Chapter 10 Flashcards

1
Q

Define agriculture

A

Deliberate modification of earths surface. Farming

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2
Q

Define crop

A

Any plant cultivated by people

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3
Q

What are the characteristics of a hunter-gatherer society?

A
  1. Small groups
  2. Men hunt, women gather berries and nuts
  3. Based on animals migration patterns and seasonal growth of plants
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4
Q

How many hunter-gatherers are there today? Where do they live?

A
  • A quarter million, less than .005%
  • Spinifex=Australia’s Great Victorian deserts, -Sentinelese= India’s Andaman Island
  • Bushmen=Botswana+Namibia
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5
Q

What was the agricultural rev.?

A

When humans first domesticated plants+animals, and didn’t rely entirely on hunting+gathering

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6
Q

Define subsistence agriculture

A

Producing food primarily for eating by the farmers family

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7
Q

Define commercial agriculture

A

Producing food for selling and making a profit

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8
Q

What are the three main features that separate commercial agriculture from subsistence agriculture?

A
  1. The % of farmers in the labor force
  2. The use of machinery
  3. Farm size
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9
Q

Define food security

A

Access to safe and nutritious food in order to have a healthy life

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10
Q

How much of the world does not have food security?

A

1/8

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11
Q

Define undernourishment

A

Not having enough food to meet dietary needs

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12
Q

How many people in the world suffer from undernourishment? Where are those places?

A

870 million people- 99% in LDC’s. #1. India (225 mill) #2. China (130 mill) 1/4th of people in Sub-Saharan Africa

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13
Q

What is pastoral nomadism? What type of climate is it usually found in?

A
  • A form of subsistence agriculture based on the herding of domesticated animals
  • Dry climates, where planting crops is impossible
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14
Q

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

A

Central+SE Asia, North Africa

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15
Q

How do pastoral nomads obtain grain (many ways)

A
  • Trade w/t sedentary farmers, (trade animals)
  • Women+children plant crops, might hire workers to practice sedentary agri. for grain+protection, sow grain in recently flooded areas, return later, remain in 1 place, cultivate the land when rain is copious
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16
Q

What animals are chosen? And where? (in pastoral nomadism)

A

Camel, sheep, goats= North Africa+SW Asia

Horse= Central Asia

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17
Q

Describe territoriality among pastoral nomads

A

Every group controls a piece of territory and will invade another groups territory only in a emergency or if war is declared. Goal of groups:Control a territory large enough to contain the forage+water needed for survival. Amt. of land=based on wealth+power

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18
Q

What is transhumance?

A

Seasonal migration of livestock b/w mountains and lowland pasture areas. Heavy in: China, Kazakhstan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria. several in SW Asia

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19
Q

In what way do modern gov.’s currently threaten pastoral nomadism?

A

Gov.’s force groups to give up pastoral nomadism so they can use the land for transportation, technology, profit, mining, petroleum. Forcing groups to roam in fixed boundaries

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20
Q

In what climate does shifiting cultivation predominate?

A

Tropical

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21
Q

Identify the two distinctive features of shifting cultivation

A
  1. Farmers clear land for planting by slashing vegetation+burning the debris
  2. Farmers grow crops on a clear field for only a few yrs. until soil nutrients are depleted, then leave it fallow for many yrs. so the soil can recover
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22
Q

What is swidden?

A

The cleared area before planting

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23
Q

What is potash?

A

Potassium, the only fertilizer from burning debris

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24
Q

How long are swiddens used?

A

3 yrs. or less

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25
Q

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

A
  • Land was owned by a village instead of each resident

- The chief/ruling council would allocate a patch of land to each family and allowed them to keep the output

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26
Q

What % of the world’s land area is devoted to shifting cultivation? What % of the worlds people work it?

A
  • 1/4th

- less than 5%

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27
Q

What is meant by “intensive”

A

Farmers must work intensively to subsist on a parcel of land

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28
Q

Where is intensive subsistence agri. practiced? Why there?

A

East, South+SE Asia b/c it is densely populated, farms are much smaller, no waste of land alternate land is used

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29
Q

What is “wet rice”

A

Rice planted on dry land in a nursery and then moved to a flooded field to promote growth

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30
Q

What is “sawah”? What is a “paddy”?

A
  • A flooded field in the Austronesian language, widely spoken in Indonesia+Java
  • Paddy:Malay word for wet rice, Europeans+NA’s use it often but it is incorrect
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31
Q

What is double cropping?

A

Harvesting two crops per year from one field

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32
Q

Where is double cropping possible? Where is it not?

A
  • Warm winters-Southern China+Taiwan

- Not places w/t dry winters, rare in India

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33
Q

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

A

Wheat, then barley

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34
Q

How are multiple harvests made possible in these less mild regions?

A

Crop rotation, the practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each yr. to avoid exhausting the soil

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35
Q

Where is mixed crop and livestock farming common?

