Unit 5 vocab Flashcards
Agricultural Biodiversity
the variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture
Agricultural landscape
a landscape resulting from the interactions between farming activities and a location’s natural environment
Agroecosystem
an ecosystem modified for agricultural use
Aquifer
layers of sand, gravel, and rocks that contain and can release a usable amount of water
Biodiversity
the variety of organisms living in a location
Biotechnology
the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests
Food Security
reliable access to safe and nutritious food that can support an active and healthy lifestyle
Precision Agriculture
a farming management concept that uses technology to apply inputs with pinpoint accuracy to specific parts of fields to maximize crop yields, reduce waste, and preserve the environment
Reservoir
artificial lake used to store water
Salinization
the process by which water-soluble salts build up in the soil, which limits the ability of crops to absorb water
Suburbanization
the shifting of population away from cities into surrounding suburbs
Terracing
the process of carving parts of a hill or mountainside into small, level growing plots
Debt-for-nature swap
agreement between a bank and a peripheral country in which the bank forgives a portion of the country’s debt in exchange for local investment in conservation measures
Deforestation
loss of forest lands
Desertification
a form of land degradation that occurs when soil deteriorates to a desertlike condition
Economy of scale
cost reductions that occur when production rises
Food desert
area where residents lack access to healthy, nutritious foods because stores selling these foods are too far away
Food insecurity
the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of poor access to food
Agribusiness
the large-scale system that includes the production, processing, and distribution of agricultural products and equipment
Commodity chain
a network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribute a commodity or product
Dual agricultural economy
an economy having two agricultural sectors that have different levels of technology and different patterns of demand
Fair trade
movement that tries to provide farmers and workers in peripheral and semi-peripheral countries with a fair price for their products by providing more equitable trading conditions
Farm subsidy
a form of aid and insurance given by the federal government to certain farmers and agribusinesses
Global supply chain
network of people, information, processes, and resources that work together to produce, handle, and distribute goods around the world
Hybrid
the product created by breeding different varieties of species to enhance the most favorable characteristics
Agriculture
the purposeful cultivation of plants or raising of animals to produce goods for survival
Bid-rent theory
a theory that describes the relationships between land value, commercial location, and transportation (primarily in urban areas) using a bid-rent gradient, or slope; used to describe how land costs are determined
Central business district (CBD)
the central location where the majority of consumer services are located in a city or town because the accessibility of the location attracts these services
Climate region
an area that has similar climate patterns generally based on its latitude and its location on a coast or continental interior
Clustered settlement
a rural settlement pattern in which residents live in close proximity to one another, with farmland and pasture land surrounding the settlement; also known as a nucleated settlement
Commercial agriculture
an agricultural practice that focuses on producing crops and raising animals for the market for others to purchase
Columbian exchange
the exchange of goods and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa that began after Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492
Genetically modified organism (GMO)
plant or animal with specific characteristics obtained through the manipulation of its genetic makeup
Green revolution
movement beginning in the 1950s and 1960s in which scientists used knowledge of genetics to develop new high-yield strains of grain crops
Intensive agriculture
an agricultural practice in which farmers expend a great deal of effort to produce as much yield as possible from an area of land
Linear settlement
a rural settlement pattern in which houses and buildings form in a long line that usually follows a land feature or aligns along a transportation route
Market gardening
a type of farming that produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers and typically serves a specific market or urban
Crop rotation
the varying of crops from year to year to allow for the restoration of valuable nutrients and the continuing productivity of the soil
Dispersed settlement
rural settlement pattern in which houses and buildings are isolated from one another, and all the homes in a settlement are distributed over a relatively large area
Domestication
the deliberate effort to grow plants and raise animals, making plants and animals adapt to human demands and using selective breeding to develop desirable characteristics
Enclosure system
system in which communal lands were replaced by farms owned by individuals, and use of the land was restricted to the owner or tenants who rented the land from the owner
Extensive agriculture
an agricultural practice with relatively few inputs and little investment in labor and capital that results in relatively low outputs
First agricultural revolution
the shift from foraging for food to farming about 11,000 years ago, marking the beginning of agriculture
Foragers
small, nomadic groups who had primarily plant-based diets and ate small animals or fish for protein
Mediterranean agriculture
an agricultural practice that consists of growing hardy trees and shrubs and raising sheep and goats
Mixed crop and livestock systems
a type of farming in which both crops and livestock are raised for profit
Monocropping
the cultivation of one or two crops that are rotated seasonally
Nomadic herding
a type of agriculture based on people moving their domesticated animals seasonally or as needed to allow the best grazing
Pastoral nomadism
a type of agriculture based on people moving their domesticated animals seasonally or as needed to allow the best grazing`
Plantation agricultural
a type of large-scale commercial farming of one particular crop grown for markets often distant from the plantation
Second agricultural revolution
a change in farming practices, marked by new tools and techniques, that diffused from Britain and the Low Countries starting in the early 18th century
Shifting cultivation
the agricultural practice of growing crops or grazing animals on a piece of land for a year or two, then abandoning that land when the nutrients have been depleted from the soil and moving to a new piece of land where the process is repeated
Slash and burn
a method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown; often used when clearing land
Subsistence ageiculture
an agricultural practice that provides crops or livestock to feed one’s family and close community using fewer mechanical resources and more people to care for the crops and livestock
Third agricultural revolution
a shift to further mechanization in agriculture through the development of new technology and advances that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day
Transhuamnce
the movement of herds between pastures at cooler, higher elevations during the summer months and lower elevations during the winter
Infrastructure
the many systems and facilities that a country needs in order to function properly
Vertical intergration
the combining of a company’s ownership of and control over more than one stage of the production process of goods
von Thünen model
a model that suggests that perishability of the product and transport costs to the market each factor into the location of agricultural land use and activity
