Unit 5 Human Geo

Agribusiness: The sector of the economy focused on the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products, including farming, food production, and supply chain activities.

Agriculture: The practice of cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising animals for food, fiber, medicinal plants, and other products used to sustain and enhance human life.

Aquaculture: The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweed, typically in controlled environments like ponds, tanks, or marine cages.

Boserup Hypothesis: A theory proposed by Ester Boserup that suggests population growth drives agricultural innovation and intensification, particularly in the development of new farming techniques to meet food demand.

Capital Intensive: Agricultural practices or industries that require significant investments in machinery, technology, and infrastructure rather than relying heavily on labor.

Carl Sauer: A geographer who contributed to the study of cultural landscapes, particularly the concept that agricultural practices shape the physical landscape and the distribution of cultural traits.

Cash Crop: Crops grown for sale in the market rather than for personal consumption, typically exported to generate income (e.g., cotton, coffee, tobacco).

Cereal Grain: Grains from plants in the grass family, including wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley, and rye, which are grown primarily for human consumption.

Commercial Agriculture: Farming that is done primarily for profit, typically involving the large-scale production of crops or livestock for sale in national or international markets.

Commodity Chain: The series of steps involved in the production and distribution of a commodity, from raw material extraction to final product delivery to consumers.

Comparative Advantage: The principle that countries or individuals can gain from specializing in the production of goods or services that they can produce most efficiently relative to others.

Crop: A plant that is grown and harvested for food, feed, or other economic purposes, such as wheat, corn, rice, or vegetables.

Crop Rotation: The practice of growing different crops in a specific sequence on the same land to improve soil fertility, reduce pests, and prevent soil depletion.

Dairying: The business or practice of producing milk and dairy products from cows, goats, or other animals.

Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agricultural practices.

Domestication: The process by which humans selectively breed plants and animals for traits that are beneficial for human use, such as increased food production or companionship.

Double-Cropping: The practice of growing two crops in the same field within one year, typically by planting a second crop after the first has been harvested.

Extensive Subsistence Agriculture: A farming system characterized by low inputs of labor and capital, where large areas of land are used to grow crops for personal consumption, often with minimal technology.

Feedlot: A facility where livestock are concentrated, fed a high-energy diet, and prepared for slaughter.

First Agricultural Revolution: The transition from hunting and gathering to settled farming and domestication of plants and animals, occurring around 10,000 years ago.

Food Security: The condition in which all people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO): Organisms, often crops, that have been altered through genetic engineering to exhibit traits not naturally found in the species.

Grain: The seeds of cereal crops, such as wheat, rice, and corn, which are used for food and other products.

Green Revolution: A period in the mid-20th century when agricultural productivity increased dramatically due to the introduction of new technologies, high-yield crop varieties, and chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Horticulture: The cultivation of plants for food, medicine, and ornamental purposes, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, and non-food crops like grass and flowers.

Hydroponics: A method of growing plants in a water-based, nutrient-rich solution, rather than soil, often used in controlled environments like greenhouses.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture: A farming system that uses small amounts of land but requires significant labor inputs to produce food primarily for family consumption.

Irrigation: The artificial application of water to land to assist in the growing of crops, especially in dry areas.

Market Gardening: Small-scale farming that focuses on producing a variety of crops to be sold in local markets, usually for immediate consumption.

Mediterranean Agriculture: A type of farming found in regions with a Mediterranean climate, involving the cultivation of crops like olives, grapes, and citrus, and raising livestock like sheep and goats.

Milkshed: The geographic area around a dairy farm from which it can economically supply milk to a market, typically limited by transportation costs.

Pastoral Nomadism: A form of subsistence farming where people raise livestock and move with them seasonally in search of pasture and water.

Pasture: Land covered with grass or other vegetation that is used for grazing livestock.

Plantation: A large-scale estate typically in tropical or subtropical regions, where crops like sugar, coffee, cotton, or tobacco are grown for export.

Prime Agricultural Land: Land that is highly suitable for farming due to its soil quality, climate, and accessibility to water and markets.

Ranching: The practice of raising livestock, such as cattle or sheep, for meat or other products, often on large tracts of land.

Ridge-Tilling: A farming technique where crops are planted on ridges to improve water drainage, reduce soil erosion, and maintain soil fertility.

Second Agricultural Revolution: A period of agricultural improvement that began in the 17th century and continued through the 19th century, marked by innovations like new machinery, crop rotation, and selective breeding.

Seed Agriculture: The practice of planting seeds to grow crops, as opposed to vegetative planting or relying on the reproduction of crops from root systems or cuttings.

Shifting Cultivation: A form of subsistence farming where land is cleared for cultivation and then abandoned after a few years when soil fertility decreases, with the farmer moving on to a new plot.

Slash-and-Burn: A technique of clearing land for agriculture by cutting down and burning vegetation, often used in tropical regions.

Subsidy: Financial assistance provided by governments to support agricultural production, stabilize food prices, or encourage certain farming practices.

Subsistence Agriculture: Farming that is primarily aimed at producing enough food to feed the farmer's family, with little surplus for trade.

Swidden: A form of shifting cultivation where land is cleared by cutting and burning vegetation before planting crops.

Sustainable Agriculture: Farming practices that are designed to meet current food needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, focusing on environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity.

Transhumance: The seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures, common in certain regions of the world.

Truck Farming: The commercial production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, typically for local or regional markets, with an emphasis on high-value crops.

Vegetative Planting: A form of plant reproduction where new plants are grown from parts of existing plants, such as stems, roots, or leaves, rather than from seeds.

Vertical Integration: A business model where a company controls multiple stages of the production and distribution process, from raw material extraction to final product delivery.

Von Thünen’s Model: A model of land use that explains how different crops and agricultural practices are organized around a central market based on their transportation costs and land value.

Wet Rice: Rice that is grown in flooded fields, typically in Asia, and requires substantial irrigation and a warm climate to thrive.