APHG Unit 5: Agriculture

extensive agriculture

an agricultural system characterized by low inputs of labor per unit land area, but typically requires a large amount of lan

fair trade movement

an alternative method of international trade which promotes environmentalism, fair wages, alleviation of global poverty and a fair price for growers

independent innovation

invention of the same phenomenon by two culture hearths without each knowing about the other's invention or, sometimes, existence.

crop gap

lack of gender equality has resulted in women producing 20-30 percent less in farms; the worst food insecurities are found in LDCs, the area where gender-specific obstacles are the most prevalent.

carrying capacity

largest number of individuals in a population that a environment can support

The Blue Revolution

modern aquaculture, producing fish, shellfish, and other products; new techniques of fish farming that may contribute as much to human nutrition as miracle cereal grains but also may create social and environmental problems.

capital

money for investment

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

network between agricultural producers and consumers whereby consumers pledge support to a farming operation in order to receive a share of the output from the farming operation

luxury crops

non-subsistence crops (not necessary for survival) such as tea, cacao, coffee, and tobacco; can be "hard to get" crops; delicacies

value-added farming

occurs when farmers process their crops into high-value products, rather than simply selling it as it comes from the field

vertical integration

practice where a single entity (usually a corporation) controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution

land cover change

process by which agricultural areas are lost to development

plantation agriculture

production system based on a large estate owned by an individual, family, or corporation and organized to produce a cash crop; almost all plantations were established within the tropics; in recent decades, many have been divided into smaller holdings or reorganized as cooperatives

multicropping

refers to planting multiple crops on the same land during the same seasons

deforestation

removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves; usually for agriculture or development

commodity chain

series of links connecting the many places of production and distribution and resulting in a commodity that is then exchanged on the world market

Mediterranean agriculture

specialized farming that occurs only in areas where the dry-summer Mediterranean climate prevails

comparative advantage

the ability of an individual, a firm, or a country to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than competitors

milk shed

the area surrounding a city from which milk is supplied.

infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

Columbian Exchange

the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the eastern and western hemispheres following the initial voyages of European exploration.

gender inequality

the inequality between men and women in terms of wealth, income, and status

commercial gardening

the intensive production of non-tropical fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale off the farm.

grain farming

the mass planting and harvesting of grain crops, such as wheat, barley, and millet.

pollution

the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

domestication

the process of changing plants or animals to make them more useful to humans; usually as food sources

aquaculture (aquafarming)

the rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for food.

cool chains

the refrigeration and transport technologies that allow for the distribution of perishables; transportation networks that keep food cool throughout a trip

transhumance

the seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

supply chains

the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity

Enclosure Acts

a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land in the country, creating legal property rights to land that was previously considered common.

community gardens

a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people; areas where residents can grow their own food

subsidies

a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive.

hydroponics

a technique of growing plants (without soil) in water containing dissolved nutrients

metes and bounds

a term used in describing the boundary lines of land, setting forth all the boundary lines together with their terminal points and angles; metes (length or measurements) and bounds (boundaries) description is often used when a great deal of accuracy is required.

organic food

a type of food that is produced without pesticides, bioengineering, or high-energy radiation

center-pivot irrigation

a type of irrigation that waters crops using sprinkler systems on huge turning wheels

subsistence agriculture

agriculture designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmer and the farmer's family or family/tribal group

urban farming

agriculture takes the form of roof-top, balcony, backyard gardening, as well as in vacant lots and parks in an urban area

commercial agriculture

agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm to the larger community

irrigation

ahe process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

neocolonialism

also called economic imperialism, this is the domination of newly independent countries by foreign business interests that cause colonial-style economies to continue, which often causes monoculture i.e. the newly independent country only producing one main export like sugar, oil, coffee, etc.; the representative example of European neocolonialism is Françafrique, the "French Africa" constituted by the continued close relationships between France and its former African colonies

intercropping

an agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction.

monocropping

an agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety

clustered (nucleated) settlement

a rural settlement pattern in which residents live in close proximity to one another, with farmland and pasture land surrounding the settlement

linear settlement

a rural land use pattern that creates a long, narrow settlement around a river, coast, or road that looks like a line

dispersed settlement

a rural settlement pattern characterized by isolated farms rather than clustered villages.

First (Neolithic) Agricultural Revolution

The origin of farming marked by the first domestication of plants and animals 10,000 years ago

transnational corporation

a company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located.

food insecurity

a condition in which people do not have adequate access to food

dairy farming

a farm that produces milk or milk products, and are usually around big urban areas

slash-and-burn agriculture

a farming technique in which trees are cut down and burned to clear and fertilize the land

pastoral nomadism

a form of subsistence agriculture based on herding domesticated animals.

intensive subsistence agriculture

a form of subsistence agriculture in which farmers must expend a relatively large amount of effort to produce the maximum feasible yield from a parcel of land; Ex: wheat

bid-rent (bid-price) curve

a geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the Central Business District (CBD) increases; states that different land users will compete with one another for land close to the city center

food distribution system

a network of trade and transportation that get food from farms to consumers

isotropic plain

an area with human and physical geographic features are uniform throughout the entire area; a hypothetical portion of the earth's surface assumed to be an unbounded, uniformly flat plain with uniform and unvarying distribution of population, purchasing power, transport costs, accessibility, and the like.

