Unit 5: Agriculture: Primary Economic Activities Flashcards
agribusiness
Farming engaged in as a large-scale business operation embracing the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products and the manufacture of farm machinery, equipment, and supplies
agricultural hearths
areas from where the origins of agricultural ideas and innovation began and spread
agriculture
The raising of animals or the growing of crops on tended land to obtain food for primary consumption by a farmer’s family or for sale off the farm
biotechnology
the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services
cereal grains
grass yielding grain for food (oats, wheat, rye, barley)
Columbian Exchange
Movement of plants and animals from each side of the Atlantic Ocean back to the other
commercial agriculture
the production of crops for sale and is designed to produce crops for widespread distribution (supermarkets), larger markets, and exports
desertification
Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting
dispersed settlement pattern
used to classify rural settlements, homes range from a scattered to an isolated pattern
enclosure
The process of consolidating small landholdings into a smaller number of larger farms in England during the eighteenth century
erosion
removal of surface material from Earth’s crust, primarily soil and rock debris, and the transportation of the eroded materials by natural agencies (such as water or wind
extensive agriculture
small inputs of labor/money relative to the size of the farmland
extensive subsistence agriculture
a vast expanse of land is cultivated to yield minimal output of crops and animals for the primary consumption of the grower’s family
Green Revolution
a response to an exponential increase in the global human population and advances in technology that allowed for the mass production of chemical fertilizers
hamlet
a settlement which is too small to be considered a town or village
village
a group of houses and associated buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town, situated in a rural area
horticulture
The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers
hunters and gatherers
people who depend largely on food collection or foraging for wild resources
industrial agriculture
large-scale, intensive production of crops and animals, often involving chemical fertilizers on crops or the routine, harmful use of antibiotics in animals
intensive agriculture
large amounts of labor and capital are used to produce high yields of crops
intensive substinence agriculture
a method of agriculture where farmers get more food per acre compared to other subsistence farming methods
irrigation
a man-made system whereby water is spread from its natural source (such as a lake or river) over a much larger geographic range to aid in agricultural production
job specialization
a process in which employees develop specific skills, experience and knowledge in a particular area in order to gain the expertise required to perform certain aspects of a job
labor intensive agriculture
large inputs of labor/money relative to the size of the farmland
location theory
addresses the questions of what economic activities are located where and why
long-lot survey system
divides the land into narrow parcels stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals
Mediterranean agriculture
agriculture done in those regions which are having Mediterranean type of climate; it is a mixture of diverse bio-cultural activities that has developed in five major world regions
mercantilism
economic policy that forces colonies to sell their raw materials for low prices and then buy them back from the mother country for high prices
metes and bounds
system uses physical features of local geography along with directions and distances to define and describe boundaries of land parcels
milkshed
The ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling
mixed crop and livestock farming
crops like soybeans and corn are grown to fatten up livestock so that the farmers can send the livestock to slaughterhouses and make money
Neolithic Revolution
led to masses of people establishing permanent settlements supported by farming and agriculture
nomadism
a member of a people having no permanent abode, and who travel from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock
nucleated settlement pattern
buildings grouped around a central location
organic agriculture
use of natural methods to promote plant growth and control pests, without the use of synthetic chemicals or genetically modified organisms
pampas
extensive lowland plains of South America
pastoral nomadism
Herding of domestic animals in dry, arid climates
patriarchal system
men controlled the holding power in the family, the economy, and the government
plantation farming
production of one or more usually cash crops on a large swathe of land
post-industrial societies
societies whose economic system is engaged primarily in the processing and control of information
primary sector
The portion of the economy concerned with the direct extraction of materials from Earth’s surface, generally through agriculture, although sometimes by mining, fishing, and forestry
primogeniture
the eldest son, or in some rare cases daughter, inherits all of the deceased parents’ land
quaternary sector
the industry based on human knowledge which involves technology, information, financial planning, research, and development
rectangular survey system
the Public Land Survey, the system was used by the US Land Office Survey to parcel land west of the Appalachian Mountains
Second Agricultural Revolution
A series of inventions and reforms starting in England in the 1600s that caused a massive increase in agricultural productivity
secondary sector
revolves around manufacturing; transforms natural resources into artificial resources
seed agriculture
the reproduction of plants by using seeds
seed drill
a device used in agriculture that sows seeds for crops by positioning them in the soil and burying them to a specific depth while being dragged by a tractor
shifting cultivation
the practice of farming by clearing land for farming by slashing vegetation and burning debris
specialization
the separation of tasks within a system
substinence agriculture
involves food production mainly for the family
tertiary sector
service industry
Third Agricultural Revolution
involved hybridization and genetic engineering of products and the increased use of pesticides and fertilizers
truck farming
the production of crops of some vegetables on an extensive scale in regions especially suited to their culture primarily for shipment to distant markets
vegetative planting
reproduction of plants by direct cloning from existing plants, such as cutting stems and dividing roots
von Thunen’s model
aims to explain the spatial organization of agriculture and how it is influenced by transportation costs
wattle
a fabrication of poles interwoven with slender branches, withes, or reeds and used especially formerly in building
wet (lowland) rice
Practice of planting rice on dry land or in a nursery and then moving seeding to flooded fields to grow
winter wheat area
wheat that is sown in autumn and ripens the following spring or summe
spring wheat area
wheat that is sown in the spring and harvested in late summer or fall
