| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural practice | Methods, techniques, and systems used in farming and food production, including land use, crop selection, and production methods. |
| extensive farming | Agricultural practices that use larger areas of land with lower inputs per unit area, often with lower population density. |
| intensive farming | Agricultural practices that maximize productivity per unit of land through high inputs of labor, capital, or technology. |
| market gardening | Small-scale intensive farming focused on producing high-value crops for sale in local or nearby markets. |
| Mediterranean climate | A climate characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, typically found in regions around the Mediterranean Sea and similar latitudes. |
| mixed crop/livestock systems | Farming systems that integrate both crop cultivation and animal husbandry on the same land. |
| nomadic herding | A pastoral practice in which herders move livestock seasonally across landscapes in search of water and pasture. |
| physical geography | The study of Earth's natural systems, including landforms, climate, water bodies, and ecosystems that influence human activities. |
| plantation agriculture | Large-scale farming of a single cash crop, typically in tropical or subtropical regions, often for export markets. |
| ranching | Large-scale extensive livestock farming, typically on grasslands or semi-arid regions. |
| shifting cultivation | A farming system in which farmers clear land, cultivate it for a period, then move to new land allowing the original area to regenerate. |
| tropical climates | Climates found near the equator characterized by warm temperatures year-round and significant precipitation, supporting diverse vegetation. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural practice | Methods, techniques, and systems used in farming and food production, including land use, crop selection, and production methods. |
| changing diets | Shifts in food consumption patterns among populations resulting from agricultural production and availability. |
| conservation efforts | Practices and policies aimed at protecting and preserving natural resources and ecosystems affected by agriculture. |
| deforestation | The clearing, removal, or destruction of forests, often to create space for agricultural land use. |
| desertification | The process by which productive land gradually becomes desert, often due to drought, overgrazing, or unsustainable agricultural practices. |
| draining wetlands | The removal of water from wetland areas to convert them into agricultural land, altering ecosystems and hydrology. |
| economic purpose | The commercial or financial objectives and outcomes of agricultural production and land use. |
| environmental consequences | The effects of agricultural activities on natural systems, including impacts on soil, water, air, and ecosystems. |
| irrigation | The artificial application of water to land to support agricultural production in areas with insufficient rainfall. |
| land cover change | The transformation of Earth's surface from one type of land use to another, such as conversion of forests to agricultural fields. |
| landscape alteration | Changes to the physical features and characteristics of land resulting from agricultural practices. |
| nomadic herding | A pastoral practice in which herders move livestock seasonally across landscapes in search of water and pasture. |
| pollution | The introduction of harmful substances or contaminants into the environment that damage ecosystems and human health. |
| role of women in agricultural production | The participation, responsibilities, and contributions of women in farming and food production systems. |
| shifting cultivation | A farming system in which farmers clear land, cultivate it for a period, then move to new land allowing the original area to regenerate. |
| societal consequences | The effects of agricultural practices on human societies, including changes to culture, economy, and social structures. |
| soil salinization | The accumulation of salt in soil, often caused by irrigation practices, which reduces soil fertility and crop productivity. |
| terraces | Stepped or leveled surfaces cut into hillsides to create flat areas for agriculture and reduce soil erosion on sloped terrain. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| aquaculture | The farming and harvesting of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweed in controlled water environments. |
| biodiversity | The variety of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms within an ecosystem or agricultural system. |
| biotechnology | The use of living organisms or their products to modify or create plants and animals for agricultural purposes. |
| community-supported agriculture | A system in which consumers purchase shares of a farm's harvest, directly supporting local farmers and receiving fresh produce. |
| distribution systems | The networks and infrastructure that transport agricultural products from farms to markets and consumers. |
| economies of scale | Cost advantages gained by producing goods in large quantities, reducing the per-unit cost of production. |
| fair trade | A movement ensuring that producers in developing countries receive equitable prices and fair working conditions for their agricultural products. |
| food deserts | Geographic areas where residents have limited or no access to affordable, fresh, and nutritious food, often in low-income urban or rural communities. |
| food insecurity | The lack of reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food to meet dietary needs and maintain an active, healthy life. |
| food-processing facilities | Industrial plants where raw agricultural products are transformed into finished food products for distribution and sale. |
| genetically modified organisms | Organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques to introduce traits not found in nature. |
| local food movements | Community-based initiatives promoting the production, distribution, and consumption of food from local sources to address food access and sustainability. |
| organic farming | Agricultural practices that avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, relying on natural methods to maintain soil health and control pests. |
| suburbanization | The process of population and economic activity spreading outward from central cities to surrounding suburban areas. |
| sustainability | The ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, particularly regarding natural resources and land use. |
| urban farming | The cultivation of crops and raising of livestock in urban and suburban areas to produce food locally. |
| value-added specialty crops | Agricultural products that have been processed or modified to increase their market value and appeal to consumers. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| female roles | The specific tasks, responsibilities, and positions that women hold in food production, distribution, and consumption systems. |
| food consumption | The patterns and practices of how people acquire, prepare, and eat food in different societies and regions. |
| food distribution | The systems and processes by which food is transported and delivered from producers to consumers. |
| food production | The cultivation and output of crops and livestock for human consumption. |
| geographic variations | Differences in characteristics, practices, or patterns that occur across different locations and regions. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural practice | Methods, techniques, and systems used in farming and food production, including land use, crop selection, and production methods. |
| clustered settlement | A rural settlement pattern where buildings and homes are grouped closely together in a concentrated area. |