free market economy

an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers.

livestock ranching

an extensive commercial agricultural activity that involves the raising of livestock over vast geographic spaces typically located in semi-arid climates like the American West.

agribussiness

an industry engaged in agriculture on a large scale, sometimes including the manufacture and distribution of farm supplies; commercial agriculture characterized by integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.

intensive agriculture

any agricultural system involving the application of large amounts of capital and/or labor per unit of cultivated land; may be part of either subsistence or commercial economy

food desert

area in a developed country characterized by a lack of affordable, fresh, and nutritious food; 1+ miles in an urban area and 10+ miles in a rural area of required travel to a full scale grocery

climate

average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time

Second Agricultural Revolution

both a cause and effect of the Industrial Revolution, the Second Agricultural Revolution witnessed improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and storage of farm products; tools and equipment were modified, methods of soil preparation, fertilization, crop care, and harvesting improved the general organization of agriculture made more efficient

hybridization

breeding technique that involves crossing dissimilar organisms to bring together the best traits of both organisms; Ex: Empire apples

mixed crop and livestock farming

commercial farming characterized by integration of crops and livestock; most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed directly by humans.

feedlots

confined space used for the controlled feeding of animals

extensive subsistence agriculture

consists of any agricultural economy in which the crops and/or animals are used nearly exclusively for local or family consumption on large areas of land and minimal labor input per acre

food processing

cooking, canning, drying, or freezing of food and the preparing of it for market.

Location Theory

corporations choose locations that maximize their profits and individuals choose locations that maximize their utility; a logical attempt to explain the locational pattern of economic activities and the manner in which its producing areas are interrelated

public land survey (township and range) system

creates rectangular plots of consistent size

Green Revolution (Third Agricultural Revolution)

currently in progress, characterized by rapid diffusion of new agricultural techniques between 1970's and 1980's, especially new high-yield seeds, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms; has caused agricultural productivity at a global scale to increase faster than population growth.

terrace farming

cutting out flat areas (terraces) into near vertical slopes to allow farming; appears as steps cut into a mountainside; adaptation allowed both the early Chinese, and the Inca of Mesoamerica to grow enough food for their large populations (an example of possibilism)

gender-specific obstacles

discriminatory practices that prevent female farmers from reaching their potential productivity

value-added crops

entails changing a raw agricultural product into something new through packaging, processing, cooling, drying, extracting or any other type of process that differentiates the product from the original raw commodity. Examples: orange juice, bacon, bagged salad mix, artisan bread, things that are worth way more than the product used to make them

Von Thünen Model

explains what economic activities are located where and why explains the location of agricultural activities by emphasizing the importance of transportation costs associated with distance from the market; describes what should be grown where in relation to the market; illustrates the relationship between land cost and transportation cost; distributes various farming activities into concentric rings around a central market city; regions of specialty farming do not always conform to concentric rings; developed in 1826, it has since been (somewhat) debunked with technological advancements in production and transportation

economies of scale

factors that cause a producer's average cost per unit to decrease as output of the product increases

monoculture

farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year

agriculture

farming; domestication of plants and animals for food production

French long-lot system

farms were long thin sections of land that ran perpendicular to a river; also found in areas of the Western hemisphere that were colonized by the French

local food movement

food produced within a fairly limited distance from where it is consumed; collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies

GMOs

genetically modified organisms; crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

bid-rent theory

geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand on real estate changes as the distance towards the Central Business District (CBD) increases.

vertical farms

grow crops inside in stackable trays, using greenhouses, artificial lights, and hydroponics.

double cropping

growing more than one crop a year on the same land

horticulture

growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers; cultivation of crops carried out with simple hand tools such as digging sticks or hoes

draining wetlands/wetland destruction

humans drain wetlands to create fields, pastures, and roads

soil salinization

in arid regions, irrigation water evaporates, leaving salts behind

market gardening

the small scale production of fruits, vegetables, and flowers as cash crops sold directly to local consumer; distinguishable by the large diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, during a single growing season; labor is done manually.

crop rotation

the system of growing a different crop in a field each year to preserve the fertility of the land

shifting cultivation

the use of tropical forest clearings for crop production until their fertility is lost; plots are then abandoned, and farmers move on to new sites.

overgraze

to allow livestock to strip areas so bare that plants cannot grow back

capital intensive

using more capital than labor in the production process

labor intensive

using more labor than capital in the production process

factory farming

when animals are used for meat or dairy products but are kept indoors in very small places

intensive commercial agriculture

yields a large amount of output per acre through concentrated application of labor and/or capital usually to small holdings; Ex: aquaculture

extensive commercial agriculture

yields a much smaller output per acre as farmers spread their labor and capital over large areas of land; Ex: cattle ranching