Unit 5 Ch. 12-14 : Agriculture 20-21(Aishwarya Anbalagan)

Grain Farming

Definition: Grain farmers grow grains such as corn, wheat, rye, and others Example: China is a large producer of grain products.

Clustered rural settlement

Definition: Groups of homes located near each other Example: Village, hamlet

Luxury Crops

Definition: A crop not essential to human survival but has a high profit margin Example: Cocoa bean

Suitcase Farm

Definition: A farm in which no one lives on the farm and the harvesting and planting is performed by farmers who live nearby or by migratory labor Example: Common in the Midwest and the Great Plains

Von Thunen Model

Definition: A model showing a pattern for the types of products that would be produced at places relative to the market Example: Livestock would be located in the 4th ring from the market

Dispersed rural settlement

Definition: A pattern in which farmers lived in homes spread throughout the countryside Example: The US gave farmers land if they chose to stay there for several years, causing dispersed settlements

Commodity Chain

Definition: A process used by corporations to gather resources and transform them into goods and then transport them to consumers Example: Planting -> Growing -> Harvesting -> Processing -> Marketing

metes and bounds

Definition: A system used to describe plot boundaries. Metes were used for short distances, and bounds were used on larger features. Example: From the oak tree, 100 yards north, to the corner of the barn (Metes). Streams, roads (Bounds)

Horticulture

Definition: A type of agriculture that includes market gardening/truck farming Example: Perishable items

Intensive Farming

Definition: Agriculture that involves greater inputs of capital and paid labor relative to the space being used Example: Paddy rice farming

Fair Trade Movement

Definition: An effort to promote higher incomes for producers and for more sustainable farming practices Example: Increased princes for consumers gives more money to producers and growers in the developing world

township

Definition: Areas that are 6 miles long and 6 miles wide Example: The farm is 5 townships

Feed Lots

Definition: Confined spaces in which cattle and hogs have limited movement Example: A large amount of sheep in one space

Overgrazing

Definition: Damage to grasslands to the extent that the vegetation will not refresh itself even after the animals leave Example: The Sahel region of Africa

Blue Revolution

Definition: Dramatic increase of fish protein through more use of aqualture Example: The Blue Revolution is responsible for 50% of the world's seafood

French long-lot system

Definition: Farms were long thin sections of ;and that ran perpendicular to a river Example: Quebec and Louisiana

Isotropic

Definition: Flat and featureless Example: Where the von-thunen model takes place

organic food

Definition: Food produced without the use of pesticides Example: Corn, wheat, cabbages (all without the use of pesticides)

comparative advantage

Definition: Naturally occurring beneficial conditions that would prompt farmers to plant crops different than those predicted by the von-thunen model Example: Areas with better soil conditions for certain crops

genetically modified organisms(GMO)

Definition: Plants or animals that scientists in a laboratory modified by extracting genes of one species and inserting them into the DNA of another species Example: Seeds that lead to more nutritious crops

Subsidy

Definition: Public support to farmers to ensure that consumers have a dependable, low cost supply of food Example: Cash subsidies are given to farmers to encourage them to continue farming

Supply Chain

Definition: System of resources, producer transportation, communication, information, and consumers Example: Vertical integration

Agribusiness

Definition: The integration of various steps in the food processing industry Example: Large-scale commercial agriculture and the steps of processing and production, transportation, marketing, and research and development

Double-Cropping

Definition: The planting and harvesting on the same parcel of land twice per year Example: A farmer plants wheat for early summer and corn for the fall

Aqualture

Definition: The practice of raising and harvesting fish and other forms of food that live in water Example: Fish raised on a farm rather than being caught from the ocean

Monoculture

Definition: The raising of a single cash crop on large plots of land Example: A large field of coffee crops

economies of scale

Definition: The savings in cost per unit due to increasing the level of production Example :Agribusiness produces cheaper crops and finished goods than traditional farming, in part, because they produce at a large scale

Biodiversity

Definition: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem Example: An environment with many different organisms living in it

bid-rent curve

Definition: Used to indicate the starting position for each land use relative to the market and where it will end Example: A farmer would pay more to be closer to the market and less if if they are far

Infrastructure

Definition: Ways to increase communication Example: Bridges, roads, tunnels

Intercropping

Definition: When farmers grow two or more crops simultaneously on the same field Example: A farmer plants a legume crop next to a cereal crop

winter wheat

Definition: Winter wheats are planted in the autumn and harvested in late spring or early summer. Example: these types of wheat grow the best during the fall season.

