Unit 5

Question 1

How does topography affect agriculture?

Answer 1

The steeper the slope, the more likely the soil will be affected by runoff. Slope can also be a factor in land productivity due to the position of the land toward or away from the sun, which affects how much of the sun’s energy the land receives

Question 2

Examples of intensive subsistence agriculture

Answer 2

• wet-rice agriculture of Asia (In South, East, and Southeast Asia, growers make large investments in productive seed types and fertilizer and use human labor rather than mechanized equipment to carry out the planting, weeding, and harvesting.)
• Rice farmers in India (modify their environment by leveling and flooding rice paddies, creating additional suitable land for growing a grain they depend on.)
• In the mountainous terrain of China and Southeast Asia, farmers terrace the fields to effectively grow wet-rice crops.
• In dry-climate regions, farmers build irrigation systems to provide water to their crops as well as manage environmental degradation.

Question 3

Examples of intensive commercial agriculture

Answer 3

• dairy farms in northern Europe (are relatively close to their urban-dwelling consumers.)
• the palm oil plantations of Malaysia and Indonesia (are far from the factories that turn their product into cosmetics, soaps, ice cream, and chocolate bars)
• **Regardless of the proximity to market, what all intensive commercial producers have in common is the use of intensive methods, whether these are capital- or labor-intensive, and a high yield.
• monocropping
• crop rotation
• plantation agriculture
• market gardening
• mixed crop and livestock systems

Question 4

Examples of extensive subsistence agriculture

Answer 4

• shifting cultivation (This type of agriculture is practiced worldwide in marginal agricultural areas of the tropics, particularly in areas with high rainfall, such as in the rain forests of South America, Central and West Africa, and Southeast Asia.)
• slash and burn (Some farmers, including those in Colombia and Brazil in South America and Papua New Guinea in Oceania, use traditional subsistence farming techniques, such as slash and burn)
• nomadic herding/pastoral nomadism
• transhumance (For example, the Kohistani people of eastern Afghanistan are nomads who move their herds of livestock among five different altitude levels from 2,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level over the course of a year)

Question 5

Examples of extensive commercial agriculture

Answer 5

ranching (takes place in semiarid grassland areas around the world in which crop production is difficult or impossible, including in the American and Canadian West; Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in South America; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and Botswana and South Africa in Africa.)

Question 6

Drawbacks of monocropping

Answer 6

Monocropping can strip nutrients from the soil; for instance, intensive cotton production leads to soil exhaustion

Question 7

Location of first domesticated plants and animals

Answer 7

Domestication first took place in Southwest Asia

Question 8

Impact of Columbian Exchange on spread of agriculture

Answer 8

Because of this new and different crops spread around the world. Potatos and corn came from america and they were quickly adopted to Europe, Asia, and africa. Because of similar climate there was a population increase in Europe and Asia.

Question 9

Intensive agriculture (subsistence)

Answer 9

involves people working the land to support their family and feeds more than half of the people living in peripheral and semi peripheral countries

Question 10

Intensive agriculture (commercial)

Answer 10

involves heavy investments in labor and capital and results in high yields for profit and often incorporates chemical fertilizers and machines

Question 11

Factors contributing to 1st Agricultural Revolution

Answer 11

• They created staple crops that could officially be grown and create a food supply
• population growth
• first ancient civilizations developed

Question 12

Reasons for growth of agribusiness in 20th century

Answer 12

As farm machinery, fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, and smart technologies have made agriculture more efficient and specialized, farmers have become much more dependent on food manufacturers, distributors, and marketers. Better technology

Question 13

What is the goal of Fair Trade?

Answer 13

The fair trade movement is a global campaign to fix unfair wage practices and protect the ability of farmers to earn a living. Fair trade is meant to improve the lives of farmers and workers in peripheral and semi-peripheral countries by providing more equitable working and trading conditions

Question 14

Why do core countries provide financial support for infrastructure in peripheral countries?

Answer 14

So products like crops can be sent out through the global supply chain

Question 15

Example of terracing

Answer 15

Ifugao Rice Terraces in the Philippines, (knowledge is passed down through generations to preserve this traditional and effective method of farming that is a vital part of the community’s survival and culture.)

Question 16

Reasons AND impacts for global food insecurity

Answer 16

1. the result of distribution issues and economic decisions about what to do with the crops that are produced.
2. adverse weather—including severe storms, drought, and extreme temperatures—caused or intensified by climate change
3. instability and chronic poverty also contribute to food insecurity.
4. Loss of agricultural land to growing urban areas is another threat to global food production

Question 16

Challenges women face in agriculture

Answer 16

• Women often do not have land rights
• Cultural biases block women from borrowing money
• Gender roles keep women from taking their crops to markets

Question 17

Benefits of empowering women in agriculture

Answer 17

• children would receive better nutrition and education when their mother’s income increases
• communities benefit when women have money to spend on schooling and other resources
• food security around the world would increase by 30%

Question 18

Examples of Mediterranean agriculture

Answer 18

Mediterranean agriculture consists of growing hardy trees (such as olive, fruit, and nut trees) and shrubs (like grape vines) and raising sheep and goats. These animals forage in the sparse, scrubby summer growth and maneuver around the region’s steep landscape

Question 19

Goal of hybridization

Answer 19

Scientists have taken the natural process of hybridization to intentionally create hybrid grains, fruits, and vegetables, in which different varieties of plants are bred to enhance desired characteristics and improve disease resistance

Question 20

When did the government begin giving farm subsidies?

Answer 20

originally started during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s

Question 21

Problem with slash and burn agriculture

Answer 21

In slash and burn agriculture—and in all agricultural methods—clearing forests for cropland leads to loss of habitat for local species, and increases air pollution and the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change