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agriculture
raising of crops and livestock for food
domesticated plant
plant cared and used by humans and distinct from wild ancestors
domesticated animal
animal that depends on ppl for food and shelter and distinct from wild ancestors
farmer
someone who raises crops and livestock to sell for profit
physical geography
study of Earth’s physical traits and processes
nutrients
components of topsoil required for plants to grow and reproduce
topography
arrangement of shapes on Earth’s surface
climate
avg pattern of weather over long period of time for a particular region
weather
daily atmospheric conditions that affect daily decisions
tropical climate
dry season w/ little rain
tropical wet climate
climate experiencing rain daily
monsoon
seasonal reversal of winds, onshore movement in summer & offshore movement in winter
monsoon rains
long periods of heavy rain daily at the end of short dry season
arid climate
receives less than 10 in of rain annually
semiarid/steppe climate
receives abt 10-20 in of rain annually to support farming
moderate climate
avg year-round temperatures of 75 degrees F found north and south of equator on edges of tropics
humid subtropical climate
long, hot summers and short, mild winters w/ varying precipitation
found on east coast of continents
marine west coast climates
moderate temperatures during long summer and cool winters
found on west coasts of continents
Mediterranean climate
winter precipitation averaging 15-25 in
unusually mild winters
clear skies w/ a lot of sunshine
continental climate
large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation, found in interior of continents - north of moderate climates
humid continental climate
wide range of temperatures, moderate precipitation, four distinct seasons
e.g. Chicago
humid cold/subarctic climate
frigid temperatures nearly year round, found in northern parts of continental climate
intensive agriculture
agriculture that uses high levels of labor and enough financial capital to operate a farm
subsistence agriculture
food production for consumption by family and local community
commercial agriculture
agriculture for sell in a market
market gardening
farming where a farmer plants few acres of crops mainly for sale in regional market
truck farm
more acres than market gardening, less crop diversity, mainly for national + global markets
plantation
large piece of land of capital-intensive (require costly investments) specialized production of single tropical or subtropical crop
e.g. banana plantation
mixed crop/livestock agriculture
diverse system of agriculture based on cultivation of cereal grains, root crops & rearing of herd livestock
cereal grains
seeds that come from wide variety of grasses grown globally
millet
fast growing cereal plant widely grown in warm regions w/ poor soil
root crops
vegetables that form below ground and must be dug at maturity
cash crops
meant to be sold for profit, often thru exports
e.g. cotton, coffee
peasants
small scale farmers who own their fields, rely mainly on family labor, produce crops for own sustenance and sale on market
paddy rice farming
system of wet rice farming on small level fields bordered by watertight dikes (long walls)
grain farming
intensive, machine-heavy farming production of cereal grains
livestock fattening
intensive system of animal feeding using fenced enclosures to fatten livestock for slaughter & processing for market
feedlots
fenced enclosures used to limit movement and associated weight loss
dairying
farming system specializing in raising livestock to produce milk and its byproducts
extensive agriculture
agriculture requiring little labor or monetary investment
shifting cultivation
cultivation of a plot of land until it becomes less productive
slash-and-burn/swidden agriculture
cutting, burning and then planting crops in small plots in forests
intercropping
planting multiple crops together in same clearing
nomadic herding/nomadic pastoralism/pastoralism
system of raising livestock by moving them over more expansive areas of pastures
tundra
vast flat arctic region of Asia, Europe, North America where subsoil is permanently frozen
livestock ranching
practice of using large plots of land to raise herds of livestock to sell meat, hides, wool
rural area
located outside of towns, cities
rural settlement
small group of ppl living outside urban area
agricultural landscape
visible imprint of agricultural practices
grain elevator
large storage facility for grain
suitcase farm
farm where no one lives on & is used for planting crops, relies on hired migratory labor
silo
tower-like structure storing feed for livestock on the farm
settlement patterns
ways people organize themselves on land
clustered settlements/farm villages
tightly bunched farm settlement having few dozen
often connected thru family, religion
farmstead
center of farm operations
dispersed/isolated settlement pattern
families live distant from each other
linear settlement pattern
buildings are arranged in a line, often along road, river
survey methods
used by surveyors to lay out property lines
cadastral survey
careful, planned documentation of property ownership, shape, use and boundaries
metes and bounds survey system
uses natural features (trees, streams, etc.) to draw out property lines
irregularly shaped plots
township and range survey system
divides most of U.S. into grid of square-shaped towns
checkerboard pattern
long-lot survey system
basic unit is a rectangle, typically 10 times longer than wide
rectangular lots
domestication
long term process where humans selectively breed plants and animals from the wild to create a distinct species
First Agricultural Revolution
period where domestication of plants and animals & cultivation of seed crops led to development of agriculture
teosinte
wild grass native to Mexico that produced small ears of maize
favored among early groups in Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
cultural region in Americas including ancient civilizations of modern Mexico and Central America
biodiversity
variety among species and ecosystems
hearth
center where new practices develop and spread from
Fertile Crescent
includes river valleys of Tigris and Euphrates; earliest center for domestication and seed plants
Indus River Valley
area along Indus River; site of earliest domestication of plants and herd animals
Columbian Exchange
interaction & transfer of diseases, animals, ideas, practices btwn Americas, Old World, West Africa
Second Agricultural Revolution
period bringing improved methods of planting, harvesting and farm produce storage
seed drill
machine for planting seeds in a row
mechanical reaper
used by farmers to harvest grain crops
scythe
agricultural hand tool w/ curved blade used for cutting grain in the fields
agrichemicals
chemical compounds made from petroleum and natural gas for agriculture
synthetic fertilizer
industrially manufactured; contain higher concentrations of nutrients than natural fertilizers
pesticides
material used to kill or repel animals that damage or destroy crop growth
herbicide
pesticide used to kill or lessen growth of unwanted weeds that compete w/ crops
nutrient pollution
excess nutrients seep down into groundwater or carried into nearby water as runoff
runoff
flow or rain/irrigation water over land
Green Revolution
U.S.-supported development of high yield seed types & agricultural technology for use in less developed countries
crossbreeding
mixing of different species of plants/animals to produce hybrids
hybrids
offspring of 2 plants/animals of different species
double-cropping
planting another crop on same plot of land as soon as first crop harvested
multicropping
planting 2 or more crops per yr on same piece of land
hierarchical diffusion
ideas leapfrog from important ppl/things to ppl but skip over ppl
cassava
root vegetable native to South America
sorghum
grain plant native to northeast Africa
endemic
native to or characteristic of a certain place
environmental contamination
chemical residue that builds up w/ use of synthetic fertilizers + pesticides
soil salinization
concentration of dissolved salts in soil
soil salinity
measure of concentration of salt in soil
capital expenditures
assets that cost money
e.g. land, machinery
bid-rent theory
explains how demand for land & price of land decreases as distance from central business district increases
central business district (CBD)
dense cluster of offices and shops located at city’s most accessible point, usually center
large-scale commercial operation
large-scale farm exclusively for production of agricultural goods for sale in the market
monocropping (monoculture)
cultivation of single cash crop on multiple plots of land
agricultural cooperative
organization where farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activity
family farm
farming operation that’s mainly owned by a family or family corporation that sells products to defined market