Unit 5: Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes Chapter 13: Topic 5.6

Question 1

Theory that discusses land costs for different types of agricultural activities. There is usually a distance decay relationship between proximity to the urban market and the value of the land, meaning the closer the land is to an urban center, the more valuable it is.

Answer 1

Bid-rent Theory

Question 2

Uses expensive machinery and other inputs. Ex: Truck farming in California, Texas, Florida, and near large cities.

Answer 2

Capital Intensive

Question 3

Large farms that produce very large quantities of vegetables and fruit, often rely on many low-paid migrant workers, to tend and harvest crops.

Answer 3

Labor Intensive

Question 4

Capital-intensive livestock operation in which many animals are kept in close quarters, and bred and fed in a controlled environment. Animals progress from one end of the “factory” to the other end, where they are eventually processed into meat products.

Answer 4

Factory Farming

Question 5

Intensive farming. Rather than raising typical farm animals in close quarters with a controlled environment, fish, shellfish, or water plants are raised in netted areas in the sea, tanks, or other bodies of water.

Answer 5

Aquaculture (aquafarming)

Question 6

Planting and harvesting a crop two times per year on the same piece of land.

Answer 6

Double Cropping

Question 7

When farmers grow two or more crops simultaneously on the same field. Ex: A farmer might plant a legume crop alongside a cereal crop to add nitrogen to the soil and guard against soil erosion.

Answer 7

Intercropping/multi-cropping

Question 8

One crop is grown or one type of animal is raised per season on a piece of land. As a result, these farmers purchase very specific equipment, irrigation systems, fertilizers, and pesticides designed for their one crop or animal to maximize efficiency. Ex: Thousands of acres of just what, corn, rice, coffee, cacao, etc. This can result in lower per-unit cost of production, higher yields, and more profits. Negative impacts include soil depletion, decreased yields over time, increased reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and increased risk since all of the farmer’s resources are invested in one crop.

Answer 8

Monoculture/monocropping

Question 9

Confined spaces in which cattle and hogs have limited movement, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations. The animals grow bigger in a shorter period of time because of their reduced movement. This new practice maximizes the use of space and prepares the animal for slaughter quickly, this maximizing profit.

Answer 9

Feedlots (CAFOs)