AP Human Unit 5

agricultural biodiversity

n. the variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture

agricultural landscape

n. a landscape resulting from the interactions between farming activities and a location’s natural environment

agroecosystem

n. an ecosystem modified for agricultural use

aquifer

n. layers of sand, gravel, and rocks that contain and can release a usable amount of water

biodiversity

n. the variety of organisms living in a location

Biotechnology

n. the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests

food security

n. reliable access to safe and nutritious food that can support an active and healthy lifestyle

precision agriculture

n. a farming management concept that uses technology to apply inputs with pinpoint accuracy to specific parts of fields to maximize crop yields, reduce waste, and preserve the environment

reservoir

n. artificial lake used to store water

salinization

n n. the process by which water-soluble salts build up in the soil, which limits the ability of crops to absorb water

suburbanization

n n. the shifting of population away from cities into surrounding suburbs

terracing

n. the process of carving parts of a hill or mountainside into small, level growing plots

debt-for-nature swap

n. agreement between a bank and a peripheral country in which the bank forgives a portion of the country’s debt in exchange for local investment in conservation measures

deforestation

n. loss of forest lands

desertification

n. a form of land degradation that occurs when soil deteriorates to a desert-like condition

economy of scale

n. cost reductions that occur when production rises

food desert

n. area where residents lack access to healthy, nutritious foods because stores selling these foods are too far away

food insecurity

n. the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of poor access to food

agribusiness

n. the large-scale system that includes the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products and equipment

commodity chain

n. a network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribute a commodity or product

dual agricultural economy

n. an economy having two agricultural sectors that have different levels of technology and different patterns of demand

fair trade

n. a movement that tries to provide farmers and workers in peripheral and semiperipheral countries with a fair price for their products by providing more equitable trading conditions

farm subsidy

n. a form of aid and insurance given by the federal government to certain farmers and agribusinesses

global supply chain

n. a network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribute goods around the world

Hybrid

n. the product created by breeding different varieties of species to enhance the most favorable characteristics

Agriculture

e n. the purposeful cultivation of plants or raising of animals to produce goods for survival

agricultural hearth

n. an area where different groups began to domesticate plants and animals

bid-rent theory

n. a theory that describes the relationships between land value, commercial location, and transportation (primarily in urban areas) using a bid-rent gradient, or slope; used to describe how land costs are determined

central business district (CBD)

n. the central location where the majority of consumer services are located in a city or town because the accessibility of the location attracts these services

climate region

n. an area that has similar climate patterns generally based on its latitude and its location on a coast or continental interior

clustered settlement

n. a rural settlement pattern in which residents live in close proximity to one another, with farmland and pasture land surrounding the settlement; also known as a nucleated settlement

commercial agriculture

e n. an agricultural practice that focuses on producing crops and raising animals for the market for others to purchase

Columbian Exchange

n. the exchange of goods and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa that began after Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

n. a plant or animal with specific characteristics obtained through the manipulation of its genetic makeup

Green Revolution

n. movement beginning in the 1950s and 1960s in which scientists used knowledge of genetics to develop new highyield strains of grain crops

Intensive agriculture

e n. an agricultural practice in which farmers expend a great deal of effort to produce as much yield as possible from an area of land

linear settlement

n. a rural settlement pattern in which houses and buildings form in a long line that usually follows a land feature or aligns along a transportation route

market gardening

n. a type of farming that produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers and typically serves a specific market or urban area

crop rotation

n. the varying of crops from year to year to allow for the restoration of valuable nutrients and the continuing productivity of the soil

dispersed settlement

n. a rural settlement pattern in which houses and buildings are isolated from one another, and all the homes in a settlement are distributed over a relatively large area

domestication

n. the deliberate effort to grow plants and raise animals, making plants and animals adapt to human demands and using selective breeding to develop desirable characteristics

enclosure system

n. system in which communal lands were replaced by farms owned by individuals, and use of the land was restricted to the owner or tenants who rented the land from the owner

extensive agriculture

n. an agricultural practice with relatively few inputs and little investment in labor and capital that results in relatively low outputs

first agricultural revolution

n n. the shift from foraging for food to farming about 11,000 years ago, marking the beginning of agriculture

foragers

s n. small, nomadic groups who had primarily plant-based diets and ate small animals or fish for protein

Mediterranean agriculture

n. an agricultural practice that consists of growing hardy trees and shrubs and raising sheep and goats

mixed crop and livestock systems

n. a type of farming in which both crops and livestock are raised for profit

monocropping

n. the cultivation of one or two crops that are rotated seasonally

nomadic herding

n. a type of agriculture based on people moving their domesticated animals seasonally or as needed to allow the best grazing

pastoral nomadism

a way of life of peoples who do not live continually in the same place but move cyclically or periodically. Pastoral nomads, who depend on domesticated livestock, migrate in an established territory to find pasturage for their animals.

plantation agriculture

n. a type of large-scale commercial farming of one particular crop grown for markets often distant from the plantation

second agricultural revolution

n. a change in farming practices, marked by new tools and techniques, that diffused from Britain and the Low Countries starting in the early 18th century

shifting cultivation

n n. the agricultural practice of growing crops or grazing animals on a piece of land for a year or two, then abandoning that land when the nutrients have been depleted from the soil and moving to a new piece of land where the process is repeated

slash and burn

n. a method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown; often used when clearing land

subsistence agriculture

n. an agricultural practice that provides crops or livestock to feed one’s family and close community using fewer mechanical resources and more people to care for the crops and livestock

third agricultural revolution

n. a shift to further mechanization in agriculture through the development of new technology and advances that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day

transhumance

n. the movement of herds between pastures at cooler, higher elevations during the summer months and lower elevations during the winter

infrastructure

n. the many systems and facilities that a country needs in order to function properly

vertical integration

n. the combining of a company’s ownership of and control over more than one stage of the production process of goods

von Thunen model

n. a model that suggests that perishability of the product and transport costs to the market each factor into the location of agricultural land use and activity