A

U.S.-West of the Appalachians and in much of Europe from France to Russia

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36
Q

Describe the irony b/w the amt. of land devoted to crops vs. animals and the income generated by each in this region

A

Most of the crops are fed to animals rather than consumed directly by humans, gets most of the income from sale of animal products

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37
Q

How does this type of agri. allow farmers to move evenly “distribute their workload” (majority of income of farmers coming from animal products)

A

Fields require less attention in the winter than the spring, while livestock require full attention- reduces seasonal variation of income

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38
Q

In what different way is the corn used?

A

In the U.S. corn is the most planted crop in the mixed crop+livestock region b/c it generates higher yields than do any other crop.

39
Q

Where is the U.S. Corn Belt and what crops are grown there?

A

Ohio to Dakotas, with Iowa as the center, corn and soybeans

40
Q

Define fallow and describe how it relates to crop rotation

A

Land that is not cultivated for a period of time to let the soil gain its nutrients back. A crop planted changes from one yr. to the next going through cycles, and then a yr. of fallow before the cycle is repeated.

41
Q

Define cereal grains and describe how it relates to crop rotation

A

A grass that yields grain for food. A cereal grain was put in a field one yr. and left fallow to complete a two-field crop rotation system

42
Q

Define rest crop and describe how it relates to crop rotation

A

Rest crops such as clover, help to restore fields while another crop is planted in another field (say a grain)

43
Q

What three conditions make the SE U.S. an ideal location for this commercial gardening and fruit farming?

A
  1. Long growing season
  2. Humid climate
  3. Accessible to the large markets of NY, Philadelphia, Washington, other Eastern urban areas
44
Q

What is truck farming and where has is spread in the U.S? Give examples of specialty crops

A

Commercial gardening+fruit farming

-Apples, Asparagus, Cheeries, Lettuce, Mushrooms+tomatoes

45
Q

What is a milkshed?

A

The ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied w/o spoiling

46
Q

Why do some regions specialize in “milk products” like cheese and butter rather than fluid milk? Identify some of these important regions

A

Farms located farther from consumers sell “milk products” b/c these products stay fresh longer.
-Butter, cheese, dried, evaporated, condensed milk -Northwestern Europe, and northeastern U.S. farms milkshed is within the milkshed of one urban area

47
Q

What country is the world’s largest producer of dairy products?

A

New Zealand

48
Q

What problems do dairy farmers currently face?

A

Not making enough profit with excessive workload

Face expense of feeding cows in winter

49
Q

What is the principal difference b/w grains grown in “commercial grain farming” regions and grain in “mixed crop and livestock” regions?

A

Crops on a grain farm are grown primarily for consumption by humans rather than by livestock

50
Q

Complete a bullet list that details the significance of wheat as a crop?

A

-Can be sold for a higher price -Can be transported a long distance -More uses as human food -Shipped profitably -Stored easily w/o spoiling

51
Q

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?

A
  • The workload is distributed throughout the year
  • Same machinery in two regions
  • Harvesting contractors start working in Oklahoma in early summer+work their way northward
52
Q

Identify the three regions of large-scale grain production in NA

A
  1. The winter weat belt through Kansas, Colorado+Oklahoma
  2. The spring wheat belt through the Dakotas, Montana+Southern Saskatchewan in Canada
  3. The Palouse region of Washington
53
Q

Describe the conditions of Mediterranean climate and agri.

A
  • Borders a sea, most are on West coasts of continents
  • Prevailing sea winds -moisture+moderate winter temps.
  • Summers are hot+dry -Hilly land -Mountains go into sea
54
Q

Most crops in Mediterranean lands are grown for _____

rather than for ______

A

human consumption, animal feed

55
Q

What is horticulture?

A

The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers- and tree crops

56
Q

List the two most important cash crops of Mediterranean regions

A

Olives+Grapes

57
Q

Define ranching

A

Commercial grazing in which livestock graze over an extensive area

58
Q

What type of climate is livestock best adapted to? And, where is ranching practiced?

A
  • Semiarid or arid land

- Developed countries where the vegetation is too sparse+the soil too poor to support crops

59
Q

Why did cattle ranching expand in the U.S.?

A

The demand for beef in East coast cities

60
Q

Why did cattle ranching decline?

A

It came into conflict with sedentary agri.

61
Q

Where does cattle ranching take place today?

A

Land leased from the U.S. gov.

62
Q

What were the three U.S. and world stages of ranching?`

A
  1. The herding of animals over open ranges, in a seminomadic style
  2. Ranching was transformed into fixed arming by dividing the open land into ranches
  3. Ranching was confined to drier lands
63
Q

According to the “Boserup Thesis”, in what ways can subsistence farmers increase food supply?

