1. agriculture:

the purposeful tending of crops and livestock in order to

produce food and fiber

2. agribusiness:

agriculture conducted on commercial principles, especially

using advanced technology and mechanization. The

industrialization of agriculture

3. agricultural sector:

Section of the economy concerned with food production.

LDCs usually have large numbers/percent of people in this

sector, MDCs have few.

4. commercial farming:

growing large quantities of crops or livestock in order to sell

them for a profit. Usually entails using technology and is on a

large scale. Mostly done in MDCs or on plantation farms in

LDCs.

5. subsistence farming:

farming in which only enough food to feed one's family or

community is produced. Usually labor-intensive, manual tools,

and small in scale. Mostly done in LDCs.

6. ranching:

a form of commercial agriculture in which livestock graze over

an extensive area. Usually requires large amounts of (open)

land.

Unit 5 Agriculture AllStudy online at quizlet.com/_48jkgs

7. intensive farming:

farming that requires much labor to produce food. "Intensive"

refers to the amount of labor required/used.

8. extensive farming: agriculture in which little labour (but often

large machinery) is used to work big farms. "Extensive" refers

to the amount of land required/used.

9. ridge tillage:

the system of planting crops on ridge tops to lower

production costs and conserve soil quality

10. arable land:

land suited for agriculture

11. marginal land:

land that is not well suited for growing crops or agricultural

production.

12. sustainable agriculture:

Long-term productive farming methods that are

environmentally safe.

13. plant and animal hearths:

Place where plants and/or animals were first domesticated for

human use or consumption

14. domestication:

The conscious manipulation of plant and animal species by

humans in order to sustain themselves, whether to be used as

food, for protection, or companionship.

15. climate:

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

16. shifting cultivation:

a form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity

from one field to another. Systematic, moving from one field to

another. Uses up mineral resources in soil.

17. slash & burn/swidden:

farming technique where forests cut and burned to put

nutrients in soil. Also known as "swidden"

18. terrace:

A flat strip of ground on a hillside used for growing crops

19. pastoral nomadism:

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding

domesticated animals.

20. transhumance:

The seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and

lowland pastures.

21. over-grazing:

When cattle/animals eat grass in one spot for too long

22. deforestation:

the loss or destruction of forests, mainly for logging or

farming

23. desertification:

the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert.

Particularly bad in Africa just south of the Sahara (The Sahel)

24. crop rotation:

the system of growing a different crop in a field each year to

preserve the fertility of the land

25. seed plow:

Plow invented by Jethro Tull during the 1700's that sped up

planting and made it more uniform.

26. cotton gin:

A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented

by Eli Whitney in 1793

27. Neolithic Revolution:

when humans went from being nomad/hunter gatherers to

settling in one place and farming

28. Columbian Exchange:

The global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the

colonization of the Americas.

29. Enclosure Movement:

The fencing of pasture land in England beginning prior to the

Industrial Revolution. Forced small peasant farmers to move to

cities as rich landowners bought their land (which had been

commonly owned)for enclosures; increased crop production

and scale of agriculture. Laws were passed in England to allow

this.

30. high-yield seed:

created during the Green Revolution by Norman Borlaug to

combat drought and pests. Huge impact on Mexico and India,

other LDCs.

31. herbicide/pesticide: chemicals used to kill or control weeds

and pests. Extensively used in commercial agriculture; not

used in organic farming.

32. Second Agricultural Revolution:

included improved methods of cultivation, harvesting, and

storage of farm produce. Took place at the same time as the

Industrial Revolution

33. Third Agricultural Revolution:

began in the mid 20th century and is still going on today in the

form of industrial agriculture. Also known as the Green

Revolution. Characterized by mechanization, chemical farming,

and food manufacturing, GMOs.

34. Green Revolution:

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new

high-yield seeds and fertilizers, more productive agricultural

techniques during the 1970s and 1980s. Blue Rev is about

aquaculture

35. Norman Borlaug:

Founder of Green Revolution: Increased wheat and maize

yield worldwide, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.

36. Cesar Chavez:

Organized Union Farm Workers (UFW); help migratory farm

workers gain better pay & working conditions

37. mixed crop: ...

38. plantation agriculture:

is a form of industrialized agriculture used primarily in tropical

developing countries.

A type of agriculture in which cash crops are grown on large

estates

39. Mediterranean agriculture:

specialized farming that occurs only in areas where the dry-

summer Mediterranean climate prevails. Accounts for virtually

all olive oil produced worldwide

40. cash crop:

a crop produced for its commercial value rather than for use

by the grower.

41. luxury crop:

Non-subsistence crops such as tea, cacao, coffee, and

tobacco

42. truck farming:

commercial gardening and fruit farming in the US

to grow vegetables and fruits for local markets

43. horticulture:

the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers

44. suitcase farm:

when someone owns and operates a farm, but lives

somewhere else; usually a crops only farm

45. market gardening:

farming devoted to specialized fruit, vegetable, or vine crops

for sale rather than consumption

46. milk shed:

the area surrounding a city from which milk is supplied

47. Von Thunen:

Amatuer economist who suggested that certain crops are

grown based on distance to market or perishability. Created

model that says that perishable goods are located near market

area as well as heavy items

48. organic gardening:

Gardening that grows food without the use of any fertilizers,

pesticides, or herbicides.

49. local food movement:

Buying locally grown foods for various reasons, including

economic support of local growers and the percieved health

advantages.

50. aquaculture:

the rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic

plants for food.

51. GMO:

genetically modified organism

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through

advanced genetic engineering methods

52. urban agriculture:

establishment or performance of agricultural practices in or

near an urban or city-like setting

53. food desert:

an area in a developed country where healthy food is difficult

to obtain

an area characterized by a lack of affordable, fresh, and

nutritious foods

54. biodiversity:

the diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat (or

in the world as a whole)

55. water usage:

globally is largely agricultural (70%). Only 1% of water on

planet is potable.

56. fair trade:

trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing

countries. Products are made with standards to protect

workers and small businesses in periphery exporters, most

notably agriculture products.

57. commodity chains:

a chain of activities from the manufacturing to the distribution

of a product

58. role of women in agriculture:

the role that women play in agriculture, as it varies around the

world.

59. clustered settlement: settlements that group together in a

particular area.

60. dispersed settlement: A rural settlement pattern characterized

by isolated farms rather than clustered villages.

61. linear settlement: a pattern of settlements in which homes and

other buildings follow the lines taken by the road

62. long lots: thin lots that give river access

63. metes and bounds:

a method of describing real estate, using boundary lines with

terminal points and angles

uses feet and natural markers as monuments when describing

land

64. township range:

Land Ordinance of 1787 established the regular, checker-board

pattern of systematically surveying land into equal sized plots.

65. bid rent:

changing cost of "rent" as one moves away from the CBD.

66. feed lots:

fixed areas for cattle to graze in

67. CAFO:

concentrated animal feeding operation which is a large feedlot

to fatten animals before slaughter

68. subsidy:

a government payment that supports a business or market

69. agricultural trends:

current movements and trends in agriculture: sustainability, non-GMO, "free range", grass-fed, ethical animal treatment, etc.