UNIT 5 AP HUG

agribusiness

Large corporation that provides a vast array of goods and services to support the agricultural industry

agrichemicals

Chemical compounds obtained from petroleum and natural gas for use in agriculture; agrichemicals include fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides

agricultural cooperative

An organization where farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity such as services or production; services or production resources are provided to individual farm members

agricultural lanscape

The visible imprint of agricultural practices

agriculture

The planting and harvesting of domesticated plants and the raising of domesticated animals for food

aquaculture

The cultivation and harvesting of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions

aquifer

Underground water deposited hundreds of thousands of years ago

arid climate

A climate that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually

bid-rent theory

Explains how the demand for and price of land decrease as its distance from the central business district increases

biodiesel

Fuel made from vegetable oils

biodiversity

The variety and variability among species and ecosystems

biofuel

A fuel derived from organic wastes or plant materials

cadastral survey

Systematic documentation of property ownership, shape, use, and boundaries

capital expenditures

Assets that cost money, such as land, machinery, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, seeds, and livestock feed

cash crop

A crop raised to be sold for profit rather than to feed the farm family and the livestock; common cash crops are cotton, flax, hemp, coffee, and tobacco

cassava

A root vegetable native to South America

central business district (CBD)

A dense cluster of offices and shops located at a city’s most accessible point, usually its center

cereal grains

Seeds that come from a wide variety of grasses cultivated around the world, including wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, and maize (corn)

climate

The average pattern of weather over a 30-year period for a particular region

clustered settlement or farm village

A tightly bunched farm settlement that has anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred inhabitants

Columbian exchange

The interaction and widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, disease, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

commercial agriculture

Farming oriented exclusively toward the production of agricultural commodities for sale in the market

commodity

A primary agricultural product or raw material that is bought, sold, and traded

commodity chain

A series of links connecting a commodity’s many places of production and distribution

community-supported agriculture (CSA)

A direct-to-consumer marketing arrangement in which farmers are guaranteed buyers for their produce at guaranteed prices and consumers receive fresh food directly from the producers

concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)

Animal rearing system that confines livestock (such as cattle, sheep, turkeys, chickens, and hogs) in high-density cages only large enough to allow the animal body to grow and to accommodate equipment for feeding and waste removal

continental climate

A climate that has a large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation; found in the interior of continents, north of the moderate climate zones

contract farming

Arrangement between an independent farmer and an agribusiness company to produce a crop; the agribusiness provides the farmer with all the supplies needed to produce a crop in exchange for a guaranteed price and buyer

conventional agriculture

Farming that depends on manufactured synthetic inputs, GMO seeds, and other industrial practices

cool chain

The system that uses refrigeration and food-freezing technologies to keep farm produce fresh in climate-controlled environments at every stage of transport from field to retail grocers and restaurants

crossbreeding

The act of mixing different species or varieties of plants or animals to produce hybrids

dairying

A farming system that specializes in the breeding, rearing, and utilization of livestock (primarily cows) to produce milk and its various by-products, such as yogurt, butter, and cheese

dead zones

Sections of a body of water where there is very little aquatic life

deforestation

Clearing and destruction of forests to clear land for agriculture use

desertification

The process by which once-fertile land becomes desert as a result of climate variation or human activities

dispersed settlement or isolated settlement pattern

A settlement pattern in which families live relatively distant from one another

division of labor

How a group divides the range of tasks within a social system; in subsistence systems, tasks are generally divided based on age and gender

domesticated animal

An animal that depends on people for food and shelter and is different from its wild ancestors in looks and behavior as a result of close contact with humans

domesticated plant

A plant that is deliberately planted, protected, cared for, and used by humans and is genetically distinct from its wild ancestors

domestication

The long-term process through which humans selectively breed, protect, and care for individuals taken from populations of wild plant and animal species to create genetically distinct species, known as domesticates

double-cropping

Planting another crop on the same plot of land as soon as the first crop has been harvested

endemic

Native to or characteristic of a certain environment

environmental contamination

Chemical residue that builds up with each application of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides

export commodity

A cash crop that is produced for export to wealthier countries at the expense of crop production for local consumption

extensive agriculture

Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that require little hired labor or monetary investment to successfully raise crops and animals

fair trade

A certification program that supports good crop prices for farmers and environmentally sound farming practices

family farm

A farming operation wholly owned by a family or family corporation that sells its products to some defined market, either directly or through a cooperative

famine

Extreme scarcity of food

farmers

Individuals who practice agriculture by growing crops, raising animals, or some combination of the two

farmers’ market

A venue (ranging from a few stalls in the street to covered enclosures extending a few city blocks) in which farmers sell their produce directly to consumers

farmstead

Center of farm operations, which includes the farmhouse, barns, shed, livestock pens, and family garden

feedlot

A fenced enclosure used for intensive livestock feeding that serves to limit livestock movement and associated weight loss

fertile crescent

Area in Southwest Asia that includes the river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates; the earliest center for domestication of seed plants

first agricultural revolution

Period during which the early domestication and diffusion of plants and animals and the cultivation of seed crops led to the development of agriculture

food desert

Area with limited access to fresh, nutritious foods

food insecurity

Occurs when large numbers of people experience long periods of inadequate diets

food security

According to the United Nations, the situation in which all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to enough safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

genetically modified organism (GMO)

