APHUG Unit 5

agriculture

raising of crops and livestock for food

domesticated plant

plant cared and used by humans and distinct from wild ancestors

domesticated animal

animal that depends on ppl for food and shelter and distinct from wild ancestors

farmer

someone who raises crops and livestock to sell for profit

physical geography

study of Earth’s physical traits and processes

nutrients

components of topsoil required for plants to grow and reproduce

topography

arrangement of shapes on Earth’s surface

climate

avg pattern of weather over long period of time for a particular region

weather

daily atmospheric conditions that affect daily decisions

tropical climate

dry season w/ little rain

tropical wet climate

climate experiencing rain daily

monsoon

seasonal reversal of winds, onshore movement in summer & offshore movement in winter

monsoon rains

long periods of heavy rain daily at the end of short dry season

arid climate

receives less than 10 in of rain annually

semiarid/steppe climate

receives abt 10-20 in of rain annually to support farming

moderate climate

avg year-round temperatures of 75 degrees F found north and south of equator on edges of tropics

humid subtropical climate

long, hot summers and short, mild winters w/ varying precipitation

• found on east coast of continents

marine west coast climates

moderate temperatures during long summer and cool winters

• found on west coasts of continents

Mediterranean climate

• winter precipitation averaging 15-25 in

• unusually mild winters

• clear skies w/ a lot of sunshine

continental climate

large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation, found in interior of continents - north of moderate climates

humid continental climate

wide range of temperatures, moderate precipitation, four distinct seasons

e.g. Chicago

humid cold/subarctic climate

frigid temperatures nearly year round, found in northern parts of continental climate

intensive agriculture

agriculture that uses high levels of labor and enough financial capital to operate a farm

subsistence agriculture

food production for consumption by family and local community

commercial agriculture

agriculture for sell in a market

market gardening

farming where a farmer plants few acres of crops mainly for sale in regional market

truck farm

more acres than market gardening, less crop diversity, mainly for national + global markets

plantation

large piece of land of capital-intensive (require costly investments) specialized production of single tropical or subtropical crop

e.g. banana plantation

mixed crop/livestock agriculture

diverse system of agriculture based on cultivation of cereal grains, root crops & rearing of herd livestock

cereal grains

seeds that come from wide variety of grasses grown globally

millet

fast growing cereal plant widely grown in warm regions w/ poor soil

root crops

vegetables that form below ground and must be dug at maturity

cash crops

meant to be sold for profit, often thru exports
e.g. cotton, coffee

peasants

small scale farmers who own their fields, rely mainly on family labor, produce crops for own sustenance and sale on market

paddy rice farming

system of wet rice farming on small level fields bordered by watertight dikes (long walls)

grain farming

intensive, machine-heavy farming production of cereal grains

livestock fattening

intensive system of animal feeding using fenced enclosures to fatten livestock for slaughter & processing for market

feedlots

fenced enclosures used to limit movement and associated weight loss

dairying

farming system specializing in raising livestock to produce milk and its byproducts

extensive agriculture

agriculture requiring little labor or monetary investment

shifting cultivation

cultivation of a plot of land until it becomes less productive

slash-and-burn/swidden agriculture

cutting, burning and then planting crops in small plots in forests

intercropping

planting multiple crops together in same clearing

nomadic herding/nomadic pastoralism/pastoralism

system of raising livestock by moving them over more expansive areas of pastures

tundra

vast flat arctic region of Asia, Europe, North America where subsoil is permanently frozen

livestock ranching

practice of using large plots of land to raise herds of livestock to sell meat, hides, wool

rural area

located outside of towns, cities

rural settlement

small group of ppl living outside urban area

agricultural landscape

visible imprint of agricultural practices

grain elevator

large storage facility for grain

suitcase farm

farm where no one lives on & is used for planting crops, relies on hired migratory labor

silo

tower-like structure storing feed for livestock on the farm

settlement patterns

ways people organize themselves on land

clustered settlements/farm villages

tightly bunched farm settlement having few dozen

• often connected thru family, religion

farmstead

center of farm operations

dispersed/isolated settlement pattern

families live distant from each other

linear settlement pattern

buildings are arranged in a line, often along road, river

survey methods

used by surveyors to lay out property lines

cadastral survey

careful, planned documentation of property ownership, shape, use and boundaries

metes and bounds survey system

uses natural features (trees, streams, etc.) to draw out property lines

• irregularly shaped plots

township and range survey system

divides most of U.S. into grid of square-shaped towns

• checkerboard pattern

long-lot survey system

basic unit is a rectangle, typically 10 times longer than wide

• rectangular lots

domestication

long term process where humans selectively breed plants and animals from the wild to create a distinct species

First Agricultural Revolution

period where domestication of plants and animals & cultivation of seed crops led to development of agriculture

teosinte

wild grass native to Mexico that produced small ears of maize

• favored among early groups in Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica

cultural region in Americas including ancient civilizations of modern Mexico and Central America

biodiversity

variety among species and ecosystems

hearth

center where new practices develop and spread from

Fertile Crescent

includes river valleys of Tigris and Euphrates; earliest center for domestication and seed plants

Indus River Valley

area along Indus River; site of earliest domestication of plants and herd animals

Columbian Exchange

interaction & transfer of diseases, animals, ideas, practices btwn Americas, Old World, West Africa

Second Agricultural Revolution

period bringing improved methods of planting, harvesting and farm produce storage

seed drill

machine for planting seeds in a row

mechanical reaper

used by farmers to harvest grain crops

scythe

agricultural hand tool w/ curved blade used for cutting grain in the fields

agrichemicals

chemical compounds made from petroleum and natural gas for agriculture

synthetic fertilizer

industrially manufactured; contain higher concentrations of nutrients than natural fertilizers

pesticides

material used to kill or repel animals that damage or destroy crop growth

herbicide

pesticide used to kill or lessen growth of unwanted weeds that compete w/ crops

nutrient pollution

excess nutrients seep down into groundwater or carried into nearby water as runoff

runoff

flow or rain/irrigation water over land

Green Revolution

U.S.-supported development of high yield seed types & agricultural technology for use in less developed countries

crossbreeding

mixing of different species of plants/animals to produce hybrids

hybrids

offspring of 2 plants/animals of different species

double-cropping

planting another crop on same plot of land as soon as first crop harvested

multicropping

planting 2 or more crops per yr on same piece of land

hierarchical diffusion

ideas leapfrog from important ppl/things to ppl but skip over ppl

cassava

root vegetable native to South America

sorghum

grain plant native to northeast Africa

endemic

native to or characteristic of a certain place

environmental contamination

chemical residue that builds up w/ use of synthetic fertilizers + pesticides

soil salinization

concentration of dissolved salts in soil

soil salinity

measure of concentration of salt in soil

capital expenditures

assets that cost money

e.g. land, machinery

bid-rent theory

explains how demand for land & price of land decreases as distance from central business district increases

central business district (CBD)

dense cluster of offices and shops located at city’s most accessible point, usually center

large-scale commercial operation

large-scale farm exclusively for production of agricultural goods for sale in the market

monocropping (monoculture)

cultivation of single cash crop on multiple plots of land

agricultural cooperative

organization where farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity

family farm

farming operation that’s mainly owned by a family or family corporation that sells products to defined market