Unit 5 Vocabulary

Agribusiness

the large-scale system that includes the production, processing, and dstribution of agricultural products and equipment

Agriculture

the purposeful cultivation of plants or raising of animals to produce goods for survival

Bid-Rent Theory

a theory that states land cost more the closer you get to an urban area. However the farther away you are from the market, the cheaper the land is

Biotechnology

the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests

Cash Crop

crops grown to sell for profit

Clustered

a settlement that has very little space between the different buildings

Commercial Agriculture

a agricultural production that occurs with the intent to sell the product for profit

Commodity Chain

all of the different activities and processes that go into producing a product

Crop rotation

the varying of crops from year to year to allow for the restoration of valuable nutrients and the continuing productivity of the soil

Dairy Farming

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

Dispersed

a settlement that is NOT clustered together and has space between the different buildings

Double Cropping

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

Economies of Scale

cost reductions that occur when production rises

Enclosure Movement

a movement in England which took agricultural land that was publicly owned by the community and privatized it

Extensive Farming

practices that uses LESS labor and capital, but require MORE land for the production of food

Feedlot

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

Fertile Crescent

a heart in heart in the Middle East where some of the world's earliest civilizations began

NOTE: 1st agricultural revolution

Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

the shift from foraging for food to farming about 11,000 years ago, marking the beginning of agriculture

Food Deserts

areas that don’t have access to healthy food and lack access to a traditional grocery store

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

An organism whose genetics has been changed to promote specific traits that allow for increased production of livestock or farming

Global Supply Chain

a network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribute goods around the world

Green Revolution

a movement beginning in the 1950s and 1960s in which scientists used knowlege of genetics to develop new high-yield strains of grain crops

Herbicide

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

Horticulture

the growth of fruits, flowes, and veggies

Industrial Agriculture

shift of the farm as the center of production to a position just one step in a multiphase industrial process that begins on the farms and ends on the consumers table

Infrastructure

the many systems and facilities that a country needs in order to function properly

Intensive Agriculture

practices that are done in LESS land, but require MORE capital and labor, and are traditionally located closer to large population centers

Intercropping

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

Interdependence

when 2 things, people, organizations, or countries are dependent on one another

Irrigation

the movement of water from one place to another to help grow vegetation, or meet agricultural or landscaping needs

Linear

an arrangement of objects, buildings, or practices in a line

Market Gardening

a type of farming that produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers and typically serves a specific market or urban area

Metes and Bounds

a boundary that is based on landmarks in a geographic area to create the boundary

Mixed Crop/Livestock Systems

a type of farming in which both crops and livestock are raised for profit

Monocropping

the practice of cultivating one single crop year after year

Monoculture

the practice of cultivating one single crop at a period of time (seasonally)

Organic Farming

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

Patriarchal Society

society in which men are the dominant gender

Pesticide

A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms that are harmful to cultivated plants or animals

Plantation Agriculture

a type of large-scale commercial farming of one particular type of crop grown for markets often distant from the plantation

Ranching

type of commercial farming in which the livestock (usually cattle) is allowed to roam over an established area

Reservoir

an artifical lake used to store water

Rural

area located outside of towns and cities; all the space, population, and housing not included in an urban area

Second Agricultural Revolution

a change in farming practices, marked by new tools and techniques, that diffused from Britain and the Low Countries starting in early 18th century

Shifting Cultivation

the agricultural practice of growing crops or grazing animals on a piece of land for a year or two, then abandoning that land when the nutrients have been depleted from the soil and moving to a new piece of land where the process is repeated

Slash and burn

a method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown; often used when clearing land

Soil Salinization

the process by which water-soluble salts build up in the soil, which limits the ability of crops to absorb water

Subsistence Agriculture

Agricultural production that occurs with the intent to provide for the farmer’s family or local community

Sustainability

the use of Earth's land and natural resources in ways that ensure they will continue to be available in the future

Tariffs

a tax or duty to be paid on a particular import or export

Third Agricultural Revolution

a shift to further mechanization in agriculture through the development of new technology and advances that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day

Township and Range

divides most of the country's territory into a grid of square-shaped townships

Transhumance

the movement of herds between pastures at cooler, higher elevations during the summer months and lower elevations during the winter

Urban Farming

The practice of growing fruits and vegetables on small private plots or shared community gardens within the confines of a city

Vertical Integration

the combining of a company's ownership of and control over more than one stage of the production process of goods

Yield

The amount of agricultural production harvested per unit of land

Long Lot

a narrow piece of land that traditionally connects to the waterway

Silk Road

a network of trade routes that connected China and the Mediterranean from 120 BC to 1450 AD

Fertilizer

A chemical or natural substance that when applied to the soil or land it increases the fertility of the soil

Von Thunen’s Model

Information about this model is provided here:

globalization

a term used to describe how the world today is becoming increasingly connected

government subsidies

a financial incentive or payment that is given by the gov’t to support a specific industry, company, or individual

Pastoral Nomads

a type of agriculture where herders migrate with their livestock