Untitled Flashcards Set

AP Exam Weighting

Agricultural practices are influenced by the physical environment and
climatic conditions, such as Mediterranean climate and tropical climates.
Intensive farming practices include market gardening, plantation agriculture,
and mixed crop/livestock systems.
Extensive farming practices include shifting cultivation, nomadic herding,
and ranching.
Type Characteristics Climate Other Info
o Humid, low-latitude
o High temps,
abundant rainfall
Region/Countries
Shifting
Cultivation
o Farmers clear land for planting
by slashing vegetation and
burning the debris (slash and
burn)
o Farmers grow crops on a
cleared field for only a few
years until soil nutrients are
depleted then leave it fallow
(nothing planted) for many
years so the soil can recover
o Cleared area = swidden
o Amazon area of
South America,
Central and West
Africa, and
Southeast Asia
o Occupies ¼ of
world’s land area
o Less than 5% of
world’s people
engaged
o Declining – not
efficient
o Environmentally
sound
Type Characteristics Climate Other Info
o Arid, semi-arid
where planting
crops is impossible
Region/Countries
Pastoral
Nomadism
o Based on herding of
domesticated animals
o Rely on animals rather than
crops
o Camel, sheet, goats,
horse
o North Africa,
Middle East, parts
of Central Asia
o Example: Bedouins
of Saudi Arabia
o Transhumance:
seasonal migration
of livestock
o Declining because
of technology and
conflict with
governments
Type Characteristics Region/Countries Other Info
Intensive
Subsistence
o Farmers expend large effort to
product the maximum yield from
a parcel of land
o In areas of high density
o Waste virtually no land
o Wet-rice dominant
= SE China, East
India, SE Asia
o Wet-rice not
dominant = interior
India, NE China
o Sawah = a flooded
field for growing
rice
o Double cropping =
harvesting twice a
year from same
field
o Crop rotation =
rotate crops to
avoid exhausting
soil

Type Characteristics Climate Other Info
o Tropics and
subtropics
Region/Countries
Plantation
o large farm that specializes in
one to two crops
o Cotton, sugar, rubber, tobacco
o Cocoa, coffee, jute, bananas,
tea, coconuts, palm oil
o Latin America,
Africa, Asia
o Sparely populated
areas
o Was popular in US
o Demand for cotton
Type Description Location Other Info
Mixed
Crop &
Livestock
! Integration of crops and
livestock
! Most of the crops are fed
to animals rather that
consumed directly by
humans
! Typical farm = devotes
nearly all land area to
growing crops but derives
more than ¾ of its
income from the sale of
animal products (beef,
milk, eggs)
! Corn Belt = most
important mixed crop
and livestock farming
region in the US
! Extends from Ohio to the
Dakotas, with its center
in Iowa
• Permits farmers to
distribute the
workload evenly
throughout year
• In US, corn is
chosen most
frequently
o Some
consumed
directly
o Most used to
feed pigs and
cattle
• Soybeans second
Dairy
Farming
! Dairying is the most
important type of
commercial agriculture in
the first ring outside large
cities because of
transportation factors.
• farms near the large
urban areas of the
Northeast US, Southeast
Canada, and Northwest
Europe
! Improvements in
transportation have
permitted dairying to be
undertaken farther from
the market
! Largest milk producers =
(1) India (2) United
States. Pakistan and
China are set to pass
Russia as third and
fourth largest
! Choice of product
varies within the US
dairy region
! Dairy farming
requires constant
attention throughout
the year
! Expense of feeding
cows in winter
Grain
Farming
! Grain = seed from
various grasses, like
wheat, corn, oats, barley,
rice, millet, and others.
! Crops on a grain farm are
grown primarily for
consumption by humans
rather than by livestock
! North American prairies
labeled the world’s
“breadbasket.”
! Ability to provide food for
many people in the
world is a source of
economic and political
strength for US and
! Ability to provide
food for many
people in the world
is a source of
economic and
political strength for
US and Canada

! Commercial grain farms
sell their output to
manufacturers of food
products, such as
breakfast cereals and
snack-food makers
! Most important crop
grown is wheat: used to
make bread flour
Canada
! US by far largest
commercial producer of
grain
! Winter wheat belt =
Kansas, Colorado,
Oklahoma
! Spring-wheat belt=
Dakotas, Montana,
southern Saskatchewan
in Canada
Livestock
Farming
! Ranching: commercial
grazing of livestock over
an extensive area.
! Semi-arid or arid land
where vegetation too
sparse
! Latin America
Mediterran
ean
Agriculture
! Most crops grown in the
Mediterranean lands are
grown for human
consumption rather than
for animal feed
! Horticulture – growing of
fruits, vegetables, and
flowers – and tree crops
form the commercial
base of Mediterranean
farming
! Lands that border the
Mediterranean Sea in
Southern Europe, North
Africa, Western Asia.
! Farmers in California,
central Chile, SW part of
South Africa, and SW
Australia
! Sea winds provide
moisture and moderate
the winter temperatures.
! Summers and are hot
and dry but sea breezes
provide some relief
! Most of the world’s
olives, grapes, fruits
and vegetables are
grown in
Mediterranean
agriculture areas
Commerci
al
Gardening
& Fruit
Farming
! Truck farming = bartering
or the exchange of
commodities
! Truck farms grow many
of the fruits and
vegetables that
consumers demand in
the more developed
societies.
! Predominant in the US
Southeast
! Long growing season
and humid climate and is
accessible to the large
markets of NY,
Philadelphia,
Washington and other
US urban areas.
! Highly efficient
large-scale
operations
! Migrant workers and
experimentation with
techniques keep
prices low