Chapter 10-Food and Agriculture vocab
Adaptive strategies- the way humans adapt to the physical and cultural landscape they are living in
Agrarian- characteristic of farmers or their way of life
Agribusiness- The set of economic and political relationships that organize food production for commercial purposes
Agricultural industrialization- the transformation of farming practices through the adoption of advanced technologies, machinery, and scientific methods to increase productivity and efficiency
Agricultural landscape- a geographical area that has been modified by human activity to cultivate crops and raise livestock.
Agricultural location model- Often agricultural land is cheapest in rural areas far away from city centers
Agricultural origins- can be traced back to various regions around the world, including the Fertile Crescent, Mesoamerica, and East Asia
Agriculture- The art and science of producing food from the land and tending livestock for the purpose of human consumption
Animal domestication- The process by which wild animals are cultivated into a resource supply for humans
Aquaculture- The cultivation or farming (in controlled conditions) of aquatic species, such as fish
Biorevolution- the rapid transformation, or evolution, into posthumanism
Biotechnology- any technological innovation that is designed to improve the usefulness of plant and animals species for human agricultural purposes
Collective farm- an agricultural production unit including a number of farm households or villages working together under state control
Commercial agriculture (intensive, extensive)- large-scale farming practices that are primarily geared towards producing crops and livestock for sale in the marketplace rather than for personal consumption
Core/periphery- describes regions as core, semi-periphery, and periphery areas.
Crop rotation- The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil
Cultivation regions- areas characterised by specific climate factors, soil conditions and agricultural practices that are favourable for the cultivation and production of crops, plants, or livestock.
Dairying- the agricultural practice of raising cattle and other animals to produce milk and dairy products
Debt-for-nature swap- are financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation's foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for local investments in environmental conservation measures.
Diffusion- the spread of an idea or characteristic over time
Double cropping- harvesting twice a year from the same field
Economic activity (primary, secondary,
tertiary, quaternary, quinary)- the various actions and processes that individuals, businesses, and governments engage in to produce, distribute, and consume goods and services
Environmental modification (pesticides,
soil erosion, desertification)- the ways in which humans alter natural landscapes and ecosystems to suit their needs
Extensive subsistence agriculture- This farming style relies heavily on the natural environment and climate conditions, as farmers depend on rainfall and local soil fertility to sustain their crops.
(shifting cultivation [slash-and-
burn, milpa, swidden], nomadic
herding/pastoralism)- the practice of farming by clearing land for farming by slashing vegetation and burning debris
Extractive industry- prospecting and exploring for a nonrenewable resource, getting them, further exploring them, developing them, or extracting them from the earth
Farm crisis- The mass production of farm products that lowers the prices, which lowers the profits for farmers
Farming- The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain
Feedlot- Places where livestock are concentrated in a very small area and raised on hormones and hearty grains that prepare them for slaughter at a much more rapid rate than grazing
First agricultural revolution- The slow change from hunter and gatherer societies to more agriculturally based ones through the gradual understanding of seeds, watering, and plant care
Fishing- refers to the practice of catching fish and other seafood for sale in the market, as opposed to subsistence fishing
Food chain- the interconnected systems through which food is produced, processed, transported, and consumed across the world
Forestry- the science and practice of managing, using, conserving, and repairing forested lands
Globalized agriculture- A system of agriculture built on economic and regulatory practices that are global in scope and organization
Green revolution- The development of higher-yield and fast-growing crops through increased technology, pesticides, and fertilizers
Growing season- The season in which crops grow best
Hunting and gathering- The first way humans obtained food
Intensive subsistence agriculture- a type of farming system characterized by the high level of labor input and the use of small plots of land to produce food primarily for local consumption.
Intertillage- Tillage between rows of crops of plants
Livestock ranching- commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area
Market gardening- The small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers as cash crops sold directly to local consumers
Mediterranean agriculture- a farming system characterized by the cultivation of specialized crops suited to the Mediterranean climate
Mineral fuels- are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil, or natural gas formed from the remains of dead plants and animals
Mining- The process of extracting minerals and resources from the earth
Monoculture- deliberate cultivation of only one single crop in a large land area
Planned economy- the government controls all aspects of the production, sale, and exchange of agricultural produce
Plant domestication- The process by which wild plants are cultivated into productive crops, often with more desirable traits
Plantation agriculture- the production of one or more usually cash crops on a large swathe of land
Renewable/nonrenewable- Renewable resources are produced by nature more rapidly than it is consumed by humans. A nonrenewable resource is produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans
Rural settlement (dispersed, nucleated,
building material, village form)- Sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities
Sauer, Carl O.- the development of the cultural landscape theory
Second agricultural revolution- mechanization of agricultural production, advances in transportation, development of large-scale irrigation, and changes to consumption patterns of agricultural goods
Specialization- he process where specific regions focus on producing particular types of agricultural products due to favorable environmental conditions, local culture, and economic factors
Staple grains- include grains like rice, wheat, and corn
Suitcase farm- when someone owns and operates a farm, but lives somewhere else; usually a crops only farm
Survey patterns (long lots, metes and
bounds, township-and-range)- include interviews, questionnaires, and observational techniques
Sustainable yield- refers to the maximum level of resource extraction that can be maintained without depleting the resource over time
Third agricultural revolution
(mechanization, chemical
farming, food manufacturing)- hybridization and genetic engineering of products and the increased use of pesticides and fertilizers
“Tragedy of the commons”- a situation in which individuals with access to a public resource—also called a common—act in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resource
Transhumance- the seasonal movement of livestock (herding) between mountains and lowland pastures
Truck farm- when a farm produces fruits and vegetables to be sold and shipped to the market
Von Thünen, Johann Heinrich- an economic model developed in the 19th century that aims to explain the spatial organization of agriculture and how it is influenced by transportation costs