AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY - Agricltural and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes

• Agriculture


  The raising of crops and livestock to provide food and other products.
• Primary Eocnomic Activity


  An economic activity that takes something from the ground (farming, mining, forestry, etc.)
• Sedentary


  The condition where a group of humans is able to live in one location and grow crops and raise animals.
• First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Agricultural Revolution)


  The domestication of plants and animals and the resulting start of a sedentary society.
• Second Agricultural Revolution


  An agricultural revolution starting in the seventeenth century that increased efficiency of crop production and distribution through use of new machinery.
• Agribusinesses


  Commercial agriculture in which large corporations own and operate various steps in the production process with an emphasis on profit.
• Green Revolution


  The development and transfer from the developed world to the developing world, of higher-yield and fast-growing crops through new and improved technology, pesticides, and fertilizers, for the purpose of alleviating world hunger.
• Modern Commercial Agriculture


  Large-scale agricultural production for profit using specialized methods, technologies, and genetically engineered seeds.
• Vertical Integration


  Contracts between farmer and producer in the agricultural industry.
• Subsistence Agriculture


  A form of agriculture in which everything that is produced is consumed by that population. Forms of subsistence agriculture include shifting, swidden/slash-and-burn, and intensive subsistence.
• Shifting agriculture


  The form of subsistence agriculture in which crops are grown in different fields on a rotating basis. Also called Swidden Agriculture or Slash-and-Burn Agriculture.
• Intensive subsistence agriculture


  A form of agriculture that depends on heavy inputs of fertilizer and human labor on a small piece of land for substantial crop yield.
• Polyculture


  The production of several crops.
• Urban Subsistence Farming


  The cultivation of small city gardens for food in the cities of the developing world
• Pastoralism


  A form of subsistence agriculture in which animals are herded in a seasonal migratory pattern.
• Transhumance


  The constant movement of herds in a set seasonal pattern of grazing.
• Grain Farming


  The mass planting and harvesting of grain crops, such as wheat, barley, and millet.
• Monoculture


  The production of a single crop for commercial markets (corn, wheat, rice, etc.).
• Mediterranean agriculture


  A form of specialized agriculture in which crops in a Mediterranean climate of warm year-round temperatures and sunny summers (grapes, olives, figs, dates, citrus fruits, etc.) are grown.
• Truck Farming


  Commercial gardening and fruit farming in the United States.
• Specialty Farming


  Farming that grows crops to provide small upscale niche markets with fresh produce.
• Von Thunen's Agricultural Land-Use Model

  A model of agricultural land use that illustrates the relationship between the cost of land and transportation costs involved in getting a product to market.

  
• Biotechnology


  The application of scientific techniques to modify and improve plants, animals, and microorganisms to enhance their value.
• Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)


  An organism that is created when scientists take one or more specific genes from one organism and introduce them into another organism, thus creating a new version. The first one ever was a tomato.
• Organic Farming


  The process of producing food naturally without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and other inputs.
• Desertification


  The transformation of agricultural lands into deserts because of overgrazing and soil erosion.
• Sustainability


  The principle that we must meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
• Conservation Agriculture


  A modern method of farming that balances maximum crop yield with sustainable farming methods and protection of the environment.
• Conservation crop rotation


  A sequence of crops on the same field for the purpose of supporting soil health, conserving natural resources, and improving environmental outcomes from farming.
• Conservation Tillage


  Method of cultivation in which residues from previous crops are left in the soil, partially covering it and helping to hold it in place until the newly planted seeds are established.
• Terraces


  Steplike ledges cut into mountains to make land suitable for farming.
• Tragedy of the commons


  A situation in which people acting individually and in their own interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community.