Chapter 5 Flashcards
Yield
The amount of agricultural production harvested per unit of land
Environmental possibilism
The theory that the physical environment may set limits on human actions, but people have the ability to adjust to the physical environment and choose a course of action from many alternatives.
Environmental determinism
The theory that the environment determines, plays a decisive role, or causes social and cultural development.
Intensive Farming types
Market Gardening, Plantation, Mixed Crop/ livestock
Extensive Farming types
Shifting Cultivation, Nomadic, Ranching
Intensive Farming
Practices that often require less land, but require more capital and labor, and are traditionally located closer to larger population centers
Extensive Farming
Practices that tend to use less labor and capital but require more land for the production of food
Cash Crops
An agricultural crop that is purposely made strictly to be sold in a market environment for as much money as possible.
Fallow
Arable land that has been set aside for a period of time to allow for nutrients to return to the soil
Von Thunen’s Model
Created before industrialization and is based on the following limiting assumptions: The city is located centrally within an “Isolated State” which is self sufficient and has no external influences. The Isolated State is surrounded by an unoccupied wilderness.
GMO
An organism whose genome has been altered to promote specific traits that allow for increased production in livestock production or crop farming
Clustered
A settlement that has very little space between buildings
Disperesed
A settlement that is not clustered together and has space between the different buildings
Linear
An arrangement of objects, buildings, or practice in a line
Long Lot
A narrow parcel of land that traditionally connects to a waterway
Metes and Bounds
A boundary that is based on landmarks in a geographic area to create the boundary
Township and Range
A survey method that creates a grid pattern by creating rectangular parcels of land
Columbian Exchange
The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and New World
Silk Road
A network of trade routes that connected China and the Mediterranean from roughly around 130BC to 1450BC
Agriculture
The deliberate modification of the Earths surface through cultivation of plants and rearing of animals to obtain sustenance or economic gain
Neolithic Revolution
Also known as the first agricultural revolution this is a time period in which humans shifted from hunters and gatherers to sedentary agricultural practices
Enclosure Movement
A movement in England which took agricultural land that was publicly owned by the community and privatized it
Commercial Agriculture
Where farmers are focused on one specific crop to sell for profit
Subsistence Agriculture
Where farmers focus on raising food they need to live
Plant Demestication
The growing of cops that people planted, raised, and harvested
Animal Domestication
Raising and caring animals by humans for protection or food
Terrace Farming
Where farmers build a series of steps into the side of a hill
Irrigation
The process of diverting water from its natural course or location to aid the production of crops
Carrying Capacity
The number of crops or people that the area can support
Swidden
An area of land cleared for cultivation by slashing and burning vegetation.
Deforestation
The action of clearing a wide area of trees.
Deserfication
The transition of land from fertile to dessert
Second Agricultural Revolution
1700s used the advances of the industrial revolution to increase food supplies and support population growth
Barbed Wire
Provided inexpensive fencing to keep livestock in grazing areas
Third Agricultural Revolution
1960s the green revolution where companies controlled the development, planting, processing, and selling of food products to the consumer
Township
Areas six miles long and six miles wide that the government organized
Section
Square Miles of townships
Isotropic
Flat and Featureless
Horticulture
The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers
Market Gardening/ Truck Farming
Commercial gardening and fruit farming
Bid Rent Curve / Bid Price Curve
Refers to how the price and demand for real estate change as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases
Comparative Advantage
Naturally occurring beneficial conditions that would prompt farmers to plant crops
Greenbelt
An area of recreational parts or other undeveloped land
Organic Food
Food produced without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or other unnatural processes
Aquaculture
The process of raising and harvesting fish and other forms of food that live in water
Blue Revolution
How aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production on the planet
Monoculture/ Monocropping
Specializing in one crop
Biodiversity
The variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for good and agriculture.
Overgrazing
Excessive grazing on an area to the point of permanent damage to the vegetation and topography.
Fair Trade
A concept used in developing countries to help create sustainability
Pastoral Nomadism/ Migratory Husbandry
people travel from place to place with herds of domesticated animals
Economies of Scales
The reduction in the per unit cost of production as the volume of production increases
