Agriculture and Rural Geography Flashcards
Agriculture
The art and science of producing food from the land and tending livestock for the purpose of human consumption
Agribusiness
The set of economic and political relationships that organize food production for commercial purposes; includes activities ranging from seed production, to retailing, to consumption of agricultural products
Animal husbandry
An agricultural activity associated wit the raising of domesticated animals
Aquaculture
The cultivation or farming (in controlled conditions) of aquatic species, such as fish; in contrast to commercial fishing, which involves catching wild fish
Biotechnology
A form of technology that uses living organisms, usually genes, to modify products, to make or modify plants and animals, or to develop other micro organisms for specific purposes
Capital-intensive agriculture
Form of agriculture that uses mechanical goods such as machinery, tools, vehicles, and facilities to produce large amounts of agricultural goods–a process requiring very little human labor
Commercial agricultural economy
All agricultural activity generated for the purpose of selling, not necessarily for local consumption
Commodity chains
A linked system of processes that gather resources, convert them into goods, package them for distribution, disperse them, and sell them on the market
Dairying
An agricultural activity involving the raising of livestock, most commonly cows and goats, for dairy products
Desertification
The process by which formerly fertile lands become increasingly arid, unproductive, and desert-like
Domestication
The conscious manipulation of plant and animal species by humans in order to sustain themselves
Extensive agriculture
An agricultural system characterized by low inputs of labor per unit land area
Feedlots/ factory farms
Places where livestock are concentrated in a very small area and raised on hormones and hearty grains that prepare them for slaughter at a much more rapid rate than grazing
Fertile Crescent
Area located in the crescent-shaped zone near the southeastern Mediterranean coast; once a lush environment and one of the first hearths of domestication and thus, agricultural activity
Food security
People’s ability to access sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life
Genetically modified food
Foods that are mostly products of organisms that have had their genes altered in a laboratory for specific purposes, such as disease resistance, increased productivity, or nutritional value allowing growers greater control, predictability, and efficiency
Green Revolution
The development of higher-yield and fast-growing crops through increased technology, pesticides, and fertilizers transferred from the developed world to the developing world to alleviate the problems of food supply in those regions of the globe
Horizontal integration
A form of corporate organization in which several branches of a company or several commonly owned companies work together to sell their products in different markets
Hunting and gathering
The killing of wild animals and fish as well as the gathering of fruits, roots, nuts, and other plants for sustenance
Industrial Revolution
The rapid economic changes that occurred in agriculture and manufacturing in England in the late 1700s and that rapidly spread to other parts of the developed world
Intensive cultivation
Any kind of agricultural activity that involves effective and efficient use of labor on small plots of land to maximize crop yield
Labor-intensive agriculture
Type if agriculture that requires large levels of manual labor to be successful
Livestock ranching
An extensive commercial agricultural activity that involves the raising of livestock over vast geographic spaces typically located on semi-arid climates like the American West
Mechanization
In agriculture, the replacement of human labor with technology or machines
Mediterranean agriculture
An agricultural system practiced in the Mediterranean-style climates of Western Europe, California, and portions of Chile and Australia, in which diverse specialty crops such as grapes, avocados, olives, and a host of nuts, fruits, and vegetables comprise profitable agricultural operations
Organic agriculture
The use of crop rotation, natural fertilizers such as manure, and biological pest control–as opposed to artificial fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, additives, and GMOs–to promote healthy, vigorous crops
