APHG: Unit 5 Agriculture

Mediterranean climate

a climate marked by warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters

tropical climate

A type of climate found in the areas just north or south of the equator, where weather is usually hot and rainy

intensive farming

farming that requires a lot of labor to produce food; usually a smaller plot of land must be maximized for production

market gardening

The small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers as cash crops sold directly to local consumers. Distinguishable by the large diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, during a single growing season. Labor is done manually.

plantation agriculture

Production system based on a large estate owned by an individual, family, or corporation and organized to produce a cash crop. Almost all plantations were established within the tropics; existing plantation farms are located in LDCs

mixed crop and livestock farming

Common in the American Midwest. Farmers grow crops and raise livestock on the same land, with most of the crops fed to animals rather than people. Income comes from the sale of animal products such as beef, milk, and eggs.

Extensive Farming Practices

an agricultural production system that uses small inputs of labor, fertilizers, and capital, relative to the large land area being farmed.

shifting cultivation

A form of subsistence agriculture in which the use of tropical forest clearings for crop production until their fertility is lost. Plots are then abandoned, and farmers move on to new sites.

nomadic herding

migratory but controlled movement of livestock solely dependent on natural forage; form of subsistence agriculture found in dry regions of LDCs

Ranching

A form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over an extensive area.

Clustered rural settlement

A rural settlement in which the houses and farm buildings of each family are situated close to each other and fields surround the settlement.

Dispersed rural settlement

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

linear rural settlements

-Buildings clustered along a road, river, or dike to facilitate communications - fields extend behind the buildings in long, narrow strips; for example the French long-lot system

Metes and Bounds

A method of land description which involves identifying distances and directions and makes use of both the physical boundaries and measurements of the land.

township and range system

A rectangular land division scheme designed by Thomas Jefferson to disperse settlers evenly across farmlands of the U.S. interior.

long-lot survey system

divides land into narrow parcels that extend from rivers, roads, or canals

hearths of plant domestication

hearth = place of origin; domestication arose in the Fertile Crescent, Indus River Valley, Southeast Asia, Central America

First Agricultural Revolution

Dating back 10,000 years, the First Agricultural Revolution achieved plant domestication and animal domestication

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

The Second Agricultural Revolution

dovetailing with and benefiting from the Industrial Revolution, the Second Agricultural Revolution witnessed improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm products.

Industrial Revolution

Beginning in England, a series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods.

The Green Revolution

a large increase in crop production in developing countries in the 1950s and 1960s achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties.

high-yield seeds

seeds that have been engineered to be stronger and more productive. They will produce more crops per seed, need less water, and can survive in warmer climates

subsistence agriculture

Self-sufficient agriculture that is small scale and low technology and emphasizes food production for local consumption, not for trade.

Commercial Agriculture

Term used to describe large-scale farming and ranching operations that employ vast land bases, large mechanized equipment, factory-type labor forces, and the latest technology.

Monocropping (monoculture)

growing a large amount of a single species of plant

Bid rent theory

a geographical economic theory to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the CBD (central business district) increases; with more distance, the price of the land decreases

commodity chain

series of links connecting the many places of production and distribution and resulting in a commodity that is then exchanged on the world market

economies of scale

a proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production; in agriculture, price per good decreases as production increases

carrying capacity

The largest population that an area can support

Von Thunen Model

An agricultural model that spatially describes agricultural activity in terms of rent. Activities that require intensive cultivation and cannot be transported over great distances pay higher rent to be close to the market. Conversely, activities that are more extensive , with goods that are easy to transport, are located farther from the market where rent is less.

Global Supply Chain

a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

Salinization

Accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth.

slash and burn

A farming method involving the cutting of trees, then burning them to provide ash-enriched soil for the planting of crops

Terracing

creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface, which reduces soil runoff from the slope.

deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

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.

genetically modified organisms

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

Aquaculture

Raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages

Urban farming

The growing of fruits, herbs, and vegetables and raising animals in towns and cities, a process that is accompanied by many other activities such as processing and distributing food, collecting and reusing food waste.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

A process in which consumers buy shares from local farmers in exchange for weekly produce

organic farming

the use of natural substances rather than chemical fertilizers and pesticides to enrich the soil and grow crops

fair trade

trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.

Local food movement

collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies

food insecurity

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

food desert

an area typically in a highly populated, lower income urban environment, where healthy, fresh food is difficult to find

Suburbanization

Movement of upper and middle-class people from urban core areas to the surrounding outskirts to escape pollution as well as deteriorating social conditions (perceived and actual). In North America, the process began in the early nineteenth century and became a mass phenomenon by the second half of the twentieth century.