unit 5 Flashcards
Substistence farming
Farmers grow and raise a diverse range of crops and livestock for their family’s consumption (exists in intensive and extensive scales)
Commercial agriculture
Farmers grow crops and raise livestock for profit to sell to consumers (exists in intensive and extensive scales)
Bid-rent theory
Relationship between land value, commercial location, and transportation
Metes and bounds
Lines are drawn in certain directions for specific distances from “clear” points of reference
Long-lot system
Adjacent long strips of land stretching back from frontage along a river or a lake
Township and range system
Townships of 6x6 miles, which can then be subdivided
Intensive agriculture
Involves more inputs and more labor, resulting in higher outputs
Extensive agriculture
Involves less inputs and less labor, typically resulting in lower outputs
Shifting cultivation
Type of EA - Growing crops or grazing animals on a piece of land for a short time then abandoning that land when the nutrients have been depleted, then moving elsewhere and repeating process
Slash and burn
Type of EA - Land is cleared by cutting down trees and brush and burning this “slash” once the vegetation dries
Nomadic herding
Type of EA - Of moving animals seasonally or as needed to allow for best grazing. Some engage in transhumance
Transhumance
Movement of herds between pastures at cooler, higher elevations during summer months and lower elevations
Clustered settlement
Type of Rural Settlement Pattern - Residents live in close proximity
Dispersed settlement
Type of Rural Settlement Pattern - Houses and buildings are isolated and homes are distributed over a relatively large area
Linear settlement
Type of Rural Settlement Pattern - Houses and buildings extend in a long line that usually follows a land feature (river, coast, etc)
Foragers
Human existence prior to last ice age
Columbian Exchange
Exchange of goods and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa
Second agricultural revolution
Launched in the 1700s by new practices and tools. Began in Britain and European Low Countries. Dramatically improved crop yields.
Third agricultural revolution
Began in early 20th century and continues today. Broke away from lasting reliance on animal power. Innovations were motorized tractors, GMOs, etc.
Economic forces in agriculture
Cost of materials, land, labor
Availability of capital
Impacts of government policies
Consumer preferences and market demands
Agricultural production regions
Most substistence agriculture occurs in rural Africa and parts of Asia and Latin America (peripheral countries)
Agribusiness
The large scale system including the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products and equipment
Agricultural landcapes
Resulting from the interactions between farming activities and a location’s natural environment
Agroecosystems
Ecosystems modified for agricultural purposes
Livestock farming
Largest source of deforestation of the Amazon