A living organism, including crops and livestock, that is produced through genetic engineering

global supply chain

Agribusinesses, organized at the global scale; encompasses all elements of growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposing of food for people

grain elevator

Large storage facility for grain

grain farming

A highly mechanized commercial farming system that specializes in the production of cereal grains; requires large farms and widespread use of machinery, synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, and genetically engineered seeds

green revolution

The U.S.-supported development of high-yield seed varieties that increased the productivity of cereal crops and accompanying agricultural technologies for transfer to less developed countries

hearth

A center where innovations or new practices develop and from which the innovations or new practices spread or diffuse

herbicide

Pesticide designed to kill or inhibit the growth of unwanted plants (weeds) that compete with crops

hierarchical diffusion

Occurs when ideas leapfrog from one important person, community, or city to another, bypassing other persons, communities, or rural areas

hinterland

The area surrounding a city

humid cold climate

A climate with frigid temperatures nearly year-round; found in northern reaches of the continental climate zone and often described as subarctic

humid continental climate

A climate with a wide range of temperatures, moderate precipitation, and four distinct seasons; experiences warm to hot summers, moderate to abundant rainfall (20–50 inches [50–150 centimeters] annually), and cold winters with precipitation falling as snow

humid subtropical climate

A climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters with variable precipitation; found on east coasts of continents

hybrid

The offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties

indus river valley

Area along the Indus River that flows from the highlands of Tibet and continues down along the border between present-day Pakistan and India; a site of the earliest domestication of plants and herd animals

intensive agriculture

Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that use high levels of labor and capital relative to the size of the landholding

intercropping

The farming practice of planting multiple crops together in the same clearing

irrigated agriculture

Farming that relies on the controlled application of water to cultivated fields

large-scale commercial operation

A large-scale farm oriented exclusively toward the production of agricultural commodities for sale in the market

linear settlement pattern

A settlement pattern in which buildings are arranged in a line, often along a road or river; limited to areas where legal systems dictated that property lines must be rectangular

livestock fattening

An intensive system of animal feeding utilizing fenced enclosures to fatten livestock, mostly cattle and hogs, for slaughter and processing for the market

livestock ranching

The practice of using extensive tracts of land to rear herds of livestock to sell as meat, hides, or wool

locavores

People who dedicate themselves to slow-food diets and to obtaining as much of their nutrition as possible from local farmers

long-lot survey system

A unit-block surveying system whose basic unit is a rectangle that is typically 10 times longer than it is wide

mariculture

The farming of saltwater species such as shrimp, oysters, and marine fish

marine west coast climate

A climate found along western coasts of continents closer to the poles; characterized by moderate temperatures during long summers and cool winters

market gardening

A small-scale farming system in which a farmer plants one to a few acres that produce a diverse mixture of vegetables and fruits, mostly for sale in local and regional markets

mechanical reaper

A machine used to harvest grain crops mechanically; patented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831

Mediterranean climate

A climate with winter precipitation, unusually mild winters, and clear skies with abundant sunshine; found along the Mediterranean Sea and a few coastal regions

mesoamerica

The cultural region in the Americas that includes the diverse civilizations in the modern-day countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica

metes and bounds

Survey system that uses natural features such as trees, boulders, and streams to delineate property boundaries

millet

A fast-growing cereal plant that is widely grown in warm regions with poor soil

mixed crop/ livestock agriculture

A diversified system of agriculture based on the cultivation of cereal grains and root crops (such as potatoes and yams) and the rearing of herd livestock

moderate climate

A climate with an average year-round temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius); found north and south of the equator on the edges of tropical climates

monocropping

The cultivation of a single commercial crop on extensive tracts of land

monsoon

Seasonal reversal of winds with a general onshore movement in summer and a general offshore movement in winter; onshore winds bring monsoon rains

monsoon rains

Long periods of heavy rains every day at the end of a short dry season

multicropping

Planting two or three crops per year on the same land

nomadic herding

A system of breeding and rearing herd livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or goats, by following the seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasturelands

nutrient pollution

Consequence of overuse of fertilizer; occurs when excess nutrients seep down into groundwater or are carried into nearby waterways as runoff

nutrients

Components of topsoil (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) necessary for plants to survive, grow, and reproduce

organic farming

The production of crops and livestock using ecological processes, natural biodiversity, and renewable resources rather than industrial practices and synthetic inputs

paddy rice farming

A system of wet rice cultivation on small level fields bordered by impermeable dikes; the fields (paddies) are flooded with 4–6 inches (10–15 centimeters) of water for about three-quarters of the growing season

peasants

Small-scale farmers who own their fields, rely chiefly on family labor, and produce both for their own subsistence and for sale in the market