A

Intensification of production, achieved in 5 basic stages: 1. Forest fallow 2. Bush fallow 3. Short fallow 4. Annual cropping 5. Multi-cropping

64
Q

What is the dilemma that is faced by LDC’s as they seek to increase the amt. o export crops to sell to MDC’s?

A

The more land that is devoted to growing export crops the less food to eat

65
Q

Summarize Africa’s food supply struggle

A
  • They cannot keep food production ahead of pop. growth
  • Gov. policies keep food price low since there is a scarce amt. Therefore farmers can’t make a profit, so they don’t want to increase production
66
Q

Why have food prices been a more serious problem than food supply?

A

Why food prices have gone up-Poor weather, especially in South Pacific+NA

  • Higher demand, especially in China+India
  • Smaller growth in productivity, especially w/o miracle breakthroughs”
  • Use of biofuels instead of food, LA
  • Prices are too high so people don’t have enough $ to buy food, which results in food supply being low
67
Q

How have efficient agri. practices, fertilizers and mechanical equipment, etc. created a problem for commercial farmers?

A

Producing large quantities of food, they face low prices and low profit -encouraging people to plant clover to help the soil

68
Q

Create three bulleted points that highlight current ways in which the U.S. gov. cuurently deals w/t excess agri. capacity, and explain each

A

-Farmers are encouraged to avoid producing crops that are in excess supply -The gov. pays farmers when certain commodity prices are low -The gov. buys surplus production+sells or donates it to foreign gov

69
Q

Who was von Thunen?

A

An estate owner in Northern Germany

70
Q

What two factors does a farmer consider when deciding what to plan?

A
  1. Which crops to cultivate

2. Which animals to raise based on market location

71
Q

How does profit determine what farmers grow?

A

Higher profits more food being produced -Farmers want to grow food that makes them profit

72
Q

How does transportation cost influence profitability of growing wheat?

A

Farms located closer to markets tend to select crops w/t higher trans. costs+vice versa

73
Q

How could von Thunen’s model be applied at a global scale?

A

Farmers in LDC’s who want to sell to NA and Western Europe are less likely to grow highly perishable bulky products

74
Q

Four strategies have been produced to increase the world’s food supply in places where population are underfed.

A
  1. Increasing exports from countries w/t surpluses
  2. Expanding the land area used for agriculture
  3. Expanding fishing
  4. Increase the productivity of land now used or agriculture
75
Q

List the largest regions and countries exporting agricultural products

A

1st. LA (Brazil+Argentina) then NA, SE Asia, and South Pacific

76
Q

What countries are the leading importers of food?

A

Japan, UK, China, Russia

77
Q

What country exports the most grain? What kind and how much?*

A

The U.S.-1/2 of the worlds maize exports

78
Q

Identify and briefly three reasons why land currently being removed from agricultural use

A
  1. Lack of water (desertification)
  2. Urbanization
  3. Overgrazing
79
Q

Define aquaculture/aquafarming

A

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions

80
Q

What countries are the leading fishing countries?

A

China, Indonesia, Peru, Chile

81
Q

Have MDC’s or LDC’s consumed more fish?

A

LDC’s

82
Q

What are the two main practices of the Green Revolution?

A
  1. The intro. of new higher yield seeds

2. Expanded use of fertilizers

83
Q

Because of the Green Revolution, agricultural productivity at a global scale has ________ than _____

A

increased faster, population growth

84
Q

Describe the characteristics of “miracle wheat seed

A

-shorter+stiffer than traditional breeds -responded better to fertilizers -less sensitive variation in day length -matured faster

85
Q

Describe the characteristics of “miracle rice seed”

A

Diffused rapidly to India, Asian countries+LA countries -heavier -production increases rapidly

86
Q

What specific problems do farmers in LDC’s have which might prevent them from taking full advantage of the Green Revolution?

A

Farmers must use more fertilizers and machinery

87
Q

What three crops are often genetically modified?

A
  1. Soybeans
  2. Cotton
  3. Maize
88
Q

Approximately how much o major crops in the U.S. are genetically modified?

A

3/4, -Soybeans: 94% -Cotton: 90% -Maize: 88%

89
Q

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages o genetically modified foods

A

Adv: Higher yields, increased nutrition, more resistance to pests, better tasting -Dis.: Health problems, export problems, increased dependence on the U.S.

90
Q

Define sustainable agriculture

A

Agricultural practices that preserve and enhance env. quality

91
Q

What are the principal practices that distinguish farmers practicing sustainable agriculture form those operating conventionally?

A
  1. Sensitive land management
  2. Limited use of chemicals
  3. Better integration of crops+livestock
92
Q

List the advantages of ridge tillage

A
  1. Lower production costs

2. Greater soil conservation

93
Q

In what ways are animals treated differently in sustainable agriculture? How is this a benefit?

A
  1. # of livestock
  2. Animal confinement
  3. Management of extreme weather conditions
  4. Flexible feeding and marketing