Second Agricultural Revolution Info Cards - AP Human Geography

Seed Drill and Seed Plow

Plants seeds quickly and efficiently.

• Replaced hand scattering, reducing seed waste.

• Pulled by horses/oxen.

• Drills holes, deposits seeds, and covers them.

Mechanical Reaper

Harvests grain crops mechanically.

• Increased grain yields 10x.

• Pulled by horses.

• Cuts and bundles grain simultaneously.

Gasoline-Powered Tractor

Revolutionized most prior agricultural tech.

• Powered tools for plowing, planting, and harvesting.

• No longer pulled by animals.

Synthetic Fertilizers

Provides high-nutrient plant food.

• high in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium

• Boosted crop yields dramatically

Pesticides

Kills/repels pests damaging crops.

Types:

• General: Targets animals/insects.

• Herbicides: Targets weeds competing with crops.

Better Diets and Increased Population

• Cause: Crops from Americas spread to Europe and Asia.

• Effect: Better diets prevented malnutrition, supporting population growth.

Economic Shift

• Cause: From subsistence farming to cash crop production.

• Effect: Farmers earned money from their produce.

Longer Life Expectancies, Falling Death Rates

• Cause: Better diets and increased food availability.

• Effect: People lived longer, lowering death rates.

Farmers Moving to Factories

• Cause: Agricultural modernization.

• Effect: Jobs shifted from farms to factories.

Negative Environmental Impacts

• Pesticides:

  • Some don’t break down, harming humans and wildlife.

  • Pests can adapt, requiring stronger pesticides.

• Fertilizers:

  • Excess use causes nutrient pollution.

  • Nutrients seep into groundwater or run off into waterways.