nutrients (often from fertilizer or animal waste) cause algae blooms that reduce oxygen and harm aquatic life.

Monocropping

Farming practice of planting one crop over a large area repeatedly, which can reduce biodiversity and increase vulnerability to pests/disease.

Agrobiodiversity

Variety of crops and genetic diversity within agriculture; often reduced when farming emphasizes a few staple grains.

Food security

Reliable access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food; depends on distribution and access (poverty, conflict, infrastructure), not just total production.

Agricultural production regions

Broad areas that specialize in certain agricultural products or farming systems due to the interaction of environment, culture/history, markets, infrastructure/technology, and government policy.

Specialization (agriculture)

Concentration of a region’s farming on particular crops or livestock to increase efficiency and profit, shaped by location factors and markets.

Economies of scale

Cost advantages gained by producing large quantities (often of fewer products), lowering per-unit costs and encouraging large-scale farming.

Path dependence

The “lock-in” effect where existing infrastructure and expertise keep a region focused on a product, making it harder to shift to other farming systems.

Mediterranean agriculture

Farming system tied to Mediterranean climates (wet winters, dry summers), often producing olives, grapes, and fruits/vegetables and commonly using irrigation in the dry season.

Commercial grain farming (grain/field crop belts)

Large-scale, mechanized production of grains/field crops (e.g., wheat, corn/maize, soy) typically on flat land with large fields and strong transportation links to markets.

Ranching

Raising livestock over large areas, often in regions too dry or marginal for intensive cropping, relying on extensive grazing land.

CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation)

Industrial livestock system where large numbers of animals are raised in confined spaces; feed may be produced far away while animals are finished/processed near facilities.

Plantation agriculture

Large-scale, commercial, export-oriented farming specializing in one or two cash crops, historically linked to colonial land systems, labor exploitation, and land inequality.

Von Thünen model

A model explaining agricultural land-use patterns around a central market based on transportation costs, perishability, and land rent, often shown as concentric rings.

Bid-rent (land rent competition)

The idea that different land uses can pay (“bid”) different amounts for land at various distances from a market depending on transport costs and expected revenue.

Isolated state assumption (Von Thünen)

A simplifying model assumption of one central market with no outside trade and uniform land, used to highlight how distance and transport costs shape land use.

Precision agriculture

Use of GPS, sensors, and data to apply water, fertilizer, and pesticides more efficiently, reducing waste and pollution but often requiring costly technology.