Human geo part one unit 5 Flashcards
Agrarian
characteristic of farmers or their way of life
Agriculture
the cultivation of domesticated crops and the raising of domesticated animals.
Animal domestication
animals kept for some utilitarian purpose whose breeding is controlled by humans and whose survival is dependent on humans - differ genetically and behaviorally from wild animals.
Aquaculture
the cultivation of aquatic organisms (as fish or shellfish) especially for food.
Cash crop
a crop produced for its commercial value rather than for use by the grower.
Commercial agriculture
term used to describe large scale farming and ranching operations that employ vast land bases, large mechanized equipment, factory-type labor forces, and the latest technology.
Crop rotation
the practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.
Desertification
the degradation of land, especially in semi-arid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.
Double cropping
the growing of two crops per year to double the harvest
Environmental modification
changes made to the environment. e.g., the use of pesticides to grow crops and the effects it has on the soil and environment; soil erosion and desertification caused by changes made to the environment.
Extensive agriculture
use of little labor and capital to increase agricultural productivity.
First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution)
it dates back 10,000 years and is the shift from being primarily hunting and gathering societies to ones that planted crops for food.
Forestry
the art, science, and practice of studying and managing forests and plantations, and related natural resources.
Green Revolution
the recent introduction of high-yield hybrid crops and chemical fertilizers and pesticides into traditional Asian agricultural systems, most notably paddy rice farming, with attendant increases in production and ecological damage.
Growing season
the period of each year when crops can be grown. It is usually determined by climate and crop selection
Hunting and gathering
the killing of wild game and the harvesting of wild plants to provide food in traditional cultures.
Intensive agriculture
expenditure of much labor and capital on a piece of land to increase its productivity.
Intertillage
the clearing of rows in the field through the use of hoes, rakes, and other manual equipment.
Luxury crops
non-subsistence crops such as tea, cacao, coffee, and tobacco
Monoculture
dependence on a single agricultural commodity
Pastoral nomadism
the continual movement of livestock in search of forage for animals.
Paddy rice farming
the cultivation of rice on a paddy or sawah, or small flooded field enclosed by mud dikes, practiced in the humid areas of the Far East.
Plant domestication
deliberately planted and tended by humans that is genetically distinct from its wild ancestors as a result of selective breeding.
Plantation agriculture
a system of monoculture for producing export crops requiring relatively large amounts of land and capital; originally dependent on slave labor.
Primary economic activities
the extraction of natural resources, such as agriculture, lumbering, and mining.
Second Agricultural Revolution
used technology provided by the Industrial Revolution (1750-1900) as a means to increase production and distribution of products.
Seed Agriculture
taking seeds from existing plants and planting them to produce new plants
Shifting cultivation (slash-and-burn)
cultivation of crops in tropical forest clearings in which the forest vegetation has been removed by cutting and burning. the clearings are usually abandoned after a few years in favor of newly cleared forest land. Also known as slash-and-burn agriculture.
Subsistence agriculture
term used to describe farmers that produce the food that they need to survive on a daily basis.
Third agricultural revolution
involves the genetic engineering of products as well as the increased use of fertilizers for crops and antibiotics in animal products
Vegetative planting
removing part of a plant and putting it in the ground to grow a new plant
