The Cultural Landscape Chapter 10: Agriculture

agriculture

deliberate modification of Earth’s surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain

subsistence agriculture

found in LDCs, is the production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer's family

commercial agriculture

found in MDCs, is the production of food primarily for sale off the farm

prime agricultural land

most productive farmland

agribusiness

system of commercial farming found in the United States and other MDCs

slash-and-burn agriculture

farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning the debris

pastoral nomadism

a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals

transhumance

seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pasture areas

pasture

grass or other plants grown for feeding grazing animals, as well as land used for grazing

intensive subsistence agriculture

farmers must work intensively to subsist on a parcel of land

wet rice

the practice of planting rice on dry land in a nursery and then moving the seedlings to a flooded field to promote growth

double cropping

obtaining two harvests per year from one field

crop rotation

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

plantation

a large farm that specializes in one or two crops

cereal grain

oats, wheat, rye, or barley

milkshed

the ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling

grain

the seed from various grasses, like wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, millet, and others

ranching

the commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area

horticulture

the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers

sustainable agriculture

an agricultural practice that preserves and enhances environmental quality

ridge tillage

a system of planting crops on ridge tops

desertification

human actions are causing land to deteriorate to a desert-like condition

green revolution

the invention and rapid diffusion of more productive agricultural techniques during the 1970s and 1980s