AP Human Geography Unit 5

Shifting Cultivation

The Cultivation of a plot of land that is periodically left fallow to restore soil fertility, often practiced in tropical regions. The farmers shift to a new plot of land that has been prepared by slash and burn agriculture.

Plantation Agriculture

The production of one or more usually cash crops on a large watch of land.

Extensive Agriculture

A farming system that uses large areas of land with low input of labor and capital to produce crops or livestock, often found in rural areas.

Market Gardening

A type of horticulture that involves the small-scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, primarily for sale at local markets. It typically requires high levels of labor and intensive cultivation methods.

Tropical Climate

A climate located along the equator that has rain every day.

Mixed Crop/Livestock Culture

A farming system that integrates the cultivation of cereal grains and root crops and the rearing of livestock, allowing for the efficient use of land and resources.

Intensive Agriculture

A farming practice that maximizes yield per unit area through high input of labor and resources, using advanced technologies and methods.

Nomadic Herding

A system of breeding and rearing herd livestock by following the seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasture lands.

Mediterranean Climate

A climate characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, typically found in regions near the Mediterranean Sea, which supports diverse agricultural activities.

Ranching

A type of commercial farming that involves raising livestock for meat and dairy production.

Linear Settlement Pattern

A settlement pattern where buildings and homes are arranged in a line, often along a road, river, or other linear feature, facilitating transportation and communication.

Metes and Bounds

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

Rural Settlement Pattern

Small group of people living outside of an urban area.

Township and Range

Land survey system which divides land into rectangles based on a grid system, typically used in the United States for organizing land for sale and settlement. (Land Ordinance of 1785)

Dispersed Settlement Pattern

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

Rural Survey Method

A method of land surveying that gathers data about land use and property boundaries in rural areas, often helping to inform planning and development decisions.

Clustered Settlement Pattern

a settlement pattern where families live close to one another, often resulting in higher population density and shared resources.

Long Lot

A linear settlement pattern used in rural areas, where lots are rectangular and extend from a river or road, promoting access to water resources.

First Agricultural Revolution

Period during early domestication and diffusion of plants and animals and the Cultivation of seed crops. Led to the development of agriculture.

Colombian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following Christopher Columbus's voyages.

Central America

A region bridging North and South America, known for its diverse cultures, biodiversity, and significant agricultural production.

Southeast Asia

Eleven countries that reach from Eastern India to China.

Indus River Valley

A historical region in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, known for its early urban civilization and advanced drainage systems.

Fertile Crescent

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

Domestication

The long term process through which humans selectively breed, protect, and care for individuals taken from wild populations to develop traits beneficial for human use.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Period that brought improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm produce that begin in the later 1600s and continues through the 1910s.

Mechanized Farming

The use of machinery and equipment, ranging from simple and basic hand tools to more sophisticated, motorized equipment.

High-yield Seed

Genetically enhanced seed designed to produce significantly higher crop yields than traditional varieties.

Green Revolution

A period of agricultural transformation in the mid-20th century characterized by the adoption of high-yield crops, advanced agricultural techniques, and increased use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Commercial Agriculture

The farming of products for sale off the farm.

Monocropping/Monoculture

The cultivation of a single commercial crop on extensive tracks for land.

Bid-Rent Theory

Explains how the demand for and price of land decreases as its distance from the CBD increases.

Subsistence Agriculture

Food production mainly for consumption by the farming family and local community.

Commodity Chain

A series of links connecting to a commodity's many places of production and distribution.

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages that can come with larger scale of operations.

Von Thunen Model

Explains the relationship between the cost of transportation of crops and the cost of land.

Export Commodity

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

Global Supply Chain

A network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a product.

Land Cover Change

The alteration of the physical characteristics of a land surface over time.

Soil Salinization

The concentration of dissolved salts in the soil.

Deforestation

Clearing and destruction of forests to clear land for agricultural use.

Terrace Farming

Method of growing crops on sides of hills or mountains by planting gradual terraces.

Pastoral Nomadism

A way of life of people who do not live continually in the same place but move periodically.

Desertification

The process of one-fertile land becomes desert as a result of climate change or human activities.

Conservation

The practice of protecting and managing natural resources to ensure their sustainability for future generations.

Irrigation

The watering of land by artificial means to foster plant growth.

Pollution

The introduction of harmful materials to the environment.

Slash and Burn Agriculture

Growing food in which wild or forested land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation is burned.

Food Desert

Area with limited access to fresh, nutritious foods.

Food Insecurity

A situation where individuals or families lack reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food.

Local-Food Movement

Movements aim to connect food producers and consumers in the same geographic region.

Fair Trade

a movement that promotes equitable trading conditions and sustainability for farmers, particularly in developing countries.

Value-added Specialty Crops

A crop whose physical state or form has been changed. (Sausage)

Community Supported Agriculture

A direct to consumer marketing arrangement in which farmers are guaranteed buyers for their produce with guaranteed prices.

Urban Farming

The practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas, often to improve food security and access.

Pesticide

Material used to kill animals or insects that can destroy, damage, or inhibit crop growth.

Fertilizer

Any material of natural or synthetic that is applied to soil or plant tissues to supply plant nutrients.

Biodiversity

The variety and variability among species and ecosystems.

Sustainability

The ability to maintain ecological balance and resource use without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Aquaculture

The cultivation and harvesting of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions.

Genetically Modified Organisms

A living organism produced through genetic engineering. (ex. cornstarch)

Biotechnology

The application of biological systems, living organisms, or their parts to develop or create products.