Unit 5: Agriculture (Vocabulary) Flashcards
Intensive agriculture
requires high level of physical labor and many resources. ex. plantation farming
Extensive agriculture
requires little labor or resourses. ex. ranching and nomadic herding
Plantation farming
intensive farming large swathes of land - usually cash crops
Market gardening
intensive
farming fruits, flowers, and vegetables on a small scale to be sell directly to customers (think farmers market)
Mixed crop/livestock systems
intensive
mix between animals and plants; both cultivated on the same land
Nomadic herding
extensive
continuously moving animals around in search of grazing land
Ranching
extensive
allowing livestock to roam freely over a certain area of land.
Shifting cultivation
farm one place, then move to a new place while the old place returns to its natural state.
Subsistence farming
Farming to support yourself and your family (ex. clustereed villages in India) –> usually produce 2-3 different crops
Commercial farming
industrial farming projects (farming for profit) (ex. dispersed, isolated midwest United States - monocultures)
Clustered
type of rural settlement
several houses close to one another surrounded by fields (farming villages in India).
Dispersed
rural settlement
Isolated farmed (midwest United States.
Linear
rural settlement
communities established along a street or river to access communication (ex. River settlements, the Nile)
Metes and Bounds
land survey method
ancient, used landmarks and paces. Pro: easy to understand and funnctional, Con: landmarks can disappear, inconsistent metrics.
Township and Range
Land surveying method
Government sets of equal (usual square townships) Pro: easy and standardized, Con: may disrupt existing, unofficial boundaries.
Long lots
Land survey method
allocation of farmland along rivers - used long rectangular lots to maximize access to the river (common to linear rural settlements).
Bid Rent Theory
the closer land is to the main city (Central Business District - CBD), the more expensive it is to rent. Businesses are willing to pay high prices to be closer to the CBD because they benefit from being closer to consumers, paying lower prices for transportation, and having easy access to the main marketplace (dairy products expire easily so close distant is beneficial for these industries.)
Carrying Capacity
The impact of population distribution and density on the environment and natural resources; how many people can land sustain?
Von Thünen’s model
relates transportation costs to distance from main city.
…
1. main city
2. intensive farming and dairying
3. forest (fuel source)
4. increasingly extensive field crops
5. ranching, animal products
Banana republic
countries whose economies are reliant on one crop/export commodity.
ex. Guatemala is reliant on exporting bananas to the US. The US government has interfered with Guatemalan politics in order to continue benefiting from their banana industry.
Economies of Sale
the idea that the cost per unit of production decreases as volume of product increases
Urban farming
type of food production
the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around a village, town, or city
Value added specialty crops
type of food production
goods that have some other product in them or item attached to them to make them unique and able to sell at higher price (Ex. making wheat into flour)
Fair Trade
Type of food producion/consumption
farmers are paid fair prices for their products and workers get fair wages; eliminates the likelihood of monopolies, enables unions, helps working conditions
Local food movements
Type of food production/consumption
connects food producers and food consumers in the same geographic region in order to develop more self-reliant and resilient food networks, and improve local economies by eliminating middlemen
Organic farming
reluctance to use biotechnology (pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs) in farming
