AP GEO Chap. 10 Key Issue 3: Where Is Agriculture Distributed?

How do pastoral nomads obtain grain?

They raise crops, sedentary subsistence farmers, hire workers to practice sedentary subsistence agriculture

What percentage of the world's land area is devoted to shifting cultivation?

25%

How long are swiddens used?

3 years or less

Describe the conditions of Mediterranean climate and agriculture

Borders a sea, west coasts of continents, prevailing sea winds providing moisture and moderating the winter temperatures, summers hot and dry, land hilly with mountains plunging directly to the sea

What animals are chosen for pastoral nomadism?

Camels, sheep, and goats in North Africa and Southwest Asia, and horses in Central Asia

What were the three US and world stages of ranching?

Herding of animals over open ranges in a semi-nomadic style, fixed farming by dividing open land into ranches, and when many farms converted to growing crops, ranching was confined to drier lands

Why did cattle ranching expand in the US?

In the 1860s, there was a higher demand for beef in East Coast cities

Why did cattle ranching decline in the US?

In the 1880s, it came into conflict with sedentary agriculture

Where does cattle ranching take place today?

Land leased from the US government (60%)

What percentage of the world's people work it?

Less than 5%

What three conditions make the southeast US an ideal location for truck farming?

Long growing season, humid climate, and accessible to large markets of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, etc.

How do farmers and combine companies make use of the fact that the wheat matures at different times in the spring and winter wheat belts?

Winter Belt: planted in autumn and develops a strong root system, then survives the winter, especially if insulated beneath a snow blanket, and gets ripe by summer Spring Belt: planted in spring, and harvested in late summer

What are the three regions of large-scale grain production in North America?

Winter and Spring wheat belts, and the Palouse region of Washington state

Define rest crop and explain how it relates to crop rotation

a crop that helps restore the field (usually restores nitrogen into the soil) It is also used for cattle grazing

What is pastoral nomadism?

a form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals

What is truck farming and where has it spread in the US?

an exchange of commodities. They are highly efficient large-scale operations that take full advantage of machines at every stage of the growing process. Specialty crops include: asparagus, peppers, mushrooms, strawberries, and nursery plants

Define cereal grains and explain how it relates to crop rotation

any plant from the grass family yielding edible grain such as oats, wheat, rye, or barley. Used in a two-field crop rotation (one field would have cereal grain while the other is fallow)

What problems do dairy farmers currently face?

declining revenues and rising costs

In what different ways is corn used in mixed crop and livestock farming?

Put into food products such as oil, margarine, etc., and fed to pigs and cattle

Where is mixed crop and livestock farming common?

developed regions

What regions of the world are currently occupied by this practice?

Southwest Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, and East Asia

What is meant by "intensive?"

farmers must work intensively to subsist on a parcel of land

Most crops in Mediterranean lands are grown for what?

for human consumption rather than for animal feed

In what ways do modern governments currently threaten pastoral nomadism?

governments want control of lands controlled by pastoral nomads

Where is double-cropping possible?

it is common in places that have warm winters, such as southern China and Taiwan

What is double-cropping?

obtaining two harvests per year from one field

List the two most important cash crops of Mediterranean regions

olives and grapes

Define fallow and explain how it relates to crop rotation

plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period to restore fertility. It is involved in crop rotation because it prevents a surplus of food

What is potash?

potassium

What is wet rice?

rice planted on dry land in a nursery

What is transhumance?

seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pasture areas

What type of climate is livestock best adapted to? Where is ranching practiced?

semiarid or arid land. Practiced in developed countries where vegetation is too sparse and soil too poor to support crops

What is a paddy?

the Malay word for wet rice

What is swidden?

the cleared area in shifting cultivation

Define ranching

the commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area

What is sawah?

the flooded field

Why do some regions specialize in milk products like cheese and butter rather than liquid milk?

the further the farm is from large urban concentrations, the smaller percentage of output devoted fresh milk. For example, New Zealand is the world's leader in milk production, but it only produces 5% liquid milk because it is so far away from large wealthy populations in North America and Northwestern Europe

What is horticulture?

the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers

What is a milkshed?

the ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling

How are multiple harvests made possible in less mild regions?

these lands are intensely used and maximized to the absolute full potential. Reliance is heavy on human and animal power.

In what climate does shifting cultivation predominate?

tropical climate regions

How is land owned in a typical village that practices shifting cultivation?

typically owned by the whole village. A chief or ruling council gives a patch of land to each family. Individuals may also own trees too.

List some examples detailing the importance of wheat as a crop

used to make bread flour, can be sold for a higher price, stored relatively easily without spoiling, can be transported a long distance, and is shipped profitably from remote farms to markets

In areas of intensive subsistence agriculture where wet rice is not dominant, what is the major crop?

wheat, then barley

Where is the US Corn Belt, and what crops are grown there?

Extends from Ohio to the Dakotas with Iowa at the center. Half of the cropland is planted in corn (soybeans are also grown)

Identify the two distinctive features of shifting cultivation.

Farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation and burning debris, and farmers grow crops on a cleared field for a few years, then leave it fallow

Where is intensive subsistence agriculture practiced? Why there?

East, South, and Southeast Asia because of dense populations

In what type of climate is pastoral nomadism usually found?

Drylands

Describe territoriality among pastoral nomads.

Each group controls a piece of land and will only invade someone else's if war is declared or in an emergency