Slash and Burn

Definition: a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. Example: slash and burn is efficient as well, because we're able to conserve land while getting rid of other plants like weeds.

Milk Shed

Definition: a region producing milk that may be supplied to the area of demand. Example: milksheds tend to be more dominant in areas in places like south asia.

Plantation Agriculture

Definition: a system of agriculture in which large farms in the American colonies used the enforced labor of slaves to plant and harvest cotton, rice, sugar, tobacco and other farm produce for trade and export. Example: places in asian countries like India practice plantation agriculture.

Extensive Farming

Definition: a system of crop cultivation using small amounts of labour and capital in relation to area of land being farmed. Example: this type of farming system is very efficient as it uses less labor to operate.

Mixed Crop/ Livestock Farming

Definition: a system of sowing two or three crops together on the same land, one being the main crop and the others the subsidiaries. Example: growing wheat and gram is considered mixed crop growing.

Ranching

Definition: a type of commercial farming in which the livestock (usually cattle) is allowed to roam over an established area. Example: ranchers also tend to keep other animals like elk, bison, alpacas, etc.

Pastoral Nomadism

Definition: a way of life of peoples who do not live continually in the same place but move cyclically or periodically. Example: this is one of the most general types of nomadism.

Mediterranean Agriculture

Definition: agriculture practiced in areas with a Mediterranean climate; mostly horticulture. Example: these areas tend to grown stuff like hazelnuts, citrus fruits, olives, etc.

Dairy Farming

Definition: an agricultural activity involving the raising of livestock, most commonly cows and goats, for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter. Example: south asia consists of the most amount of dairy products that are being produced.

shifting cultivation (swidden agriculture)

Definition: an agricultural system in which a person uses a piece of land, only to abandon or alter the initial use a short time later. Example: This is a way to make sure that you get the most amount of use from your fertile land.

Second Agricultural Revolution

Definition: an unprecedented increase in agricultural production in Britain arising from increases in labour and land productivity between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries. Example: during the seond agricultural revolution, we managed to create the first labor-ran factories.

Terrace Farming

Definition: farming on a plot of land on a slope, because of the layout, this is a very efficient farming method. Example: terrace farming is efficient because it conserves soil and water.

Commercial Gardening/Market Gardening/Truck Farming

Definition: growing food to sell. Example: richer areas tend to sell their crops more.

First Agricultural Revolution

Definition: he transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering to farming. Example: because of the first agricultural revolution, we learned how to breed animals and make simple tools.

Third Agricultural Revolution/Green Revolution

Definition: new agricultural practices were created to help farmers all over the world and eliminate hunger by improving the output and quality of crops. Example: because of the green revolution, we have GMO's and more efficient ways of farming.

Enclosure Acts

Definition: the abolition of the open field system of agriculture which had been the way people farmed in England for centuries. Example: we were able to have a more fair way of dividing up land.

Transhumance

Definition: the action or practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer. Example: this is important as it keeps your livestock healthy and well.

Irrigation

Definition: the artificial process of applying controlled amounts of water to land to assist in production of crops. Example: irrigation is still used today.

Carrying Capacity

Definition: the number of grazing animals a management unit is able to support without depleting rangeland vegetation or soil resources. Example: we're able to keep track of more animals now than we were able to before, as we now have access to more land.

Desertification

Definition: the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. Example: in dry places like saudi arabia, they need to adapt to the dry land, and try to find ways to conserve water.

Animal Domestication

Definition: the process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use. Example: We managed to domesticate wolves into dogs.

Plant Domestication

Definition: the process whereby wild plants have been evolved into crop plants through artificial selection. Example: people managed to domesticate plants like wheat and barley.

Agriculture

Definition: the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products. Example: the world depends on agriculture to survive.

Columbian Exchange

Definition: the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, the Old World, and West Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Example: because of the columbian exchange, we managed to get a widespread variety of crops.

Spring Wheat

Definition: types of wheat that are typically grown during the early spring times. Example: these types of wheat grow the best during early spring.

Deforestation

Definition: when you clear a large area of trees Example: people might clear out some trees to make room to set up farming land.

Subsistence Agriculture

Definition: when you farm crops for your own consumption. Example: poorer areas tend to only farm for themselves.

Commercial Agriculture

Definition: when you farm for crops to sell to other people. Example: places that grow luxury crops tend to sell them to make more money.