Agriculture Flashcards
Subsistence agriculture/ farming
Production of food for the purpose of it being consumed by the farmer’s family
Shifting cultivation
A form of agriculture that is found in tropical regions which involves clearing vegetation in an area then cultivating it. It may also mean the process in which the farmland that is cultivated is rotated to allow soil to become fertile again
Diffusion
The spread of ideas, beliefs, etc.
First agricultural revolution
A period of time (12,000 years ago) which saw the first use of seed agriculture which replaced the hunting and gathering way of life.
Second agricultural revolution
A period of time in which feudal villages declined and imposed villages that enclosed farmland and had farmers feed their families with the food grown
Von Thünens model
A model which explains and predicts why and where agricultural activities participate around a city’s marketplace
Animal Domestication
Genetic modification of animals to render them more capable of being controlled by humans.
Cadastral System
The patterns of settlement and it describes property lines
Hamlet
A community smaller than villages
Primogeniture
The right of inheritance for the eldest son
Village
A community smaller than a town
Plant domestication
The manipulation of plants for our benefit
Rectangular survey system
A system which parceled land west of the Appalachian mountains
Township and range system
A system used to distribute settlers evenly across farmlands of the US interior
Village forms
The shapes of villages due to their function. An example would be cluster villages being designed in its particular way in order to accommodate flat land for farming.
Domestic agriculture
The manipulation of plants and animals for the benefit of humans in terms of agricultural sufficiency
wattle
An set of woven stakes that form a fence.
cash crops
A crop that is grown to profit off or suit for luxury.
Ex: coffee, tobacco
cotton, rubber
Cotton- Former colonial countries still maintain cotton production. Colonies used to mass produce cotton with large-scale operations for export.
Rubber- A material that was found in trees and rainforests in countries along the equator. It’s still a booming industry with the modern innovation of synthetic or artificial rubber over “wild rubber” (natural from trees).
mediterranean agriculture
An agricultural system based in regions (such as California, Western Europe) with climates similar to Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy) which produce specialty crops such as grapes, olives, avocados, fruits, and certain vegetables.
illegal drugs
A global market of export trade with the growing of drugs for mass production. The three main and largest drug types in this trade are:
Cocaine (produced in Colombia and nearby South American countries such as Bolivia and sent to consumers in developed countries such as the U.S.)
Heroin (produced from an opium plant mainly grown in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia–Laos & Myanmar. Sold through networks that lead to Western Europe and Russia)
Marijuana (produced from the Cannabis plant and is grown worldwide but primarily in Mexico and is sold to consumers in the U.S.)
Green Revolution: Environmental Impact
Downsides:
Pesticides have resulted in pollution and soil contamination.
Workers are being diagnosed with more health issues from working with these chemicals.
Water resources are draining at a rapid pace due to increased usage.
The genetic diversity of seeds is declining due to widespread use of the same artificial seeds, thus eliminating natural local strains.
Genetic uniformity increases the vulnerability to disease and pests.
Increased production requires mechanization and large operations which need fuel and other parts that increases pollution and fossil fuel usage.
Genetically modified foods
Foods whose genes have been altered for specific purposes such as for production, for commercial use, or nutritional value.
Ex: Foods which have been altered for disease resistance
Agribusiness
The set of economic and political relationships that organize food production for commercial purposes.
Biotechnology
A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify animals and plants, or to develop other microorganisms for specific purpose.
Commercial agriculture
The growing of crops for the sheer purpose of selling off the farm and for profit.
Dairying
An agricultural activity involving the raising of livestock, mostly commonly cows and goats, for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter.
Green Revolution
The development of higher-yield and fast-growing crops through increased technology, pesticides, and fertilizers transferred from the developed to developing world to alleviate the problem of food supply in those regions of the globe.
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.
Luxury crops
Non-subsistence crops such as tea, cacao, coffee, and tobacco or crops grown specifically not for need but for the high profit of luxury, for the personal satisfaction and preference, by consumers.
organic agriculture
Approach to farming and ranching that avoids the use of herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, and other similar synthetic inputs.
plantation agriculture
The raising a large amount of a “cash crop” for local sale or export.
third agricultural revolution
The recent and current in-progress epoch of agricultural growth and innovation with the rise of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), their development and use for agriculture, and their impact politcally, culturally, and economically.
