APHUG

Agribusiness

The integration of various steps of production in the food-processing industry.

Aquaculture

The practice of raising and harvesting fish and other forms of food that live in water.

Bid-Rent Theory

A geographical economic theory explaining that price and demand for real estate decreases as distance from the city center increases.

Carrying Capacity

The number of people a place can support.

Clustered Settlement

A rural settlement pattern where homes and farming buildings are located close together with farmland surrounding them.

Columbian Exchange

The global movement of plants and animals between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas following Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492.

Desertification

The transition of land from fertile to desert.

Dispersed Settlement

A rural settlement pattern characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages.

Extensive Farming

Agriculture that uses fewer inputs of capital and paid labor relative to the amount of space being used.

Fair Trade Movement

Trade between companies in developed countries and producers in developing countries that ensures fair wages for farmers.

Fertile Crescent

An area located in the crescent-shaped zone near the southeastern Mediterranean coast.

Food Desert

A community with no access to fresh, healthy, affordable food options due to a lack of grocery stores or farmers markets.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)

Organisms produced through engineering techniques that change the DNA of a seed.

Irrigation

The process of diverting water from its natural course to help grow crops.

Linear Settlement

A rural settlement pattern in which farms are clustered along a road with fields behind them.

Long Lot

A rural survey method where land is divided into long, narrow lots that run perpendicular to a river, road, or canal.

Market Gardening

Small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers sold directly to local consumers.

Metes and Bounds

A rural survey method where land is divided into parcels based on landscape features, distance, and direction.

Mixed Crop/Livestock Farming

An agricultural system that combines the cultivation of crops with the raising of livestock.

Pastoral Nomadism

A form of nomadism that revolves around moving with large herds of domesticated livestock.

Ranching

The act of running a ranch, which is essentially an extensive farm for raising livestock and crops.

Shifting Cultivation

The practice of clearing land for farming by slashing vegetation and burning debris.

Township and Range

A rural survey method where land is divided using lines of latitude and longitude resulting in a grid pattern.

Intensive Farming

Agricultural methods that require more inputs and labor for production, such as market gardening and mixed crop systems.

Extensive Farming

Agricultural practices that use fewer inputs and land space, such as ranching and pastoral nomadism.