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AP Human GeographyName ________________________Agricultural Unit Study GuideDate ___________Describe the characteristics of the 1st agricultural revolution:Transitioned from hunter-gatherer to settle communitiesBegan about 10,000 years agoSpecialization led to new innovationsPopulation began to increaseAgriculture regions tended to develop independently of each other (i.e. Early River Valleys)Information/Technology diffused through relocation diffusionDescribe the characteristics of the 2nd agricultural revolution:Coincides with the Industrial RevolutionMore people are moving to the cities, farmers need to become more efficientIntroduction of machinery and fertilizers to make farming more efficient; led to higher yieldsInformation/Technology diffused through relocation diffusionDescribe the characteristics of the 3rd agricultural revolution:Also referred to as the “Green Revolution,” began in the 1940sIntroduction of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizersCrop yields continue to increaseGMOs are seen as part of the 3rd agricultural revolutionInformation/Technology diffused through hierarchical diffusion (mainly MDCs to LDCs)Where in the world were the first domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats located? Southwest Asia/Middle EastDraw and describe von Thunen’s model:Make sure to also understand why the various agriculture production zones are where they are located.What is meant by double cropping? What advantage does this have over single cropping?Double cropping is where farmers plant two crops in the same field in one year. This is an example of intensive subsistence farming. It, in theory, allows for farmers to grow twice as much food as farmers who single crop.How do grain farming, fruit farming, Mediterranean agriculture, plantation crops, slash-and-burn agriculture, and livestock ranching differ?MDC farming: grain farming, fruit farming, Mediterranean agriculture, and livestock ranching. The purpose of these types of farming are for commercial purposes, to make money by selling the crops.LDC farming: Plantation crops and Slash-and-burn agriculture. Plantation crops are when MDC companies talk LDC farmers into mono-cropping a cash crop, such as bananas, coffee, sugarcane. Slash-and-burn agriculture tends to be more subsistence farming.What are examples of renewable resources? Non-renewable resources?Renewable resources are resources that can be renewed: wind, solar, geothermal, hydroNon-renewable resources are resources that cannot be renewed: fossil fuelsDescribe the GMO debate: pros and consCompare and contrast subsistence farming and commercial farmingSubsistence farming’s main goal is to grow food for the farmer to eat. Surplus foods may be traded or sold at market. (mainly found in LDCs)Commercial farming’s main goal is to grow food for sale. These farmers will often times take the money they earn from selling their food to buy food to eat. (mainly found in MDCs)What is meant by monoculture agriculture?Only growing 1 crop, usually as cash crop, for the explicit purpose of exporting for profitWhere did the early agricultural hearths first appear?Nile River Valley, Indus River Valley, Tigris & Euphrates River Valley, and Huang He River ValleyWhat is meant by sustainability in agriculture?Using farming methods that allow for long-term farming, using sustainable practices to keep the soil fresh and producing high yields.What was the significance of the Columbian Exchange?Exchange of agricultural products from Europe/Africa to the New World. Make sure to know some of the major items that were diffused.What is meant by suitcase farms?Farms that do not employ a lot of year-round labor, but will “import” labor during the harvest periods. These workers literally live out of their suitcases. What options do small farms have to compete with larger corporate farms?Smaller farms must find a niche so that they do not directly compete with corporate farms. Most common way to do this is through transitioning to organic farming.Why does the United States produce so much corn?Corn is heavily subsidized by the government and corn is used in so many products today. Additionally, the US also raises a lot of cows and corn has been introduced as a cheap form of cattle feed. ................
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