Agriculture and Rural Land Use

What are the 3 most important elements of physical geography for agriculture?

1. crumbly texture provides structure for water/air

2. rich base of organic materials

3. diverse populations of microorganisms

How does climate influence agriculture?

helps farmers determine the types of crops to grow or animals to raise

What are the 4 major climate groups that are important to agriculture?

1. tropical

2. dry

3. moderate

4. continental

What are the 2 broad categories of agricultural practices?

1. subsistence agriculture

2. commercial agriculture

What does intensive agriculture require?

advanced technologies/high inputs

What are the 7 types of intensive agriculture?

1. market gardening

2. plantation agriculture

3. mixed crop/livestock agriculture

4. paddy rice agriculture

5. grain agriculture

6. livestock fattening

7. dairy farming

What are the 3 types of extensive agriculture?

1. shifting cultivation

2. nomadic herding

3. livestock ranching

What percentage of the Earth’s surface is cultivated or pastured?

33.3%

Do agricultural practices and rural land-use patterns complement each other to make up the agricultural landscape?

yes

Do extensive agricultural practices generally have a less permanent impact on the landscape?

yes

What are the 3 primary rural settlement patterns?

1. clustered

2. dispersed

3. linear

subsistence agriculture

food production mainly for consumption by the farming family and local community, rather than for sale in the market

cash crop

raised to be sold for profit rather than to feed the farm family and the livestock

marketing gardening

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

plantation

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

commercial agriculture

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

peasants

small-scale farmers who own their fields, rely chiefly on family labor, and produce both for their own subsistence and for sale in the market

millet

a fast-growing cereal plant that is widely grown in warm regions with poor soil

root crops

vegetables that form below ground and must be dug at maturity such as potatoes and yams

cereal grains

seeds that come from wide variety of grasses cultivated around the world including wheat, barley, oats, and corn

truck farm

scaled-up version of market gardening, with more acreage, less crop diversity, and a stronger orientation toward more distant markets

grain farming

highly mechanized commercial farming system that speacilizes in the production of cereal grains

feedlot

fenced enclosure used for intensive livestock feeding

nomadic herding

system of breeding and rearing herd livestock by following seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasture lands

livestock ranching

practice of using extensive tracts of land to raise herds of livestock to sell as meat or wool

tundra

vast, flat, treeless arctic region that is permanently frozen

What does intensive agriculture require?

high levels of labor and money

The second agricultural revolution coincided with

the Industrial Revolution

climate

average pattern of weather over a 30-year pattern for a particular region

nutrients

components of topsoil necessary for plants to survive, grow, and reproduce

topography

arrangement of shapes on Earth’s surface

agriculture

planting and harvesting of domesticated plants and the raising of domesticated animals for food

farmers

individuals who pratice agriculture by growing crops, raising animals

monsoons

seasonal reversal of winds with a general onshore movement in summer and a general offshore movement in winter

moderate climate

climate that has a large range of temperatures and moderate percipitation

weather

day-to-day atmospheric conditions that affect daily decisions

humid subtropical climate

climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters with variable percipitation

semiarid climate

climate that receives about 10-20 inches of rain anually that can support farming

physical geography

study of Earth’s physical characteristics and processes

arid climate

climate that receives less than 10 inches of rain annually

tropical wet climate

climate located along the equator that experiences rain everyday of the year

tropical wet and dry climate

climate located along the equator that has a dry season with little to no rain

A major benefit to crop rotation would be

farmers can replenish the soil and improve agricultural productivity

The Third Agricultural Revolution is also known as

Green Revolution

Agriculture

deliberate modification of the Earth’s surface through the cultivation of plants of plants and/or rearing of animals

The first _______________________ occurred in South and Southeast Asia more than 14,000 years ago.

tropical plant domestication

Seed crops marked the first agricultural revolution, which likely originated in the ______________________________

Fertile Crescent

___________________________ occurred about 8,000 years ago.

Domestication of animals

The Second Agricultural Revolution

Moved agriculture beyond subsistence farming to generate surpluses needed to feed thousands of people working in factories.

______________________________ encouraged land consolidation into large, single-owner holdings.

Great Britain's Enclosure Act

New technologies transformed farming, and there were advances in _________________

breeding livestock

Green Revolution

Since the 1930s, agricultural scientists have experimented with technologically manipulated seed varieties to increase crop yields.

The Green Revolution has been criticized for its use of genetically modified crops and chemical fertilizers and _____________

pesticides

________ are found in 75% of all processed foods in the US.

GMOs

Purpose of Commercial Agriculture

Produced mainly for sale off the farm

Purpose of Subsistence Agriculture

Produced mainly for the farm family's survival

Location of Commercial Agriculture

more developed countries

Location of Subsistence Agriculture

less developed countries

Machinery for Commercial Agriculture

High use of machinery

Machinery for Subsistence Agriculture

Low use of machinery

Farm size of Commercial Agriculture

Large farms

Farm size of Subsistence Agriculture

Small farms

Commercial Agriculture’s relationship to other businesses

Integrated into other businesses

Subsistence Agriculture’s relationship to other businesses

Independent

Consumption of food varies around the world primarily based on physical geography and level of __________________________

socioeconomic development.

Developing regions differ most in their primary sources of ________ consumed.

protein

The UN estimates that ______ million people are undernourished.

850

Land is cleared by ___________________ agriculture (land is only tended for a few years at a time).

slash and burn

intensive subsistence

Found in areas with high population and agricultural densities (East, South, and Southeast Asia).

Livestock is fed with crops grown on the ______ farm.

same

Income is from the sale of ________ products.

animal

mixed crop and livestock farming

Involves crop rotation, which helps maintain fertility of the land.

Dairy Farming is found in

NE US, SE Canada, and NW Europe.

grain farming and livestock

Largest commercial producer of grain is in the US.

_________________ is practiced in the US, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Australia.

Livestock ranching

plantation farming

Involves the production of one crop.

Examples of plantation farming

bananas, sugarcane, coffee, tea, cocoa, cotton, rubber, palm oil, etc.

Overproduction

food supplies have increased despite constant demand.

Sustainable agriculture

managing land properly.

Population growth

population growth compels commercial and subsistence farmers to consider new farming approaches that can produce enough.

International trade

LDCs need to grow crops for subsistence, people in MDCs want a larger variety.

Drug crops

cocaine and marijuana in South America and opium and heroin.

Expanding agricultural land:

desertification in the Sahel.

Increasing productivity

high-yield seeds, fertilizers, and the Green Revolution.

Identifying new food sources

cultivating oceans, developing higher protein cereals, and improving palatability of foods.

arable land

land that is suitable for farmingIn

Intensive Farming labor and capital

High level of labor and capital input

Extensive Farming labor and capital

Lower level of labor and capital input

Intensive farming land area

Small farms

Extensive farming land area

large farms

Intensive Farming location

Practiced in densely populated regions

Extensive Farming location

Practiced in moderately populated regions

Intensive farming market proximity

Near to the market

Extensive farming market proximity

Remotely located

Intensive farming farm size

Small

Extensive farming farm size

Large

Urban

relating to the city, with a large population densely compacted.v

Rural

relating to the countryside, sparsely populated where farming occurs.

Clustered

found in cultures where small villages or settlements are clustered together, with fields surrounding the collection of houses and buildings.

Dispursed

found in mountains and or in very separate farmlands where families live on individual farms, isolated from neighbors.