Key Concepts in Agricultural Practices and Economics

Agricultural Revolutions

was a period of technological improvement and increased crop productivity that occurred during the 18th and early 19th centuries in Europe.

Animal Husbandry

An agricultural activity associated with the raising of domesticated animals, including cattle, horses, sheep and goats.

Aquaculture

the use of river segments or artificial bodies of water such as ponds for the raising and harvesting of food products including fish, shellfish, and seaweed.

Bid rent curve/theory

is a geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district increases.

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.

Blue Revolution

refers to the time of intense growth in the worldwide aquaculture industry from the mid-1960s to present.

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.

Carrying capacity

the largest number of people that the environment of a region can support.

Columbian Exchange

bridged the gap between the Americas and the rest of the world, referring to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds.

Commercial agricultural economy

All agricultural activity generated for the purpose of selling, not necessarily for local consumption.

Commodity chain

is a process used by corporations to gather resources and transform them into goods and then transport them to consumers.

Community-supported agriculture (CSA)

is a system that connects the farmers and consumers within the food system more closely by allowing the consumer to support the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms.

Dairying

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

Deforestation

the action of clearing a wide area of trees.

Domestication

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

The Enclosure Act

series of laws enacted by the British government that enabled landowners to purchase and enclose land for their own use.

Farmland protection policies

Policies enacted by governments that protect farmland and prevent it from being sold into other use.

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.

Fertilizer

a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility.

Food desert

is an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

Food insecurity

the state of being without reliable access to a enough quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Genetically modified foods

Foods that are mostly products of organisms that have had their genes altered in a laboratory for specific purposes.

High-yield seeds

crops that produce more food per farming cycle than other wild varieties.

Hybridization

the process of breeding two plants that have desirable characteristics to produce a single seed with both characteristics.

Infrastructure

Includes roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, electrical grids, sewers, telecommunication, etc.

Irrigation

Bringing water for crops from a distance using canals, ditches, hoses, or machines.

Labor-intensive agriculture

Type of agriculture that requires large levels of manual labor to succeed.

Local food movement

Sales of foods and demand for food at local farmers markets across the USA have increased in recent years.

Long lot

A system created by the French in regions of North America, where most farmland was along rivers, creating long rectangular plots.

Luxury crops

Crops not essential to human survival but have high profit margins, e.g., pineapples, coffee, cocoa.

Mechanization

In agriculture, replacing human labor with technology or machines.

Metes and bounds system

A method of describing land using physical features of geography, along with directions and distances.

Monoculture

The commercial growing of only one crop.

Neolithic Revolution

Started 12,000 years ago with the first seed farming, replacing the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and leading to population growth.

Nomadic herding

Management of animals into large groups by humans for the production of food and other resources.

Planned agricultural economy

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

Plantation Farming

Uses unfair wages and can be tied in with present-day slave labor in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

Subsistence agricultural economy

Any farm economy in which most crops are grown for nearly exclusive family or local consumption.

Organic Farming

A natural approach to farming that uses biological diversity to fight pests, resulting in lower yields but health benefits.

Pesticides

Chemicals used on plants that kill pests but can have negative repercussions on other species, including humans.

Salinization

Process occurring when soils in arid areas are cultivated through irrigation, leaving salty residues that render soil infertile.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Occurred mainly during the industrial revolution, leading to more food availability and population spikes.

Specialty crops

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

Subsidies

Government financial support.

Terrace Farming

Used in hilly or mountainous landscapes to create flat land areas for crops and water storage.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Occurred in the 1950's-60's, introducing chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and high yield seeds to LDCs.

Urban Farming

The practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas.

Value added specialty crops

"Value added" goods that have additional products or items attached to them to sell at higher prices.

Wetland Draining

Clearing water from wetlands to make land accessible for farming, which can lead to ecosystem destruction if not done properly.