| dispersed settlement | A rural settlement pattern where buildings and homes are spread out over a wide area with significant distances between them. |
| linear settlement | A rural settlement pattern where buildings and homes are arranged in a line, often following a road, river, or other geographic feature. |
| long lot | A survey method that creates long, narrow parcels of land extending from a river or road, used in areas like French Canada and Louisiana. |
| metes and bounds | A survey method that describes land boundaries using distances (metes) and directions (bounds) from natural or artificial landmarks. |
| rural settlement patterns | The spatial arrangement and distribution of human settlements in agricultural and non-urban areas. |
| township and range | A survey method that divides land into a grid system of townships and ranges, commonly used in the United States. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural revolutions | Major periods of transformation in farming practices and food production that led to increased yields and the spread of crops and livestock globally. |
| Central America | A geographic region in Mesoamerica that was a major center of domestication for plants such as maize and animals. |
| Columbian Exchange | The global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Americas and Europe, Africa, and Asia following Columbus's 1492 voyage. |
| diffusion | The spread of cultural traits, practices, beliefs, or innovations from one place or group to another over time and space. |
| domestication | The process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use through selective breeding and cultivation over many generations. |
| Fertile Crescent | An ancient region in Southwest Asia spanning parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt, where early domestication of plants and animals occurred. |
| hearths of domestication | Geographic centers or regions where plants and animals were first domesticated and agricultural practices originated. |
| Indus River Valley | An ancient civilization and region in South Asia (modern-day Pakistan and India) that was a major center of early plant and animal domestication. |
| Southeast Asia | A geographic region in Asia that served as a major center of domestication for plants and animals. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| food production | The cultivation and output of crops and livestock for human consumption. |
| life expectancy | The average number of years a person is expected to live from birth; influences the age structure of a population. |
| second agricultural revolution | A period of agricultural innovation and increased food production that led to improved diets, longer life expectancies, and a larger workforce available for industrial labor. |
| technology | Tools, techniques, and innovations applied to agricultural practices to increase efficiency and output. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural practice | Methods, techniques, and systems used in farming and food production, including land use, crop selection, and production methods. |
| bid-rent theory | An economic theory explaining how land use is distributed within cities based on the ability of different land uses to pay rent at various distances from the central business district. |
| commercial agriculture | Farming oriented toward producing crops and livestock for sale in markets, often at regional, national, or global scales. |
| economic forces | Market-driven factors such as prices, costs, and profit incentives that shape decisions about how and what to produce. |
| extensive farming | Agricultural practices that use larger areas of land with lower inputs per unit area, often with lower population density. |
| intensive farming | Agricultural practices that maximize productivity per unit of land through high inputs of labor, capital, or technology. |
| land costs | The economic value and expense associated with acquiring or using land for agricultural production. |
| monoculture | The cultivation of a single crop species over a large area, often associated with commercial agriculture. |
| subsistence agriculture | Farming primarily for self-consumption and local use, producing enough to meet the farmer's own needs rather than for commercial sale. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural practice | Methods, techniques, and systems used in farming and food production, including land use, crop selection, and production methods. |
| carrying capacity | The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely given available resources and natural conditions. |
| commercial agricultural operations | Large-scale farming enterprises focused on producing crops or livestock for profit and market sale rather than subsistence. |
| commodity chains | The interconnected sequence of production, processing, distribution, and consumption stages that link agricultural products from farm to consumer. |
| economic forces | Market-driven factors such as prices, costs, and profit incentives that shape decisions about how and what to produce. |
| economies of scale | Cost advantages gained by producing goods in large quantities, reducing the per-unit cost of production. |
| family farms | Small-scale agricultural operations typically owned and operated by a family, often producing for local consumption or regional markets. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural production | The cultivation and harvesting of crops and livestock for food and other products. |
| concentric rings | Circular zones of different agricultural land use patterns arranged around a central market in the von Thünen model. |
| distance from market | The spatial separation between agricultural production areas and the central market or urban center, which affects land use decisions. |
| rural land use | The patterns of how land in countryside and non-urban areas is utilized, including farming, forestry, and other agricultural activities. |
| specialty farming | Agricultural production focused on specific high-value crops or products rather than general subsistence or commodity farming. |
| transportation costs | The expenses associated with moving goods from their production location to the market, which increase with distance. |
| von Thünen model | A geographic model that explains rural land use patterns by analyzing how transportation costs and distance from the market influence the location and type of agricultural production. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| agricultural consumption | The use and demand for food and agricultural products by populations and markets. |
| agricultural production | The cultivation and harvesting of crops and livestock for food and other products. |
| export commodities | Agricultural or raw material products produced in one country and sold to other countries for profit. |
| food distribution networks | The systems and pathways through which food products are transported and delivered from producers to consumers across regions and countries. |
| global supply chain | The interconnected network of producers, processors, distributors, and consumers involved in moving agricultural products from production to consumption worldwide. |
| infrastructure | The basic physical systems and facilities needed for a city to function, including transportation networks, utilities, and public services. |
| interdependence | The mutual reliance of countries on each other for goods, services, and economic stability in the global economy. |
| political relationships | The diplomatic connections and agreements between countries that can affect trade, access to resources, and economic cooperation. |
| world trade | The exchange of goods and services between countries across international markets and borders. |