Unit 5 Vocabulary (Agriculture)

Agribusiness

The system of commercial farming that includes all steps in producing food, from development of seeds and fertilizers to processing and marketing of finished products.

Agricultural revolution

Significant changes in agriculture occurring at various points in history.

First Agricultural Revolution

The domestication of plants and animals, also known as the Neolithic Revolution.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Coincided with the Industrial Revolution; increased agricultural productivity through mechanization.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Focused on increased crop yields through scientific advancements, also known as the Green Revolution.

Agriculture

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

Aquaculture

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions.

Cereal grain

A grass yielding grain for food.

Commercial agriculture

Agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm.

Crop

Any plant cultivated by people.

Crop rotation

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

Dairy Farm

A farm that produces milk or milk products, usually located near urban centers.

Desertification

Degradation of land, primarily due to human actions such as excessive crop planting and animal grazing.

Dietary energy consumption

The amount of food consumed, measured in kilocalories.

Double cropping

Harvesting twice a year from the same field.

Fishing

The activity of catching fish, either for food or for sport.

Food security

Access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs.

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

A living organism with a novel combination of genetic material obtained through biotechnology.

Grain

Seed of a cereal grass.

Green revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

Horticulture

The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Intensive subsistence agriculture

A form of subsistence agriculture where farmers work extensively to maximize yield.

Milkshed

The area surrounding a city from which milk is supplied.

Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming

Commercial farming characterized by the integration of crops and livestock.

No tillage

A farming practice that leaves all soil undisturbed and the residue of the previous year's harvest on the soil surface.

Overfishing

Capturing fish at a faster rate than they can reproduce.

Paddy

A flooded field for growing rice.

Pastoral nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals.

Plantation

A large farm in tropical climates specializing in one or two crops for sale.

Prime agricultural land

The most productive farmland.

Ranching

A form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over an extensive area.

Ridge tillage

A system of planting crops on ridge tops to reduce production costs and promote soil conservation.

Sawah

A flooded field for growing rice.

Shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture shifting activity from one field to another.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

A farming technique where trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize land.

Subsistence agriculture

Agriculture designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmer’s family.

Swidden

A patch of land cleared for planting through slashing and burning.

Transhumance

Seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

Truck farming

Commercial gardening and fruit farming, named for the tradition of bartering.

Undernourishment

Dietary energy consumption continuously below the minimum requirement.

Wet rice

Rice grown in flooded fields.

Biotechnology

The use of living organisms to produce useful products.

Chaff

Husks of grain separated from the seed by threshing.

Combine

A machine that reaps, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field.

Conservation agriculture

A farming system that aims to conserve resources by minimizing soil disturbance.

Enclosure System

Consolidation of small landholdings into larger farms in 18th century England.

Feedlot

An area where livestock are fed and fattened.

Hull

The outer covering of a seed.

Hunting and Gathering

Collecting wild animals and plants for sustenance.

Intertillage

Planting crops between rows of existing crops.

Long Lot Survey System

Land divided into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers or roads.

Metes and Bounds System

Land surveying system relying on natural features for descriptions.

Monoculture

The agricultural practice of growing a single crop or livestock species.

Organic farming

Farming that relies on environmentally friendly agricultural techniques.

Pasture

Grass or plants grown for feeding grazing animals.

Polyculture

Growing several crops on the same field simultaneously.

Primary economic activity

Economic activity concerned with direct extraction of natural resources.

Reaper

A machine that cuts cereal grain standing in a field.

Rectangular Survey System

Divides land into rectangles, used to encourage homesteading.

Sauer, Carl

A geographer who defined cultural landscape, highlighting human impact on the environment.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Benefited from the Industrial Revolution, improving methods of cultivation and storage.

Sedentary

Settled, non-migratory.

Shifting agriculture

A subsistence agriculture model where fields are used for a limited time before being left fallow.

Specialty farming

Farming that grows high-demand crops for cash sales.

Spring Wheat

Wheat planted in the spring and harvested in late summer.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming methods preserving long-term land productivity and minimizing pollution.

Threshing

Separation of grain from chaff.

Township and Range System

A system dividing land into townships and sections for organization.

Urban subsistence farming

Growing food in cities for personal use to address food insecurity.

Vertical integration

Single-company control over multiple stages in food production.

Winnowed

Separating grain from chaff by blowing air through it.

Winter Wheat

Wheat planted in autumn and harvested in early summer.