AP HUG VOCAB

Agribusiness

Large-scale commercial farming controlled by corporations, integrating production, processing, and distribution.

Agriculture

The deliberate modification of Earth's surface through crop cultivation and livestock raising for food and other products.

Aquaculture

The breeding, raising, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in controlled environments.

Bid-rent theory

The idea that land prices and demand increase as you get closer to the central business district (CBD) due to accessibility.

Biodiversity

The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, essential for stability and resilience.

Biotechnology

The use of scientific techniques, such as genetic modification and cloning, to improve agricultural productivity.

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of people or organisms that an environment can sustainably support with its available resources.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of crops, animals, technology, and diseases between the Americas and the Old World after 1492.

Commercial agriculture

Large-scale farming focused on producing crops and livestock for sale rather than local consumption.

Commodity chain

The sequence of steps involved in producing, processing, distributing, and selling a product from start to finish.

Conservation

The sustainable use and management of natural resources to prevent depletion and ensure long-term availability.

Core countries

Wealthy, developed nations with advanced economies, high incomes, and strong political and technological influence.

Deforestation

The large-scale removal of trees, often for agriculture or urban development, leading to habitat loss and climate change.

Desertification

The degradation of land into desert-like conditions due to overgrazing, deforestation, and poor agricultural practices.

Domestication

The selective breeding of plants and animals to make them more useful for human purposes, such as farming and labor.

Economies of scale

Cost advantages that arise with increased production, leading to lower per-unit costs for large-scale farms or businesses.

Extensive agriculture

A farming system that uses large areas of land with minimal labor or input per unit of land, such as ranching.

Fertile Crescent

A historically rich agricultural region in the Middle East where early civilizations first practiced farming.

First Agricultural Revolution

The transition from hunting and gathering to settled farming around 10,000 years ago, leading to population growth.

Food desert

An area, often urban, where access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food is limited due to a lack of grocery stores.

Food insecurity

The lack of reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food due to economic or social constraints.

GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)

Crops or animals that have been genetically altered to enhance traits like yield, pest resistance, or shelf life.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural advancement in the mid-20th century that introduced high-yield crops, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to boost food production.

Intensive agriculture

A farming system that requires high levels of labor and inputs per unit of land to maximize yields, such as market gardening.

Irrigation

The artificial application of water to land to support crop growth, commonly used in dry regions.

Local-food movement

A push for consumers to buy food from nearby farms to support local economies and reduce environmental impact.

Long lots

A land division system used in French-influenced areas, where narrow plots extend from a river or road for equal access to resources.

Market gardening

The small-scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers sold directly to consumers or local markets.

Mechanized farming

The use of machinery, such as tractors and harvesters, to increase efficiency and productivity in agriculture.

Mediterranean climate

A climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, ideal for crops like olives, grapes, and citrus fruits.

Metes and bounds

A system of land surveying using natural landmarks, common in the eastern U.S. before adopting the grid-based system.

Mixed crop/livestock system

A farming system that integrates growing crops and raising animals, where crops feed livestock and manure fertilizes fields.

Monocropping/monoculture

The practice of growing a single crop species over a large area, increasing efficiency but risking soil depletion and pest vulnerability.

Nomadic pastoralism

A subsistence practice in which people move with their livestock to find fresh pastures, common in arid and semi-arid regions.

Periphery countries

Less developed nations with weaker economies that rely on core countries for trade and investment.

Plantation agriculture

Large-scale commercial farming of cash crops such as sugar, cotton, and coffee, often requiring intensive labor and found in tropical regions.

Ranching

The commercial grazing of livestock over large open areas, commonly practiced in regions with vast grasslands.

Second Agricultural Revolution

A period of agricultural advancements during the Industrial Revolution that introduced new tools, crop rotation, and improved transportation.

Shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence farming in which land is cleared, farmed for a few years, then abandoned to allow soil recovery.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

A farming method in which vegetation is cut and burned to clear land and fertilize the soil before planting crops.

Soil salinization

The accumulation of salt in soil due to excessive irrigation, reducing its fertility and harming crops.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming primarily to feed the farmer’s family with little surplus for trade or sale.

Sustainability

The practice of using resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising future generations.

Terrace farming

A technique of building stepped fields on slopes to reduce erosion and maximize arable land, common in mountainous regions.

Township and range

A grid-based land survey system used in the U.S. to divide land into square-mile sections for organized settlement.

Value-added specialty crops

Crops that are processed to increase their economic value, such as organic produce, artisan cheese, or gourmet coffee.

Vertical integration

A system where a single company controls multiple stages of production, from growing crops to distributing final products.

Von Thünen Model

A theoretical model that explains how agricultural land use is arranged in concentric rings around a central market based on cost and perishability.