human geo ch 11 Flashcards
what is organic agriculture
the production of crops without the use of synthetic or industrially produced pesticides and fertilizers
what is agriculture
the deliberate tending of crops and livestock to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel
what are primary economic activities
economic activities that involve the extraction of economically valuable products from the earth, including agriculture, ranching, hunting and gathering, fishing, forestry, mining, and quarrying
what are secondary economic activities
activities that take a primary product and change it into something else such as toys, ships, processed foods, chemicals, and buildings
what is the principle secondary economic activity
manufacturing
what are tertiary economic activities
service industries that connect producers to consumers and facilitate commerce and trade or help people meet their needs
what are examples of jobs in the tertiary sector
bankers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, salespeople, clerks, secretaries
what are quaternary economic activities
services concerned with information or the exchange of money or goods
what are quinary economic activities
services tied to research or higher education
what were the most common means of subsistence throughout the world before the advent of agriculture
hunting, gathering, and fishing
how many hunter-gatherers still exist today
about 250,000
what was a crucial innovation in the tools that hunter gatherers used
the use of bone and stone into the development of spears and axes
in addition to tools, what was another important early achievement of human communities
the controlled used of fire
what are root crops
crops that are reproduced by cultivating either the roots or cuttings from the plants
what are seed crops
plants that are reproduced by cultivating seeds
what marked the beginning of the first agricultural revolution
the cultivation of seed crops
where did the first agricultural revolution begin
southwest asia (fertile crescent)
what changes occurred along with plant domestication
- the plants themselves changed bc people would choose seeds from the largest, healthiest plants to save for planting, yielding domesticated plants that grew larger over time than their counterparts in the wild
what are the main points of the first agricultural revolution
- 11,000 years ago in fertile crescent
- Domestication of plants allows for stability
- People don’t need to move → population grows
- Culture can develop (politics/class system)
- Idea (seed planting) can diffuse to other places
- Domestication of animals
what are the advantages of animal domestication
their use as beasts of burden, a meat source, and milk source
how do our domestic versions of animals differ from those first kept by our ancestors
they are smaller because in early animal domestication people chose the more docile, smaller animals to breed
what is subsistence agriculture
growing only enough food to survive
why did subsistence agriculture decline during the 1900s
- the diffusion of industrialized agriculture
- the goal of constantly increasing production both to feed growing populations and to sell more agricultural goods
why has there been a return to subsistence agriculture in parts of the world
some farmers feel production for the global market has not benefited them financially or culturally
what is shifting cultivation
a form of agriculture, used especially in tropical Africa, in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new area until its fertility has been naturally restored.
what did shifting cultivation allow ancient farmers to do
- experiment with various plants
- learn the effects of weeding and crop care
- cope with environmental vagaries
- discern the decreased fertility of soil after sustained farming
what types of populations practice shifting agriculture
those with low population densities