AP Human Geography - Agriculture Vocabulary

A collection of vocabulary flashcards derived from lecture notes on agriculture in AP Human Geography, covering key terms and definitions related to various agricultural practices and theories.

Agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for subsistence or economic gain.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants.

Sustainability

A method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.

Crop Rotation

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

Animal Domestication

Altering the behaviors, size, and genetics of animals to benefit humans.

Intensive Agriculture

A form of agriculture that yields a large amount of output per acre through concentrated farming.

Extensive Agriculture

A form of agriculture that yields a large amount of output per acre through less intensive farming.

Subsistence Agriculture

The production of food primarily for consumption by the farmer's family.

Commercial Agriculture

Farmers and ranchers sell all of their output for money and buy their families' food at stores.

Biotechnology

The use of genetically altered crops and DNA manipulation in order to increase production.

Debt-for-Nature Swap

A financial transaction where developing countries have some of their foreign debt forgiven in exchange for enacting conservation measures.

Plant Domestication

Altering the behaviors, size, and genetics of plants to benefit humans.

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals.

Transhumance

Seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

Farmers grow crops and raise livestock on the same land, with most of the crops fed to the animals.

Hunting and Gathering

The capturing and killing of animals and the collection of edible plants and food of early humans.

The Enclosure Movement

The fencing or hedging of large blocks of land for farming in England during the 1700s.

Winnow

The process of removing chaff from grain.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural transformation in the 1970s characterized by the use of higher yield seeds and expanded use of fertilizers.

Market Gardening

A farm where people grow products that will be sold in a market.

Specialization

The growth of specialized crops for commercial purposes.