CHAPTER 9 —> Agriculture

Land Ordiance of 1785

legislation passed by Congress authorizing surveys and the division of public lands in the western region of the country

Agriculture is moving toward _________ of staple crops, especially in __________

extensive monoculture; Anglo-America

Agribusiness

commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food processing industry usually through ownership by large coroporations

agriculture

the deliberate effort to modify a portion of earth's surface through cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock to sustenance or economic gain.

cereal grain

a grass yielding grain for food

combine

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

crop

a grain of fruit gathered from a field as a harvest during a particular season

crop rotation

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

double cropping

harvesting twice a year from the same field

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 from which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land

milkshed

the area surronding a city from which milk is supplied

paddy

malay word for wet rice, commonly but incorrectly used to describes a sawah

pastoral nomadism

a form of subsistence agriculture based on herding animals.

pasture

grass or other plants grown for feeding grazing animals as well as land used for grazing

prime agricultural farmland

the most productive farmland

ranching

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

ridge tillage

system of planting crops on ridge tops to reduce farm production costs and promote greater soil conversation

Sawah

A flooded field for growing rice.

slash and burn agriculture

another name for shifting cultivation, so named because fields are clearled by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris

spring wheat

wheat planted in the spring and harvested in the late summer

sustainable agriculture

farming methods that preserve long term productivity of land and minimize pollution typcially by rotating soil restoringcrops with cash crops and reducing inputs of fertilizers and pesticides

swidden

a patch of land cleared for planting through slashing and burning

Thresh

To beat out grain from stalks by trampling it.

Transhumance

The seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

truck farming

commercial gardening and fruit farming

wet rice

rice planted on a dry land in a nursery and then moved to a deliberately flooded field to promote growth

winter wheat

wheat planted in the fall and harvested in the early summer

Shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field to another; each field is used for crops for a relatively few years and left fallow for a relatively long period.

Seed agriculture

Reproduction of plants through annual introduction of seeds, which result from sexual fertilization.

Capital intensive agriculture

Form of agriculture that uses mechanical goods, such as machinery, tools, vehicles, and facilities to produce large amounts of agricultural goods- a process requiring very little human labor.

Commercial agricultural economy

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

extensive agriculture

An agricultural system characterized by low inputs of labor per unit land area.

Labor intensive agriculture

Requires large levels of manual labor to be successful

planned agricultural community

An agricultural economy found in communist nations in which the government controls both agricultural production and distribution.

subsistence agriculture

Agriculture designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmer and the farmer's family

animal husbandry

An agriculture activity associated with the raising of domesticated animals, such as cattle, horses, sheep, and goats

biotechnology

A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify plants and animals, or to develop other microorganisms for specific purposes.

dairying

An agricultural activity involving the raising of livestock, most commonly cows and goats, for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter.

domestication

The conscious manipulation of plant and animal species by humans in order to sustain themselves.

feedlots

Places where livestock are concentrated in a very small area and raised on hormones and hearty grains that prepare them for slaughter at a much more rapid rate than grazing; often referred to as factory farms.

genetically modified food (GMOs)

Foods that are mostly products or organisms that have their genes altered in a laboratory for specific purposes, such as disease resistance, increased productivity, or nutritional value allowing growers greater control, predictability, and efficiency.

mechanization

In agriculture, the replacement of human labor with technology or machines.

pesticides

Chemicals used on plants that do not harm the plants, but kill pests and have negative repercussions on other species who ingest the chemicals.

salinization

Process that occurs when soils in arid areas are brought under cultivation through irrigation. In arid climates, water evaporates quickly off the ground surface, leaving salty residues that render the soil infertile.

specialty crops

Crops including items like peanuts and pineapples, which are produced, usually in developing countries, for export.

topsoil loss

Loss of the top fertile layer of soil is lost through erosion. It is a tremendous problem in areas with fragile soils, steep slopes, or torrential seasonal rains.

Market Gardening (Truck Farming)

commercial gardening and fruit farming named because "truck" means bartering

Plantation

A large farm in tropical and subtropical climates that specializes in the production of one or two crops for sale, usually to a more developed country.

Mix Crop and Livestock Farming

combination of cash crops and livestock to complement land and labor demands across the year

Metes and Bounds

A method of land description which involves identifying distances and directions and makes use of both the physical boundaries and measurements of the land.

Circular Clustered Rural Settlement

Central open space surrounded by structures; Maasai people of Sub-Saharan Africa, Germany in early 19th century; Many New England towns still have a central common surrounded by the church, school, and various houses

township and range system

A rectangular land division scheme designed by Thomas Jefferson to disperse settlers evenly across farmlands of the U.S. interior.

Indus River Valley

River sources in Himalayas to mouth in Arabian Sea; location of Harappan civilization.

Fertile Crescent

A geographical area of fertile land in the Middle East stretching in a broad semicircle from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

First Agricultural Revolution

Dating back 10,000 years, the First Agricultural Revolution achieved plant domestication and animal domestication

2nd Agricultural Revolution

period of technological change from the 1600s to mid-1900s beginning in Western Europe with industrial innovations to replace human labor with machines and to supplement natural fertilizers and pesticides with chemical ones

3rd agricultural revolution

Currently in progress, its principal orientation is on the development of genetically modified organisms. Also known as the green revolution

Monocropping

An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety

soil salinization

in arid regions, water evaporates leaving salts behind. (ex. Fertile crescent, southwestern US)

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

GMO

Genetically modified organism made when DNA is removed from one organism and placed within the DNA of what can be a very different organism.

Community Supported Agriculture

network between agricultural producers and consumers whereby consumers pledge support to a farming operation in order to receive a share of the output from the farming operation

food desert

An area in a developed country where healthy food is difficult to obtain

fair trade

Alternative to international trade that emphasizes small businesses and worker owned and democratically run cooperatives and requires employers to pay workers fair wages, permit union organizing, and comply with minimum environmental and safety standards.

Value-added specialty crops

"value added" goods have some other product in them or item attached to them to make them unique and able to sell at higher price.

organic farming

the use of natural substances rather than chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enrich the soil and grow crops

aquaculture (aquafarming)

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

cash crop

farm crop raised to be sold for money

Dietary energy consumption

The amount of food that an individual consumes, measured in kilocalories

food security

Physical, social, and economic access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Undernourishment

Dietary energy consumption that is continuously below the minimum requirement for maintaining a healthy life and carrying out light physical activity.

Hearths

places of origin

Cereal grains/staple grains

EX. maize, wheat, and rice